I love buildings – preferably old ones, a little tumble-down & time-worn, built for working people by working people from the materials at hand.

I love details – a wooden door, blue shutters, red roof tiles, ricketty steps.

Put the two together and it’s no surprise that I have been inspired to  make detailed miniature buldings, inspired by some of the old architecture of France.

In Provence, the ‘mas’ is a traditional farmhouse which was built from inexpensive local stone & wood. It was made up of a kitchen & bedrooms for the family, storerooms for food & animal feed as well as shelter for animals on the ground floor.

These buildings have a wealth of details which I use when making my miniature houses – highlighted by small splashes of colour, textured glazes and intricate modelling.

The mas of Provence always faces to the south to give protection against the Mistral wind which blows from the north. Also because of the Mistral, there are no windows facing north, and on all the other sides, windows are narrow to protect against the heat of summer and the cold of winter.

If we can’t visit France at the moment, or have the luxury of owning a ‘mas’ of our own, then a miniature version is a pleasant substitute.

Bonne journée mes amis!