This 1/12th scale model Doll’s Home for brand communication agencyBlue Rubicon, on behalf of Homebase, is crammed full of detail. Everything from the wallpaper to the flooring, side lamps, working ceiling lights and furniture was produced as scaled replicas of furniture ranges stocked by the home and garden retailer, as part of its Life Improvement campaign. The interior design specification and list of products was created by Homebase’s Design and Well-Being expert, Oliver Heath.
The model served as a prototype for improving well-being in the modern home, addressing issues such as; the amount of time families spend together, efficiency in workspaces, gardens and personal areas for ‘me time’ – all with the aim improve the home environment. The model was created for a media briefing event to help visualise Oliver’s 10 Fundamental Pillars to create a more harmonious home, ahead of the campaign launch in March 2016.
Key features of the model included removable roof sections and elevations to view the furniture and internal detail. The main structure was designed in-house to be as lightweight as possible and to allow the lighting fixtures to be wired in; these channels were smoothed into the walls and floors, and overlaid with high-quality vinyl prints of wallpaper patterns and floor treatments, such as tiles and floorboards.
The units inside the house were not generic 1/12th Doll’s house furniture stock, but individual bespoke models of designs supplied by Homebase. Where possible, we used high-quality renewable wood for bare surfaces such as legs and table tops. The soft furnishings were hand-art worked by our props department to achieve scaled surface finishes such as; leather and lush upholstery.
Small scale, detail models of products (or whole interiors) still in the design phase can be extremely practical and cost-saving, doubling as a designer’s aide and marketing tool. They can be cheaper to fabricate and easier to transport than replicating a large structure at 1:1, and can give a clear, broad overview of a design, particularly when complemented by still images and videos to act as the centrepiece of a presentation.
