New Discoveries for the New Year

A serene setting of modern miniatures in 1/12 scale by Paris Renfroe.

A serene setting of modern miniatures in 1/12 scale by Paris Renfroe.

New to me, but not totally new to the miniatures scene, is Paris Renfroe, a very talented artist now living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Paris has been involved in miniatures and model-making since childhood, but his interest in Mid-Century Modernism led him, initially, into a career in furniture and interior design, opening his own design firm in San Francisco in 2002.

After the downturn in the economy led to a downturn in

Two versions of the shipping container gallery/home options available through Paris Renfroe Designs.

Two versions of the shipping container gallery/home options available through Paris Renfroe Designs.

his business, and having noticed the lack of modern miniatures in the marketplace, he decided to focus on the scale miniatures he had been producing to help sell his full-size work. Paris now makes a wide variety of furniture and accessories for the miniature

A stylishly elegant double vanity in 1/12 scale by Paris Renfroe.

A stylishly elegant double vanity in 1/12 scale by Paris Renfroe.

modern home; some are instantly recognizable replicas of master, like the Noguchi tables, some are replicas of mass market staples, but many are his own original designs, including the line he calls M.U.T.T., an acronym for ‘made using tossed trimmings’- recycling in miniature! His website displays a wide variety of furnishings for every room in the house, including those fabulous double vanities that are so in demand on the house hunting shows of HGTV.

And, if you need a suitably fashion forward home for those marvelous modern pieces, Paris is also making a loft structure as well as two different styles of dollhouse scale cargo containers to serve as miniature homes and galleries; echoing the similar trend in full-size green, and industrial modernist, architecture.

2 Responses to New Discoveries for the New Year

  1. Sue Veeder says:

    That is so believeable, especially with the natural light coming in. Beautiful, and we certainly need more modern!

  2. Barbara Davis says:

    I’ve commissioned Paris to do 3 shipping container pods to house some of my collection – from southwestern, to Arts and Crafts, to medieval England. They will be “galleries” for me. I saw his work at the Good Sam Show in San Jose and was obsessed! FYI, Paris will be a student at the Guild School this year.

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