New News on brinca dada's Dylan

All photos courtesy of brinca dada

There's news to be had on the Dylan, the latest creation from brinca dada. Earlier this year I blogged about the Dylan here and here, and it was exciting to see this inventive follow-up to the Emerson, the wildly successful modern 1:16 scale house that launched the company. While founder and CEO Doug Rollins admits that there were production issues with the Emerson, they are committed to continuing their efforts to create products that are "beautiful and fun." (By the way, check out the brinca dada website for a sale on the Emerson now.)

Doug shared some details on the Dylan and was kind enough to satisfy my intense curiosity with some new renderings of the house and furniture. The house, which Doug says is inspired by the work of minimalist masters Paul Rudolph and Tadao Ando, looks very similar to the prototype I saw at the Gift Fair, but the main difference is that it is now not collapsible. Doug said that it came down to a safety issue so they decided to launch it as a fixed structure. Constructed in 1:16 scale and made of MDF and other woods, the Dylan features lead-free and non-toxic paints, and includes four rooms on two levels. The house will be available on the brinca dada website (and in select stores) in mid-July for $149, which is at the lower end of the range Doug shared at the Gift Fair in February. And yes, brinca dada will ship the house internationally!

Care for a peek inside?

There will be a set of 26 pieces of modern furniture, made of foamboard, for a very reasonable $14.99. While in my opinion there are some similarities to the MoMA Modern Play House pieces, the Dylan set shows more sophisticated profiles with just the right pops of color.

I personally really like the design. It's boxy, but I think the open panes give it an airiness and sense of fun. Remember, this is a toy for kids too, not just us rabid modern mini fans! I see many possibilities for modern scenes and setups, and while I am disappointed that the design no longer supports a collapsible functionality, it's not a deal-breaker for me. Heck, only one of my houses is truly collapsible (my Large VERO) and I never take advantage of this feature.

Share your own feedback on the renderings, and let me know if you have other queries. I know Doug would be more than happy to provide the answers if he can, and I look forward to seeing the house in person at the NY International Gift Fair in August.

On the Bennett, the next brinca dada offering waiting in the wings, it is still in production and Doug hopes to share more on it soon. There's also some plans in the works for the Emerson. I know we'll all stay tuned...

Checkered

The floor of the upper room in my Large VERO house has always charmed me...it is a black and brown checkered linoleum and has such a strong vintage vibe. This room is intended as a bath, and I actually spent months scraping and re-wallpapering it (you can see the before and after in this post). The green cascading stripe design is from a roll of vintage 1:1 scale papers and they do work well. You might not be able to see it in this scene, but there is also a green tile on one of the walls. I tend to hide most of it in scenes because there are tears and holes, so that's how I ended up using my Brio Mobilia desk set.

The lovely vintage German lamp was purchased from my blogging buddy Amy of Amy's Miniatures and Smalls. I've had it for some time, and this is the first time I have used it. The base consists of two stacked oval pieces of wood and the curved neck of the lamp swivels so that the shade can be positioned as needed.

The yellow and gold vase is actually a bead from a local store, The Place to Bead.

It was labeled "vintage German," and I just loved the shape and color. This helped guide the yellow and blue color scheme in the desk area. See that blue package of vanilla wafer cookies by Re-ment? I just bought a 1:1 bag for some hungry little folk in my house. I would do a "big and small" photo, but I don't think I can equal the talent in the Re-ment Addicts Group on Flickr -- check out their big and small photos here. And here is Fishmo's take on the big and small wafers -- genius!

Photo by Fishmo

Brings a big smile to my face!

A postscript: the reality of making scenes...and not cleaning up!

Credits: Couch is VERO; lamp is vintage German; desk set is Brio Mobilia; chair is Reac; stone elephant sculpture was purchased at an estate sale for $2.50; plant is from Lolly's; pillow is by minimodernistas. Accessories are Re-ment, handmade by The Shopping Sherpa, beads from The Place to Bead, AG Minis, Mighty World, Three Blind Mice dollhouse show, Petite Princess, and Bandai.

The time it took me: 50 minutes