Isn’t this miniature letterpress artwork amazing? It’s by Caren Florance (aka Ampersand Duck of Canberra, AUS).
I was inspired to head outside this weekend, as i was unseasonably warm (75 degrees) for November, and brought my Djeco Cubic House with me. It’s an exceedingly stylish and portable house, and very photogenic in sun and shade.
In the wake of an intense and fraught U.S. Presidential election and after four wrenching years, there is now happiness and joy and I feel a surge of hope. Things are looking up and this is a moment to be celebrated and savored.
I have an incredible fondness for Lundby dollhouses. The Stockholm was one of the first I collected as an adult, and I was fascinated by the company’s rich history and captivated by the products, which always reflected current living (albeit with a distinctly cool Scandinavian flair). I went on to collect many, many pieces of contemporary and vintage Lundby furnishings, which worked across many of the dollhouses I owned.
Lundby has been around since the mid-1940s, and was purchased by Micki Leksaker in 1997. Micki has sustained the strong Lundby dollhouse tradition over the years and has just introduced the new Room series, which I was very fortunate to see firsthand in Sweden. YES, Sweden. I went on vacation there with my family in late June and decided to reach out to Micki for a visit. I am grateful that they said yes, because it was one of the most enjoyable miniature-related things I’ve experienced.
Micki is located in Gemla, Sweden, in an industrial park. Their offices are very cool, modern, and charming, and the staff was incredibly gracious.
Micki Headquarters, Gemla, Sweden
Lobby at Micki
We met with Stefanos, their head of Product Management, as well as Mikael, who is the creative genius behind the new modular Room series.
Mikael with his Rooms
The Room is intended to stand on its own, or be combined with other Rooms to create a new living environment. They are simple, modular forms that provide endless options for customization.
An assembled Room
A view into the Micki showroom with an elaborate Room setup
The Room is quite easy to set up, as Mikael demonstrated.
I was lucky enough to take this Room home with me to the U.S. to set it up and style it myself. I really enjoyed the process of putting it all together and love the modular simplicity of the design.
You can see how thrilled and happy I am to have my very own Room.
All the Room pieces, ready for setup
I placed in some furniture and also added the stairs to create a roof scene. A very smart, thoughtful, and clever friend gave me some new Ellsworth Kelly postage stamps, knowing that I’d be inspired to create some miniature artwork! They worked great.
There is new battery operated LED lighting with the Lundby Room, which is a great innovation of the series. The lights can be hung with velcro adhesive without the traditional wires and plugs.
The Lundby Room won the 2019 Toy of the Year, and will be available in stores in the Nordics as well as on Amazon DE and Amazon UK by September. It’s not yet available in the U. S., but they are working on new distribution. Keep an eye on the Lundby Instagram feed for photos and news, too!
285 Likes, 4 Comments - Lundby doll's house (@lundbydollshouse) on Instagram: "The number of combinations you can do with Lundby Room are ENDLESS! What do your dream house look..."
On a final note, I wanted to share a few photos from the special display room from Micki headquarters. The space not only included some iconic pieces from Micki’s history, but also some wonderful vintage Lundby dollhouses and furnishings. It was a real highlight of our Swedish adventure to see this — thanks, Micki!
