Before going back to work – and back to normal – this week, me and Phil spent a couple of days in London. We shopped the Christmas sale (Phil did very well in the Paul Smith sale shop), visited the Horst photography exhibition at the V&A, and visited the current exhibition at the Museum of Childhood (which is also part of the V&A): Small Stories: At Home in a Dolls’ House.
I had a dolls’ house as a kid and have always loved teeny-tiny furniture. Everything looks cuter in miniature.
The exhibition runs until 06th September 2015, and I would most definitely recommend it if you’ll have a chance to visit. The Museum generally is also worth a trip; they have a lot of 1980s toys that really appeal to me, as they provide a great opportunity to spot toys you forgot you used to own, or missed out on owning as a kid!
The Small Stories exhibition focuses on 12 dolls’ houses which cover a timespan of 300 years. I especially liked the modern houses, a large white villa from the 1930s (complete with swimming pool and tennis court), and an adorable high-rise from the 1960s.
The most exciting part of the exhibition, for me, was the Dream House art installation. For Dream House, the Museum commissioned 20 contemporary designers from a variety of disciplines to decorate a small wooden box or room. The result is amazing! I got a few photos of some favourites, but do check them all out in person or on the Museum website.
Wilderness Dreams, by Orly Orbach
A Night in the Studio, by Ina Hyun K Shin
Home Is Bear the Heart Is, by Mister Peebles
Library (A Recent Plan), by Emma Mawston and Keighley Shepherdly, Liberty Art Fabric Interiors
Llama Dreams, by Donna Wilson
More Is More, by Jessica Hayman, Rosa and Clara Designs
Molly’s Favourite Things, by Molly Meg
Offline Hideaway, by Dominic Wilcox
To finish, I’ll leave you with a few photos from the Museum’s permanent collection. It includes a number of sewing and knitting related toys.
Lots of very cool toys (me and my brother used to play with my dad’s toy fort as kids, and it was one of our favourites):
The collection includes some really creepy toys too, that must have given children nightmares..:
