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Phoebus Folly Front Door

Phoebus Folly truly was a dream come true. The April issue of Dollshouse World arrived right on time…and my adventure with Frances England of England’s Magic began! This gamekeeper’s cottage was featured in the magazine. I immediately fell in love with the idea, the beauty and the artistry. Phoebus arrived at my home in just a few weeks. Since that time, I have invested time, effort, love and imagination in this creation…

ph_ext[1]Francis created a wonderful structure, complete with leaded glass windows, a set-in stairwell with closet below, and many special spaces throughout the house.. However, the house was not without challenges. All of the rooms are purposely quite small since this is a gamekeeper’s cottage; this led to many planning and design dilemmas. All of the windows have beautifully finished window frames, but they had permanently installed interior pieces. Lastly, any changes in the wiring led to several wiring challenges and problems. I spent several weeks just looking at Phoebus, planning approaches, interior design, and formulating the final “look and feel” of this cottage.

As part of this process, I contacted Frances and asked her the intentions of Phoebus Folly. She explained the design of a gamekeeper’s lodge in detail.

There are actually two main rooms on each floor. The “side” entrance double doors lead to the living room/lounge area, while the side door opens to the entrance hall, kitchen and eating area. The architecture is actually Victorian Gothic. With this information and a few ideas of my own, I began planning…. Although I chose not to create a Victorian interior, the design and furnishings of the interior are quite simple and perhaps turn of the century. Here are some of the details that helped create the effect in Phoebus.

Many of the walls and ceilings were hand painted for a used and rough effect.

The wallpaper in the eating area is actually regular wallpaper with very tiny horses on it. This entire area is really a tribute to Noral Olson.

All of the window treatments were created by Marcia McClain who deserves special credit for her patience and ability to create what I have envisioned. She found just the right material and design for each window! There are actually areas in the wall that opens for sitting, furniture or artwork. This special space was completed with Noral Olson furniture.

The side view of Phoebus reveals a fireplace, dry sink and small back entrance.

The lighting in Phoebus came from two sources. The wall sconces were creations of Mary at Hammer-N-Smith; the chandeliers were creations of Isobel at The Lighting Bug. Please click on their names to be send them e-mail. I decided that I wanted all of the lighting to be pewter rather than gold. All of it was handpainted and designed with simplicity in mind!

The Interior of Phoebus Folly

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The photo gallery has clear images of all the areas at various angles.