WALKING into this couple’s home is like stepping into a museum dedicated to the magic of all things miniature.
Tiny delights are everywhere: houses, furniture, clothes, books, gift boxes, towels, flowers, tea sets – practically everything you’d find in real life is on proud display here, bearing testament to a passion that’s been indulged for decades.
Amanda Pretorius of Sherwood Gar dens, Brakpan, is a diorama fanatic and has been building miniature houses and their contents for 25 years. But diminutive dwellings aren’t the only collection in this house – Amanda’s husband, Willem, is a miniature car fan and has thou sands of tiny vehicles on display.
Their home is a shrine to their collections, many rooms crowded with little objects. Amanda’s 1938 Tudorstyle doll house from England, which she furnished and repainted, is front and centre of the living room and is her favourite item.
“I have miniature dollhouses for adults,” she says. “They’re too specialised for kids.”
Amanda (62) builds many of her intricate displays herself. “I’ve loved tiny items since I was a young girl,” she tells us. “I used to make clothing for my dolls.”
She decided to start crafting little houses a quarter of a century ago after the family visited the Toy & Miniature Museum in Stellenbosch on their annual holiday. Amanda was transfixed by a wall of miniature flowers and told her husband, “This is what I want to do – I want to create miniature items like these.”
This story is from the 13 April 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.
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This story is from the 13 April 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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