Linda Gavin: BJD Interior Designer (Part 2)

In the second installment of our interview Linda talks about furniture, accessories for your BJD dollhouse, and shares some photo tips with us.

BJDmagazine: Your doll house has beautiful furniture. What are your favorite sources of miniature furniture?

Linda: I love the custom-made pieces the most because I love the originals. I love the REAC series of designer furniture too. The Eames Elephant is on my wish list. I bough one for my son in 1:1, and I hope to make a miniature version of his room one day.

BJDmagazine: You chose wonderful accessories for your BJDs to “play” with. What are your favorite sources?

Linda: Cellphone charms and keychain charms are my favorites! I find them on eBay and various online stores, but also in normal stores near where I live. I get a lot of gifts from friends and they find stuff everywhere too. You can just not get enough of miniature toys

BJDmagazine: What are your sources for wallpaper and rugs? Can you give us advice with regards to pattern choices?

Linda: eBay and The Doll House Emporium. You can find exciting stuff in the train hobby shops too. Especially if you’re making a garden.

BJDmagazine: What are your inspirations for your dollhouses? Do you have favorite dollhouse creators?

Linda: http://www.flickr.com/people/anninja Annina Diston is my hero. Look at her work, it’s so realistic! I love it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10657188@N07/ Helle Gavin makes room boxes and can change interiors in the blink of an eye. She has thousands of miniature items, and updates her flickr stream on a weekly basis. I love seeing what her toys are up to. My main inspiration comes from the world of interior design and photography.

BJDmagazine: What advice would you give our readers for taking great photographs of their BJDs in their miniature world?

Linda: The lighting and lens are the key to taking great photographs. Play with the light. Use real light, desk lamps, candles. Use a tripod so you can take crisp photos with long exposure time in the evening. It’s really nice to take small houses outside, to the forest, beach, or to a creepy alley. Let your imagination run wild. You can create very interesting photographs if you change the environment. And while you’re at it, why not make a little stop motion film?

BJDmagazine: If you were to give advice to a first time dollhouse builder, what would it be?

Linda:  Take your time finding and buying accessories for your  house or you will run out of space very quickly and wish you had bought a bigger house. Enjoy the process of finishing your first miniature home since this is the most exciting part of the hobby. Read reviews keep track of the market value.

BJDmagazine: Is it more fun to have a dollhouse for your BJDs? Why?

Linda: Everyone needs a home It’s a good place to store your dolls and miniatures, and to take photos. The dollhouses makes great backgrounds for toy photography. I’m very amused by the dolls in the house. It wouldn’t be the same without them.

(All images are the property of Linda Gavin.)

You can find Linda Gavin on:  Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jusum/ Her Photo Blog: http://www.mokona.org/ Her Toy Blog: http://www.jusum.com/blog/ Her Website: http://portfolio.jusum.com/

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