Thanks for viewing my site. I've been interested in miniatures for nearly 12 years now, and have noticed the 'lack of' selection of Modern houses and accessories . This inspired me to create my own Modernist line in 1:12 scale. The M112 Pod house was my first 1:12 scale house, and now I've created the site's namesake, the M112 Pods. These Pods are stackable, just like the real thing! So far I only have one model, but it's designed to be combined in many different configurations. Each unit measures 8" wide, 8 1/2" tall, by 20" long. I may create a few 40" as well, and those would be special order. Each unit costs $175 each plus shipping, and $250 plus shipping for the Units with the authentic rust finish.
I also create many custom Modern pieces of furniture in 1:12 scale, as well as 1:1 scale. Many of the designs are my own, but you will see some designs from Minotti, Poliform, Hudson furniture, etc. just to name a few. You'll also see some of my 1/18 scale Diecast collectible displays.
I'm currently operating my business from St. Paul, Minnesota, but will soon be relocating to the Las Vegas area.
Please visit my website at www.parisrenfroedesign.com, to see some of my full scale designs. You can also contact me personally at paris@parisrenfroedesign.com.
Here's the first of a few pics from the LA showroom. This is in the Parlor, which is staged to look like a residential home. Sorry the pic is a little fuzzy, the Pods are on the right side.
A great opportunity for some good exposure!
A closer look at what's on the shelf.
One of my favorite pods to date. I like the mid-century mix with the new modern. The clock on the wall is by Minimodernistas.
This is the desk I built for one of the Herman Miller Pods, featured in their Los Angeles showroom.
Dining area featuring a MiniModernistas vintage clock.
No, REAC hasn't come out with a table yet. At least not that I'm aware of. I took the base from an Eames Management chair, and created the rest of the table myself. The top is a Rosewood veneer. The scale makes it about a 42" top.
Detail of the Rosewood top.
Detail of the base
I designed this wall unit for an M112 Pod slated for the Herman Miller showroom in Los Angeles. I did a series of 3 furnished Pods, which will be featured in their Parlor. Also shown in the scene is the Eames chaise lounger and ottoman.
Close up shows sliding plexi doors with handles, and a rosewood top to match the dining table. The TV surround is painted birch plywood.
I had ordered another set of the REAC chairs, and was disappointed with the black base and red chair. So I took it apart and repainted it. Much better........
A custom kitchen built for a client for her Kaleidescope House. It features 'concrete' countertops, all white cabinets, a custom stainless steel Samsung fridge, stainless dishwasher, stainless sink and faucet, and a smoked cooktop featuring 5 burners(there is a lens underneath the plexi top showing the burner rings). The main feature is the chromatherapy lighting of the back wall, which is an acrylic panel. The panel is lit from the bottom.
a side view showing the acyrlic panel lit in green.
A detail view of the Samsung fridge.
This is a view of the island cooktop
This is a view of the stainless dishwasher
View of the stainless sink and island
Kitchen view with pink lighting
This unit was based on one of my full size designs. The client asked to change it a bit, so it's not exactly like the full sized one, and does not have any lighting.
I saw a chair like this in an ad in Interior Design magazine, only it was white. The green works better with my work, although I may try it in a grey wool, or a modern red.
This chair was inspired by a white leather chair that I saw in an ad in Interior Design magazine. I don't know of the original design, or designer.
When it comes from REAC, it's done in a cheap plastic orange color. I painted it white, and added gray linen seat pads to it. It didn't take long, and definitely brings the quality up. The side table is one of my cowhide ottomans. The art on the wall is a section from a larger art piece found in Interior Design magazine. I wrote the artist down somewhere, but can't find it.
created from the same frame as my other chaises, this one has a bit more padding. All my upholstery pieces are created with real foam, as if made for 'little people'. I try and create as much detail as I can within an affordable budget.
This sectional was also a custom order, complete with chaise, aluminum feet, and a matching ottoman. Price to duplicate $150 for the set.
Move over MIES! Just kidding.......This is my version of the iconic Barcelona day bed. I think I want to add some wood to the bottom, and possibly some stainless steel legs too...
I thought this came out pretty cool. I can't wait to build a 1:1 scale version of this. Very popular with the ECO crowd.......
This is a shorter 6" version of the other table. I used the wenge stools with it, and it works pretty good. I'm thinking of making some benches in solids to go with these tables.
M.U.T.T stands for 'made using tossed trimmings. An idea for a full scale line using all scrap trimmings from the shop(s) floor. I'm also going to use it as flooring in my M112 Pods, once they are finished.
various woods include walnut, padauk, teak, maple, white oak, cypress, tigerwood, sycamore
one of my custom pieces of graphic art, showcased with the Pastilli chair, and one of my exotic burl stool/tables
These were made from the leftovers from the two coffee tables I made. I wanted to try some stools, as I hadn't made any yet. These are the only two in this wood that I have, but I can make them with pretty much any wood.
This is one of my original designs. At least I haven't seen it out there yet.........The size is about 3 1/4" x 4". The lilac is removeable, in case you want to put a different flower in. The flowers are from Barb Plevan, and the detail is phenomenal!
Made from solid Australian Cypress. The bottom has a slight reveal, to give them a floating effect. The grain in this wood is very beautiful, and helps to lighten up the colors in any miniature room.
No, this isn't the same bed as the other one, although it's the same design. I got such a good response on this bed, I just had to make a couple more. I think that's it for this one, so look for some new designs soon........
The same PRD platform bed that I've done in walnut, only this was custom ordered gloss white with aluminum night stands.
Another popular item with my collectors. The dimensions on this one are 7" tall, by 4 1/2" wide. I should clarify that these are 'inches', so that people don't think it's 1:1 scale.....
Considering that Red is my favorite color, I'm surprised it took over 15 Pods before I finally made a red one.
The series 2 Pods are the newest design, and feature 4 sliding doors in the front. One new feature I decided to add, was an etching of the M112 logo to the inside of one of the doors. This adds just enough detail to the series 2, to keep it from looking like a simple room box.
Built for a client, this one has the rust finish, and the first to sport the etched M112 logo on the plexi slider.
This is the kitchen that was also featured in the September issue of Dwell, along with the bathtub/sink combo. They were designed by Cecilia Tham and Yoel Karaso for their home in Barcelona Spain. There weren't any pictures of the backside, so I just created a unit that would function for my client.
Based on a design featured in the September issue of Dwell Magazine
Shown in this picture is a yellow Pod with one whole side open for maximum exposure or viewing. I really like how it came out, and l plan to do one that is completely open on both sides, and closed on the ends.
Interior view of the new Pod design
A random stack to show color variations
I love this sofa! A great design and well constructed too. Shown in a rust color, perfect for an Urban interior.
London has a couple of Container City communities, somewhat like this..........
This Pod is off to Italy tomorrow.......
The client requested a white exterior, interior combo with natural birch floor. I will be doing butcher block floors in teak, walnut, and the M.U.T.T style soon.................
The new design is shown in a canary yellow color, staged with Eames lounge from Reac Japan, Mini-modernistas floor lamp, and art and tables from PRD
This is the first of many M112 Pods. The color is Paprika, and is the base coat for the rust treatment. The dimensions are 8" wide, 8 1/2" tall, 20" long. Containers also come in 40' lengths, so I may do one at 40" at some point, or upon request.
I really love how this turned out, and am excited to make the others in various colors, and arrange/stack them. I'll also be working on the kitchen/bath/bedroom inserts to go with them. Each unit will be signed and numbered, not necessarily for a limited quantity, but mostly to keep track of the number produced.
My first prefab style house in 1:12 scale. Created entirely of leftover shop materials.
This was when I exhibited at The AZ Gallery in St. Paul, MN in December of '08.
This photo features one of my art pieces in the background. It was created using various shades of blue plaster on plywood. I wanted to have a modernist version of the sky in the background.
I designed this house to be a completely open floorplan. The end user can remove everything, including the wardrobe separating the bedroom from the bath, and the tub and toilet are attached to the concrete floor, which can also be removed. Once those are removed, the carpeted section can come out as well, in case you ever wish to change out the carpet.
Shown with the wardrobe out, you can see that the bathroom floor can also be removed.
Things are picking up now that the holiday season is around the corner. I say it's already here, as we received 3" of snow yesterday.......this is just plain ridiculous if you ask me....I don't think I've ever seen snow this early in the season. The leaves are still green on most trees, and you can tell they don't know what to make of it...
Ok so let me get back to the PRD news. The sales on the Pods are doing really well, so I'm going to try and stockpile some for Christmas, as well as the SOCAL show at the end of January. I'm also working with Elaine from MIAIM, as we are collaborating on a project featuring her Clearview House, and my furniture. She has been working feverishly on a very cool bathroom set, that I will be featuring in one of my upcoming designs, the Xpand House. I'll post more on this house, as I get going on the structure. My hopes are to have it finished sometime in the next 6 weeks, so stay tuned. This house is going to be the long awaited follow up to my Pod House.
The opening for Herman Miller was well attended, although I was not able to attend. I'm still trying to track down some pictures from the event, and I'll post those as soon as they turn up. I plan on going out to LA sometime in December, for sure in January, so it's just a matter of time.
That's all the news for now, but I'm going to be starting a blog on my website www.parisrenfroedesign.com and I plan on adding several entries per week.
Enjoy the week! Paris
For those of you in LA, or visiting LA, stop by and visit the Herman Miller showroom at 3641 Holdrege Ave STE 100(Los Angeles, CA 90016.) The grand opening is October 8th, but they are already open(http://www.hermanmiller.com/discover/?p=1235.) It's a marvelous new design located in the trendy area of Culver City.
I was contacted a few weeks ago by Rick Edwards, a designer working with Herman Miller, who was looking for a modern dollhouse of sorts to add to the shelving unit in the Parlor. After a few searches, he happened upon the Mini Modern blog, to which the blog host kindly referred him to PRD. After a few emails and phone calls, a deal for 3 furnished Pods was worked out. I just shipped them out today, so they should be there soon. They came out great, and I'm excited to have my work exhibited in their Parlor at Herman Miller LA! You can see how they turned out in some of my recent posted photos.
In other news, the housing market is still pretty quiet here in Minneapolis. Our house still has not sold, so we may be here for abit longer. That's good news to those of you considering any custom orders before Christmas, as I have some extra time on my hands now. There will be an 'early bird' discount of 20% for those who get their orders in before December 1st. Just mention the discount when you contact me. I'm also working on some pieces with the intention to attend the SoCal show in January in LA. I'll keep you posted!
Hi all, sorry it's been awhile. I've actually been working on updating my true website, parisrenfroedesign.com. Still have some things to add, but it's getting there. Check it out when you get the chance.......you may learn something new about me!
I'm also working on coming up with a selection page, for various Pods and their accessories. I will be creating such accessories as swimming pools, decks, and of course kitchens and bathrooms to install in the Pod of your choice. I will also be creating some that are completely open on both sides, with just solid ends. These units will be used to double up widths to create a room of 16" x 20".
I have also been contacted by a couple of people regarding doing an Eichler style dollhouse too. If you have any interest in such a house, let me know now, so I can get some of your feedback as to what you would like to see in such a house. Due to the large footprint that a 1/12 scale would have on a full ranch style house, I will have to do some creative editing. I'm thinking of a large kitchen/dining room, with a long fireplace wall separating those two areas from a living area, and then of course a couple of bedrooms and a decent sized bathroom. They typically come with a carport and outdoor living area, but that's where I may have to do some of the editing.
There are a few miniature shows that I'm thinking of attending early next year. The first one is in Southern California at the end of January. I'll keep you posted on that one.....The second is later on in the year, and I don't have enough details on that yet.
That's all for now, keep checking back from time to time for new pictures and news updates! Paris
For those of you following the maturation of the PRD company, I am currently working on the M112 PODS, which you see at the top of the page. These pods are based on full scale repurposed shipping containers.
As the US imports more than it exports, the shipyards find themselves inundated with used and unwanted shipping containers, which end up getting stacked up, row after row. Over the last decade, architects and urban designers have been using these containers to create affordable housing, hotels, offices, artists retreats, cabins, etc. Due to the recent worldwide economic disaster, many of us have been reassessing our lives, our habits, and our lifestyles. We need to find a happy medium of balancing our material appetites, with a realistic outlook of what we really need to be happy. I see a resurgeance of the phrase 'less is more'.
Sure these PODS are only in 1:12 scale, but they give you an entertaining option to design a small space. These are great for kids, and adults alike. Especially the kids though, because their generation is going to be the first to be affected by our Environmental crisis. These units were also designed for the modernist, the minimalist, and for all those who did not grow up in a victorian/edwardian style home.
Thanks to all of you for the support! Paris
My wife and I will be relocating to the Las Vegas Nevada area in the coming months. I will have to put any custom builds on hold until we resettle, so I will only be taking/fulfilling orders through the month of July 2009, and then resume sometime in September of 2009.
I have just completed the first of the M112 Pods, and will be making a limited number before packing everything up for the move. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks. Paris Renfroe
Thanks to all you faithful viewers, who check in on a regular basis to see what's new. I'm sorry it's been taking me so long to come up with the next 'house', as I have been fairly busy with smaller orders, and my full time 'gig'.
After gathering feedback, I am working on a simple, yet modern open floor plan house. I want to make something affordable, that even the entry level collector can purchase to start his/her collection. You will have the option to hang it on a wall, or set it on top of an easy to find/buy IKEA cabinet. Not sure what I'm going to call it yet, but I can tell you it will retail for around $450, not including shipping.
I'm also working on the Premise of the M112 Pods name. They will be stackable units, designed to look like shipping containers. Each one will be 8 1/2" high, 8" wide, by 20" long. These dimensions are exact 1:12 ratio of a standard shipping container. There will be two sliding doors along with a short wall on one side, a complete window wall on one end, and a 4" opening with sliding door on the other side. The opposite end of the solid window wall will be a solid wall. There will also be a porthole in the bottom, as well as the top, along with metal tubing rungs leading up to the next level. The units will come in orange, red, blue, green, gray, and white. I'm also thinking of doing one with 'rusted' panels. Each unit will be blank inside, but I will be designing accessories to be purchased 'a la carte'.
I'm still in the design stages on the Pods, but plan to do a production run of at least 100 to start. They will be built from 3/8" baltic birch. Strip magnets on the top and bottom will allow them to stack with a fair amount of rigidness. I think these will be a hit among the design community, as well as architects and art collectors. Think of them as an adult architecture toy. The M112 logo will be added to each unit, running perpendicular from bottom to top up one side.
Keep your eyes on this site over the next couple of days. I have been working on some really sweet furniture pieces, that I am totally excited about. The more I do, the better they get. In fact, I have been able to do many more new designs this way, rather than building full sized prototypes. I plan to make some full size pieces from a couple of these new designs, especially the beds.
I will be listing most of them on Ebay sometime over the next few days, so if you want to check them out, do a search on Ebay for 'PRD'.
Ok so it's been some time since I updated this site, it's been a busy few weeks........Anyhow, I finally uploaded some new pics of recent furniture pieces, Including some commission pieces. Some are on Ebay right now, so go take a look! Let me know if there's something specific you'd like to see, or color variations. I'm working on some more pieces, and hope to get those on here in the coming weeks.
Till then. P
For those of you interested, I will be posting the M112 Pod House on Ebay this weekend. I will list it for 7 days, starting at $1500 fully furnished. Shipping I'm not sure of yet, but will negotiate at some point. It all depends upon where the buyer lives. I will personally deliver the house within 200 Miles of the Twin Cities, otherwise ship it UPS ground.
The M112 Pod House is currently on display at AZ Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota(see www.theazgallery.org for directions) . If you happen to be/live in the Twin Cities area, please stop by during the Gallery hours Fridays 5-8pm, Sat. and Sun. 10-2pm. If you'd like to stop by outside of Gallery hours, please call Paris at 651-233-0063 to set up an appointment. I would like to get some press on the house, before I go ahead and list it. I am currently considering silent offers though, so you can send me your info, along with offer, to paris@parisrenfroedesign.com
Thanks for looking. Paris
So I got a few pics last night, just before the camera battery died. It was late anyhow, and I didn't have the whole house set up. The pics I posted aren't great to say the least, but I promise to get some better ones tonight either before or after our opening. So I hope to have some good shots posted here tomorrow afternoon. I feel like it's as if I have been building a full size house!! The final details always take longer........Part of it is because I wanted to start with something simple, very minimalist, and allow the end user to do the interior detailing. It almost seems like a miniature flip! One cool feature is that the upstairs bathroom comes out, along with the carpet, which is upholstered to a separate panel. I want to take detailed shots of this too, so anyone interested in buying can see all of the options. The entertainment wall unit, and the kitchen aren't locked in either, so you can switch the kitchen and living room if you like.
Wow, December already? Time flies, that's for sure. The Holiday weekend was busier than I expected, so I didn't quite finish up the house. I will have some photos to post by Tonight(Monday)so you can see where I'm at. The main things left are the kitchen and the entertainment wall in the living room. No matter what, some lucky person will own this beautiful piece of Modernism before the end of the year, at least I hope. I definitely want it to go to a good home, as I have become somewhat attached to it(don't worry, there's no room for it here, so it has to go).
Check back later tonight for the new pics. Paris
I finished the stairs today. I have somewhat of a dilemma though. They look so good, that I hate to cover them up. I was planning to put a bathroom in the middle, which would essentially cover the stairs, as they are also in the middle, towards the back. I actually added on a small stairwell in the back, which extends away from the back of the house by 4" deep, and 11 " wide. It climbs the full two stories and has one big window. I will build the bathroom, and set it in there to see what it looks like. It won't be permanent though, in case whoever buys it likes the open floor plan. That goes for the kitchen too, which will be a POLIFORM style, on one end.
You'll love the stairs though, as they are made with a solid IPE beam, with aluminum stair treads. I'll have pictures up by Monday. They don't go straight up though. There is a single flight going up to a landing, then a 90 degree turn to the right and up one more flight to the bedroom. It's going to be an impressive house when it's done, if I do say so myself.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Paris
I have two full scale projects to get done over the next two weeks, all the while I'm working on my miniature pieces. I used to build architectural models for clients, and realized how much I missed building in miniature scale. There are so many cool designs to build, but not enough time. It may be easier for interested parties to email me with requests, and sizes, and let me know their budgets. This makes it easier on me, to where I can still have fun creating pieces for collectors, and still build my full scale designs.
I'm planning on having my M112 Pod house done before Thanksgiving weekend. That's one week from tomorrow. Once it is finished, I will post detailed photos of the house on this site, with sizes and dimensions. I haven't determined a price yet, as there is nothing to compare it to, and I have quite a few hours invested in it. I'd like to hear your comments though, and let me know what you think it's worth. I can tell you this, it won't be up in the 3-4K range. I'm thinking somewhere between $1500-2500, completely furnished. But, like I said, nothing is engraved in stone yet.
Time to get some sleep!
Hey, for those visiting, I really appreciate you all taking the time to visit my site. Please 'sign in' and leave a couple of comments.
Thanks. Paris
Ruth, sorry if the color is hard on your eyes. Shutterfly only offers a small selection of modern site images, and I thought this one best suited my work, with the wood trim and all. I'm not quite set up yet with order forms, so maybe if you have some suggestions, or ideas, please let me know. I appreciate everyone's input and advice.
CarolM,
As a matter of fact, I am taking orders. However, I want a little more input from the buyers, as to what they would like to see, size, materials, and of course budget. So let me know what your interests are, maybe I can create a masterpiece for you!
TW4,
I'd love to see it when it's done. It must be so tedious working in 1/48 scale, I can't even imagine working in any scale less than 1/12.
This design was for a client of mine. She needed a place to store her cell phone, keys, mail, etc. There just happened to be an outlet on the wall, one that was very unsightly, and higher than normal. So I used that to our advantage, and mounted the valet over the receptacle. Now she can charge up her cell phone without seeing any cords. The overall design also incorporated a mirror, as it's near the door and a good place to do your last minute check........
The interior has padauk shelves, with orange microsuede inserts.
This was an IKEA STAVE mirror. I skinned it with solid walnut and walnut veneer to achieve a much more minimal, elegant look. The mirror costs $69plus tax at IKEA, and for an extra $250, transformed this mirror for a client.
A bit different from my smaller tables, but nonetheless a true recycled piece. There are about 8 different species of wood used on this table. Each are about 1/4" thick, and glued onto a plywood box. The sides are sanded smooth, but also contoured. The top is sanded to a smooth, flat surface.
Recently completed for a client's Christmas/Bday present. Inspired by my Cyclone table in concrete and aluminum. These will eventually go out in the patio area(come spring), but look quite at home inside near the fireplace. Made from MDO, several layers of concrete patch, and Teak from the old table's extra leafs. The Teak center piece in the table top comes out, to allow you to put Wheat grass, candles, or other miscellaneous table accessories.
detail view of table, benches
The benches weigh about 45lbs apiece, and the table is about 100lbs. This makes having 'concrete' furniture a reality for condos, and multilevel homes without elevators.
This is a name tag holder I designed for a modern Unitarian Universalist church in Minnesota.
Somewhat of a challenge, but I managed to get all 10 doors to open and close, along with holding up to 300+ name tags in a 36" x 84" x 16" space.
My idea of 'Green' design. I built a chair from 100% recycled materials, including 4 windows from a house with their glass panes still intact, denim for the upholstery, left over plywood and batting.
Designed as a minimalist interpretation of a body of water with a dock extending out over it. This is for the practical Modernist, who needs a place to store things such as coasters, and remote controls.
So finally a cool table that actually has FUNCTION! Looking good is not a function, believe me. So the drawer pulls out to reveal a suede lined compartment for coasters, cards, remotes, or anything else you want to hide.....
The pictures don't quite capture the depth of the blue plaster top. It really looks as though you are flying over the Caribbean. This table is offered for sale at $550. Contact me if you're interested. The legs come off for shipping, and it's built well with Baltic Birch plywood.