Dark academia

 

When my daughter suggested that I make a Dark Academia room box, I had no idea what she was talking about, but after some research on the web I thought it was an interesting challenge. And of course the suitable format was a book nook rather than a room box. I had only made one book nook before, and I find it a fascinating format, but it has its special demands. A scholar's study would be just right. 

I made the crime scene book nook in a large cat sand box, but this project would be smaller, so a cat food box felt the right size. I covered it with wrapping paper. 

 

I wanted the front of the box to be a french window, and I had a frame from another project. I added a valve extending from the roof. 

I cut off a small bit of the beautiful floor I had from an earlier, dismantled project, and I printed out an old-fashioned wallpaper from the web. In accordance with the style, I made dark wooden wainscoting. For the ceiling, I used some leftovers of the magnificent Robert Adam paper.  Obviously, a book nook like this needs display lights, and it took me some time to figure out how to make and hide them. 

All the time I was testing different furniture and accessories. Some things I tried proved too bulky; some didn't quite fit in. I played with it for some time. But here is what it looked like just before I inserted the window: 

The writing desk is a Chippendale piece made from kit, with plenty of correct and interesting details that will never be seen in the final project. There are for instance small objects hidden in drawers. The armchair is likewise a Chippendale kit. I made the books from cardboard using book spine printies, but recombining them for individual look. Books on the floor are also made with printies, as are newspapers and maps. The chandelier is a fishing hook with some jewellery bits - I made it many years ago for my very first dollhouse. The clock comes from my clockmaker's room box; it's a large button with a printed clock face (I tried a grandfather clock, but it was too large). Just a couple of commercial minis: wine jar and glass, a candlestick, and of course a cat. A few more, and it would feel cluttered. 

Here is the finished nook. As I always do, I left my secret signature, like Hitchcock has a vignette of himself in all his movies. But I am not telling you where it is.