BIG MEANING
IN
little THINGS
THE SMALL GESTURES
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THE SMALL GESTURES ✦
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
IT WASN’T PRISTINE, BUT IN ITS IMPERFECTION, I FOUND THE START OF A STORY.
Miniature Big Pink started as a $20 Facebook Marketplace find, loaded in the back of a blue pickup truck. The house was a bubblegum-pink shell with empty window cutouts, raw shingles, completely open floor plan and just enough charm mixed with rough edges to feel like the right kind of blank slate.
When I picked it up, I didn’t just see a dollhouse, I saw a story. A future home for Ophelia (our resident bad girl heiress with more details to be added in the following months), a stage for collected miniatures, collaboration with other makers and a playground for design experiments too financially restrictive in the real world.
Working small revealed new ways of seeing design.
my muse; OPHELIA FOWLER
A spite house in honor of Ophelia Fowler Duhme. Born in 1854 in West Lafayette, Indiana, Ophelia was the daughter of Moses and Eliza Fowler of the Fowler Estate (built in 1852). There are, unfortunately, no photographs of Ophelia—only written traces of her life. She died in Ohio in 1921, disowned by her mother and cut out of her inheritance. Eliza disapproved of her daughter’s “playboy” lifestyle and shifted the family fortune to her son James and his heirs.
But in Miniature Big Pink, her story is rewritten. Here, she isn’t left behind but placed at the center. This pink American Gothic estate becomes a stage where her independence is celebrated, her taste indulged, and her presence felt in every detail. Instead of fading into the margins, Ophelia emerges as the muse of the house: bold, unapologetic, and finally free to shape a world of her own making.
ROOM OVERVIEW
A room-by-room look at the details and process
DESIGN NOTES
Big Pink’s design concept blends romantic historicism with whimsical eccentricity, marrying Gothic Revival architecture and pastoral murals with saturated hues, patterned textiles, and playful decorative flourishes. It evokes a sense of layered storytelling through collected objects, nostalgic prints, and painterly palettes that range from dusty pastels to moody jewel tones. The overall mood is eclectic yet intentional; imaginative, lived-in, and softly theatrical.
COMING UP
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COMING UP -
NEXT CHAPTER
It’s not over, we have some more work to do. The next step for Big Pink is to lean into architectural flourish, details that feel ornate yet a little unexpected. Inspired by the delicacy of quilled patterns, carved window details, and the layered excess of porcelain, plants, art and textiles, the goal is to weave in surfaces that reward a closer look. These aren’t just embellishments, but invitations into Ophelia’s world, where even the smallest trim or panel carries its own story.
Equally important are the indulgences that bring the house to life. Storytelling layers. Cakes piled high like sculptures, champagne served in endless supply, cigars tucked into secret drawers, and the smoky warmth of scotch poured late into the night, all folded into the narrative like they belong to the home itself. Gardens, alcoves, and windows can double as stages for these pleasures, turning Big Pink into a castle of vices and wonders where every detail gestures toward grandeur, mystery, and mischief. Stayed tuned.