Suzan Atabey
A Cozy Little Beach House
by Pam North
Sometimes the love of miniatures simply is passed down from one generation to the next. Suzan Atabey, a resident of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, credits her aunt with introducing her to the hobby. Her aunt, a schoolteacher (now retired), had a three-level dollhouse of her own; she allowed Suzan to endlessly rearrange the furniture and accessories in it, and that’s how it started. Years later, Suzan started making little charms, which led to miniatures to sell on Etsy, and finally she graduated to larger and more serious projects and dollhouses. Now she makes 1:12 inch scale contemporary miniature scenes. Her career working in the wine sector limits the amount of time she can spend on the hobby she has grown to love, but she manages her time to encompass both with the support of her family members, who realize how important miniatures have become to her. 
Her latest project evolved from her participation in the Hobby Builders Supply’s 2016 Creatin’ Contest, using their Backyard Bungalow kit. Suzan never came up with a title to her piece, as it wasn’t required, and due to some complications in her life at the time, she didn’t make the deadline for entry, completing the piece later on for herself. “I didn’t want to leave it half-finished,” she said. “After all, it’s all about the fun of doing it. The annual Creatin’ Contest is a big challenge and motivator to work on these projects every year. It’s astounding to see the beautiful creations of the other participants, and it’s great to be a part of it. I’m so happy that I kept working on it.”
When she first saw the kit, she thought about making a Polynesian tiki house, and she started working around that concept, but halfway through the project that idea began to blur, and a more modern approach began to take over. The result was an accumulation of ideas and items that ultimately coalesced into the final piece, a beach house. “I tried to do as much as possible on the house. I added a little porch/platform on the front, and made a big, open entry (where I initially had wanted to install a sliding door). I made the windows, roof, extra support in front, the separation in the room, the bed, all the kitchen furniture, and the black counter top. I purchased the table and the chair, the items in the kitchen, pictures on the wall, the rug, the  pillow, and the little table lamp. I used anything I could find that I thought would be suitable to recreate real items. I used multiple textiles, some MDF (medium-density fibreboard)for the kitchen furniture, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) for the windows, coconut fiber (coir) for the roof, etc.”
She first drew the outline for the house on paper so that she could decide where to place each element of the house; then she placed the furniture on the sheet, experimenting to see where the pieces fit best. “Once the arrangement was decided, I was able to put in the electrical wires for the floor lamp, ceiling lamp, stove lamp, and table lamp. I then painted the inner walls and fixed all the wooden pieces on the outer wall so that the wiring would be hidden. I made the roof, and finished the decoration of the room.” She had never used coconut fiber before, but the roof turned out well in spite of her inexperience. “It was learning by doing, and while working with that material, I definitely developed techniques to get bulkier or smoother effects,” she explained. She had thought that the roof would be the most difficult part, but it turned out to be the outer walls. “To imitate laths I had to accurately cut very thin, narrow strips of wood, and when I tried to glue them they would curve and the corners would lift up, so I constantly had to press and each individual strip down.” 
Her favorite part of the piece is the placement of the chair and table. “I can imagine myself sitting there after a long day, watching the waves hit the beach, reading a book, and drinking a warm coffee. Creating the kitchen was fun, with its black counter top and the decorations that adorn it.”
She pointed out several items from other artists included in the project, emphasizing a special one, “The wonderful flowering Strelitzia plants are made by my friend, Ilona (also from the Netherlands). Her flowers are unique and so realistic.” Suzan plans on keeping the piece for herself, as part of a collection of pieces that she hopes to make and display.
Suzan finds inspiration all around her. “When I see or think of a scene, it gets stuck as a potential mini project in my mind, and I almost subconsciously start to gather little pieces here and there, such as decorations, textiles, textures, even scrap materials. Each little piece that is added to that collection will begin to form the finished concept and appearance. I follow other miniaturists’ blogs, and try out their tutorials, and I search the Internet for related things I can use in that project.”
The future of miniatures intrigues her. “I believe that the number of younger people interested in miniatures will increase as new technologies, such as laser cutting and 3D printing, provide more detailed products. I personally hope for more modern creations with different styles rather than the typical dollhouse fare, but I guess that’s just a question of taste.” 
Already she is planning things to do next. “This year I’m participating in the 2017 Creatin’ Contest with a new project. I’m planning on visiting miniature fairs to meet more enthusiasts who share the same passion for miniatures, and also to participate in some workshops to discover new techniques and materials.”
Contact Information
Email: suzanatabey@outlook.com
Phone: +31 6 304 254 84
Address: Kerkstraat 9 - II, 1017 GA Amsterdam, The Netherlands