(Angèle Langdon - Lavender Cottage)

A Showplace of Shabby Chic

by Pam North

Angèle Langdon always was drawn to dolls and dollhouses as a child, yearning to own such treasures herself. Such luxuries weren’t feasible financially for her family, however, so she had to tap into her own creativity to make them herself from whatever odd bits she could scavenge. Later, as an adult with her own financial independence, Angèle finally had her opportunity, and she purchased her first dollhouse, one that needed much work. As she completed its restoration, she realized how much she loved to build and create miniatures, not really that much of a surprise, as life-scale decorating and designing already had become the focus of her life. As the owner of a small shop called Angèle’s Couturier Boutique in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, she designs unique clothing, jewelry, body products, woodwork, and handbags. In the miniatures realm, she now makes dollhouses, room boxes, and mini items such as furniture; polymer clay foods, dishes, trinkets, and decor; beddings and curtains out of fabrics and trims. With no formal training in miniatures, she is entirely self-taught. 
Angèle has just completed a delightful, made-from-scratch dollhouse, which she calls her Lavender Cottage. “It's a shabby chic, airy-feel, open concept, with two floors, large grand windows, and it’s lavender throughout the house.” 
She described its inspiration and its essence. “I was inspired by an old, Parisian cottage that had that shabby chic look. I even had a story in my mind that went along with it. The cottage had been owned by women in the family for generations, and everything was kept and never thrown away, but perhaps just updated with paint here and there throughout the years. One can see the loving wear that the pieces have acquired through time. Living there now is a young woman who inherited the cottage from her mother, as her mother had from her grandmother before, and so on. Her bottle of water sits on the piano she has been playing, but she has just stepped away from it for a moment to take the fresh bread from the oven and put in the muffins. Waiting for her at the end of her piano-playing and baking, is a box of chocolates and a glass of wine by the warmth of the fireplace. She then will retire for the night to her loft and her cozy, disheveled bed, waking in the early morning to do some lavender planting.”
Angèle’s attention to detail is an outstanding element in the wonderful ambience of her creations. Everything was handmade from scratch with the exceptions of the tea set (although she did add the “whipped cream” in the cups), the wine bottle, the coffee table, and the bird feeder (which she also jazzed up by adding “water” to it). The piano was made from a kit. Materials used included: wood, paper, metal, polymer clay, plastic, beads. metal, and shingles.
“I create by eye,” Angèle explained. “To make this dollhouse, I started with a design in my mind, then came up with measurements for the walls, flooring, fireplace, windows, etc. This was the first time I have ever made dormers. The brick fireplace and kitchen wall I created from real cement; I carved the brick design in the wet cement, then painted it off-white when dry. The twigs in the fireplace are real twigs collected from my yard. I also added a little glitter to the wood for some sparkle when the ‘fire’ is lit. The lavender glass decor on the fireplace is made from little vials; the pictures are prints that I adhered to wood and distressed. Flooring is from old bamboo blinds that I took apart, then whitewashed. The kitchen hutch I drafted freehand onto wood, painted, and sanded in spots for a distressed look. As for the little table and chair upstairs, the table is dowels and jewelry findings, and the chair is from the top of a wine bottle cork, covered with padding and material. For the little writing area, I revamped an old chair for the corner, and made the table from scratch, using my mini lathe for the legs. I also used my mini lathe for the legs on the table in the kitchen. The bed was made from from wood, and the blankets I just bunched together in spots for that messy look. The chair in the living room I made from card stock, wood, bedding, fabrics, and lace. All the knickknacks were just freehanded as I went. The shingles are actually real ones that I cut down, not measuring, just freehanding for a not-so-perfect look. The list goes on as, piece by piece, I created everything with love. Nothing in my miniatures ever comes out exactly as I envisioned it, which always makes me love it even more, but my Lavender Cottage turned out very close and even better.”
Asked if she had any favorite element of the piece, she replied, “I especially love the fireplace, piano, and bed, but it’s more the way the whole thing comes together, and the feeling it brings. The part that was the most fun to make was the designing and decorating. It’s my favorite house I've made thus far.”
For now, the Lavender Cottage will remain with her, to be displayed, but she will consider selling it in the future, with a price of at least $2,000. 
Working with miniatures is a special source of joy for  Angèle. “What I love most about miniatures is how they take you into another world, and how the possibilities there are endless and wonderful. I also like the challenge of designing a house or piece in my head, then putting all the elements of that idea together into reality.”
Always looking ahead, Angèle already is working on her next creation, a made-from-scratch dollhouse which will be called Cupcake Cottage.

Contact information:
Angèle Langdon -  Angèle Couturier
Email:  angelecouturier@icloud.com
Phone:  1-905-964-9967
Address:  69 Cross Street
Port Colborne, Ontario 
Canada, L3K 1L1