(Linda Simonsen - Midtown Senior Center)
A Senior Moment in Miniature

by Pam North

When her husband presented her with her first dollhouse as a gift 20 years ago, North Carolina resident Linda Simonsen didn’t immediately realize that it also would be the catalyst for becoming involved in a whole new world. She became interested in miniatures, and now spends much of her time building dollhouses, dioramas, room boxes and even some tiny furniture.
Linda’s most recent project was her Midtown Senior Center, a 1:12 scale representation of a center for senior citizens. It is a perfectly executed microcosm of a typical place where seniors are congregating and socializing, and her careful attention to all the realistic details brings the scene to life. It is a delight to view all of her touches, and slowly take in all of that slightly haphazard ambience so typical of a senior center which she has so accurately portrayed in subtle touches such as the variety of mismatched sizes of coffee cups.
She made the piece to showcase some dolls she had that represented seniors. “They needed a place to be!” was her motivation. “I wanted the piece to have the lived-in feel that most senior centers have, resulting from the relied-upon donations of furniture, games, and items for activities. My daughter is an RN who works with seniors to try to keep them in their homes. Having a place to go in the daytime to just hang out with other older people is an important part of their feeling independent.”
The Midtown Senior Center project started out as a room box which she had purchased, to which she added small 1:12 scale bricks for the exterior, and trim she had purchased and then painted. Other materials used encompassed wood, paint, and vinyl samples (obtained from big box stores) which she cut for the floors. The games, furniture, and accessories also were purchased. The dolls were created by Auralea Krieger; the food items on the shelves were from various Etsy shops; the walker and wheelchair were sourced from NorthernLitesMinis from Etsy; and the metal table and chairs came from Hobby Builders Supply. To create the piece, she simply followed the ideas she had in her head. Because of the pandemic that occurred toward the end of her project, she tried to use things she already had in her stash of minis and materials to avoid venturing out in public.
Linda cited her favorite aspect about the piece as “thinking about all the shenanigans that take place between the seniors who are frequenting Midtown Senior Center!” She also enjoyed accessorizing the interior. As with many projects, not all went smoothly, and she had to deal with one unforeseen snag in making her miniature: “I made an initial mistake of using the floor of the room box as a wall.” Mastering that problem, she brought her project to a successful conclusion. She has no plans to sell her creation, preferring to keep and display it.
Retired now, Linda can more easily combine home life and miniature-making, but she admits, “Sometimes it is a good thing my husband likes to cook!” Her family is 100% behind her interest in miniatures, especially her daughter and her husband, with their support making it easier for her to pursue her hobby. Having no formal training in the miniature field has not stopped her; she has acquired the necessary skills and learned to use materials and tools, such as her miniature table saw which she considers her most valuable tool. Her workplace is in an extra room in her home, where she has carved out a space to work on miniatures. She cites her consistently biggest difficulty involved with working in miniature as “cleaning up the messes I make when I do a project!” 
The miniature world is one that Linda thoroughly enjoys, as she explained, “When I am doing miniatures, that becomes my sole focus, and I leave all the problems of the real world behind.” Her inspiration comes from many sources, such as Instagram, miniature magazines, and the world around her, and  she is the type of person who always has a project in the works, be it yard work, miniatures, or home improvement projects.
The popularity and direction of miniatures is often in the thoughts of those who work with them, and Linda’s view is optimistic. “The future is very bright, I think. The more I become involved in the miniature world, the more young people I see aspiring to do miniatures, too!”
As for what’s next for her and her creations, she currently is working on a room box with a mid-century 1960s theme.

Contact Information:
Name:  Linda Simonsen
Email:  lsimon1255@aol.com
Phone:  (910) 494-8848
Address:  4560 Bent Grass Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28312
Instagram:  @mellow.miniaturist

Previous project - her Witch House.