Many of you decorated your
homes for the holidays but a man here in Lafayette has taken
that concept to the next level.
It looks like a house on sale in a popular home magazine.
There are 2 bedrooms, a living room, dining area, kitchen,
and bathroom. The 2-story house is furnished even with a
Mona Lisa replica.
You can call it an American dream but this home is not for
sale. It's just for beauty. Everything inside of it can
fit into the palm of your hand.
Robert Bergeron says he's fascinated with miniatures and
likes putting them all together. After making flower arrangements
for 37 years, he decided to build this home. But his supplies
didn't come from a local hardware store, but from the local
craft store.
The house is made of plywood, shingles made of construction
paper, the flower beds are all landscaped with artificial
flowers. But the labor is what really costs. He has put
hours and hours of labor to this house .At least five hours
a day for six months to be exact.
Robert says the time spent building the home is well worth
the work. Robert doesn't plan to sell the house, nor does
he plan to put it on display in a crafts show. He plans
to leave it in his home and show it to friends and relatives
when they come over.
This isn't Robert's first venture to build a miniature home.
In 1966, when he was 18, he built a mobile home.
Robert says he didn't do it for the recognition but just
wanted to do it for fun. Lush greenery isn’t often
associated with Washington, DC on a January weekend. But
that’s the first thing patrons of the 53rd Washington
Antiques Show will experience before gazing at an even greater
bounty, courtesy of the prestigious show’s international
collectors.
Alexandria-based landscape architect Anne Irving created
a "garden path" at the entrance of the show, scheduled
for Jan 11-13 at The Omni Shoreham Hotel Regency Ballroom,
2500 Calvert Street, NW in the District. It leads to another
locally-influenced portion of the show: "Inspirations
from the Garden," a loan exhibition from 14 different
historical homes, museums and private collections in the
Washington area that focus on home and garden items.
"It will provide some visual greenery as you enter
the show; which, at this point in the winter, people might
be quite happy to see," said Helen Burnett, a publicity
volunteer for the show.
Gretchen Bulova of Gadsby’s Tavern is the curator;
items featured include George Washington's watering can
from Mount Vernon, and a copy of The American Gardener,
an 1804 publication which provided detailed instructions
for the cultivation of kitchen and flower gardens. There
are also floral-inspired ceramics, art, house-wares and
needle works on display. "Developing an appreciation
of nature through art has long been an important part of
childhood education," Bulova wrote in an essay on the
show’s Web site, www.washingtonantiques.org. "Floral
motifs were considered among the most appropriate for girls
to depict as part of their creative efforts with a needle
and a paint brush."
Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, Carlyle House Historic
Park; Lee-Fendall House, Gunston Hall Plantation, The Lyceum,
Gadsby's Tavern Museum, Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee
Memorial, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum
are among the contributors to the exhibition.
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