LITTLE LINKS:
When last we visited Château de l’Amour (DHW 347), architectural artist Mark Turpin had just handed over the keys to its new owner, Jackie H. Over a year in the making, Le Château de l’Amour was one of the largest, tallest and heaviest structures Mark had ever created. It was entirely handcrafted, using birch plywood, solid pine, poplar, basswood, balsa, illustration board, acrylic windows, and numerous pots of paint. A French-style château appealed to Jackie because it was architecturally beautiful and with elegant interiors that allowed her to create opulence in a variety of spaces.
Mark Turpin web: markturpin.comemail: mark@markturpin.com
With over 5,000 square inches to work with, Jackie had already begun shopping for the château’s interior even as Mark laid the first board. “I was not able to buy furniture, as I needed to see the end product before making those kinds of decisions,” Jackie explains, “but a few gorgeous little accessories soon began to accumulate, like nursery toys, a glass decanter and glasses, an easel for the school room and so on. I had been collecting miniatures for for ty years, but this château was on another level. At times I was a little overwhelmed by the size and potential the building would give me, but I just knew it would thrill me, and keep me busy for some time to come!”
Jackie discovered Mark’s work one evening in the form of a small advertisement in a miniature magazine. She knew it would be exquisite and expensive, but she finally plucked up the courage to email him and inquire about building and shipping to the UK, as it would be such a grand work of art.