By Alice Bell
Photos courtesy of
Beatrice Thierus
The liner notes for the film based on the life of the legendary singer Edith Piaf declares it "A swirling, impressionistic portrait of an artist who regretted nothing."

Now, in the world of miniatures, another artist has created a swirling romantic portrait and regrets none of it - except maybe the haste with which the project was completed.

La Vie En Rose house, by Beatrice Thierus, started life as a rescued empty shell that sat in Thierus' workroom until the heat of her French summer halted her normal work of creating poured porcelain dolls in period costumes.

"I started this house in August and finished on the first of November. In summer it gets too hot and I cannot make porcelain dolls, so I worked on this project almost every day. But I had to go too fast because it messes up my workshop," she said.

The outer shell has a unique combination look of house and shop that she decided immediately she wanted to take full advantage of when creating something new. Her vision also included naming it after her favorite movie.

"Perhaps you know this film, "la Môme" or "la Vie en Rose," with Marion Cotillard who plays Edith Piaf. Of course, on the street wall of my house is a copy of the film poster. And on the door of the shop, the poster of a beautiful exhibition of dollhouses: all the collection of Ingeborg Riesser in Paris until March 31, 2010. In France, she promoted miniatures with a splendid book and created the CMF. I visited the "musée de la poupée" at the beginning and I dreamed for a week," said Thierus.

La Vie en Rose is a front opening structure of six rooms. In an unusual twist, the front swing panels are deep enough to hold a few items as well. Graceful arches topped by a glass sign proclaiming the store name on the right hand side draw the eye in to the shop window just behind them and highlight Thierus' delicate exterior painting.

The lower half and the sides are pure white and gilt edges the gently curving tops of the store front on the lower right side. The corner entry door is framed by a pair of classical half pillars, a grande entrance to a grande place.

The second story is bricked in warm red and the eave edges decorated in white painted gingerbread trim. A bust of a graceful lady with roses at her décolletage sits in the apex of the left roofline. Continue the Article