Building a dream home
Discovering the Tiburon range of mid-century modern design with Carol Kubrican of True2Scale.
Discover the Tiburon range of mid-century modern design with Carol Kubrican of True2Scale.
The architect of inspiration
Miniatures provide us with the perfect space to ensure that our dreams can always come true. This was exactly what happened when Carol Kubrican, renowned alongside husband Tomas and their brand True2Scale for their exceptional kits, made the move to the west coast of the United States back in 2015. It was here, whilst house hunting that the couple had the opportunity to view an Eichler house. One of around eleven thousand much acclaimed mid-century modern homes built against the backdrop of the Californian sunshine by the developer, Joseph Eichler. Today, these stunning properties command a high price far beyond their original value, one large property dating from the latter half of the 1960s selling just a few years ago for a staggering three and a half million dollars. “I had never heard about these highly coveted Eichler houses, but after seeing how the home brought the outdoors inside, with floor to ceiling windows and an atrium, I became an instant fan of this 1950s-60s era design concept,” explains Carol. “Tomas and
I eventually settled into our new home, a cheerful Victorian. I knew that we wouldn’t have the mid-century modern house of my dreams, so I needed to create it in miniature.”
Inspired by the appealing aesthetics of the era and these highly sought-after homes, but busy on other projects, it was a few years before Carol was able to begin the process of bringing the 1/48th scale Tiburon kits, so called after the Californian town of the same name, to life. What research did Carol and Tomas do before creating their mid-century modern kits and did this involve visiting any of the Eichler homes they are loosely inspired by? “An annual tour of Eichler homes in the area provided the momentum to continue sketching and collecting ideas for the midcentury modern house,” recalls Carol, who was also lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat to the owner of an Eichler property.
She carefully researched what she describes as the unique characteristics of the roof designs, leaving no stone unturned. “The homes appear to be built from the roof down, not from the ground up. They have flat and low-pitched slopes with wide overhangs that are immediately recognizable from other mid-century modern or contemporary home designs. There are even roofing companies that specialize in Eichler roof replacements. On drives through Eichler neighbourhoods, I noted the various types of exterior materials, entryway designs, window and door placements, and any details that I thought would add interest and realism to the miniature home.”
With her research complete and aided by a burgeoning resource of Pinterest inspiration and those sketches, Carol set to work on creating the main structure. She began by designing the floorplan, which spans out from the buildings core feature, the high atrium, a feature synonymous with Eichler homes and which draws sunlight down into the heart of the building. “I drew the walls and floors to have symmetry with the atrium. The windows were placed asymmetrically, but balanced with the other features of the house, just like the windows of life-size Eichler homes.” It’s easy to see the completed kits and find
yourself in awe of Carol’s design skills, but even for an extremely knowledgeable and talented miniaturist, reaching the final design proved to be a process of trial and error. “The first laser cut prototype contained too many posts, beams and windows,” she says. “I had decided that the base should not only add stability but make it easier to assemble the structure. The second prototype achieved my goals and gave me a three-dimensional space in which to think about furnishings.”
Interior design
The furniture Carol references not only expands the Tiburon range beyond the structure of the house itself, but expertly brings an age of classic style to 1/48th scale, allowing us to immerse ourselves within our very own slice of modern history. The range includes everything you could possibly need to style the spacious interior. Such is the thought Carol has put into the range, that even the roof is removable to allow easy access to the open plan layout. The kit for the laser cut dresser was actually the very first piece Carol created for the series, pre-dating the house itself after finding herself inspired by its full-size counterpart during a visit to an antiques fair.
Kits such as the dresser, the luxurious ‘leather’ chair and ottoman inspired by the famous 1956 design from Charles and Ray Eames are evocative of mid-century modern style, as is the wooden bed with its integral bedside tables. However, with a contemporary kitchen, stylish wine cooler and marble effect bath amongst the Tiburon kits, does Carol consider the final design and the furnished house featured in her beautiful photographs to be a mid-century modern home ‘set’ within the present day? “Tiburon is a house that I would like to live in. In designing it, I wanted to create a contemporary feel, using
modern kitchen appliances and an updated colour scheme. Of course, the kitchen had to include an under-the-counter wine chiller; the wallpaper needed to have modern, not kitschy, prints,” says Carol, confessing that a desire to own an Eames chair led to the inclusion of its miniature replica. “I agonized over the placement of the outdoor soaking tub; until I realised that the tub could go anywhere because my mini neighbours wouldn’t care! I wanted French style cookware and bakeware in bright colours to use with my fancy, industrial range. The atrium would contain plants that I can’t keep alive in real life. Solar panels – check! Oh, and a cantilevered fireplace hearth where I could do yoga outdoors. Or maybe be inspired to do yoga someday.” Carol’s kits afford the fluidity to add your own spin on the designs too when it comes to painting and finishes. She and Tomas also
suggest that the small hole provided on the reverse of the wine cooler creates the perfect opportunity to include a blue LED light for added realism!
Mid-century modern to contemporary, the design of the Tiburon kits blend seamlessly to craft an inspirational series, bringing together some true classics to tell a compelling visual story of design with the high standard kits we’ve come to expect from True2Scale. It’s also exciting to see mid-century modern, something which has become increasingly popular on the miniature scene in recent times, featured in the world of 1/48th scale. With Carol admitting she would love to incorporate further designs within the Tiburon range, enabling miniaturists to add to their growing collections, the profile of this evocative design era can surely only continue to rise.