Mini Settings
World of Minis
Dollhouse
Takes the most room. It can vary from only a room inside to a mansion with many rooms and floors…
The price also varies. From a few dozen of dollars to several thousands... Especially if it is already furnished!
But it's also worth having and looking at, precisely due to all the details we can 'get lost into' for hours and hours in true awe.
Roombox
It is a whole room reproduced in a box, where at least one of the "walls" is made of glass or acrylic to allow looking inside..
It can be a kitchen, a living room, a winter garden, etc.
A great way to get started, as it takes less space in your house than a whole dollhouse. But it is still quite big.
Anyway, it's a great way to "play" with your decorating skills! :)
Diorama
It is almost a Roombox, but its limits aren’t as well defined. It's not as "square" as a Roombox, it might not even be a closed space. It is usually a partial view of a whole environment, like a Christmas tree area or a fireplace.
It's great if you don't have much space to have a full house or even a roombox, or if you just want to replicate part of a room.
Often used by scenographists to study a play set.
Miniature Frame, Display Box, Shadow Box
It is practically a 3D framed scene.
Sometimes the miniatures in them are cut in half, only the half facing the viewer is 3D, the back is flat. Just to give a 3D feeling to the "picture".
Very common in Brazil, can be found at most weekend craft fairs. They usually depict a dental office, a lawyer's office, a bathroom, a nursery, etc.
The simple ones have a charm of their own, but more elaborated ones can also be found, if you look carefully for one!
Free style
Unusual objects can be used as containers for a mini scene. They can vary from an old computer monitor to a match box or an Altoid can, for smaller scales.
What counts here is creativity and ingenuity!
And also a very good pair of eyes or magnifying lenses, when looking at smaller scales scenarios... :)
