Many people took up home projects during the extra time the quarantine has afforded them over the last year. But one Kansas couple’s unique indoor project has gone viral.
Annie Kampfe and Cliff Donnelly decided to work on a craft project of no small ambition: a fully furnished miniature house—complete with wallpaper, kitchen appliances, upholstery, books and magazines—and the results of their handiwork have astounded the internet.
The married couple produced the tiny but gorgeous house of incredible detail despite having only basic building experience.
Yet, despite the lack of expertise, they created a three-story replica of a mid-20th century modern home. The tiny abode, which the couple named “Mini Modern House,” or MMH, is perfectly scaled-down to size—down to the smallest detail.
It consists of 10 rooms, all of which have electrical wiring and delicate interior décor.
Among the rooms are a man cave, a master bedroom with a cork wall, a children’s nursery full of toys, and a cozy living room with a modern stone fireplace.
Itty-bitty accessories are tucked away throughout the home, including a teensy Monopoly board game and a full set of golf clubs.
The yard will give you home envy, too; the backyard features a tiled patio, a teardrop porch swing, and a pergola with dreamy string lights.
The couple even went so far as to build a functioning garage door.
“It kind of reminded me of the home I grew up in that my parents built in Omaha, Nebraska,” Annie said.
She explained that the project started with a miniature home building kit that she’d purchased online. But the couple soon went off-blueprint and customized the entire model, inch by inch.
Though they began the painstaking project in 2017, they were only halfway finished when the CCP virus pandemic hit. They thought the lockdowns provided the perfect opportunity to finish the model home. After completing the home, the couple decided they still weren’t finished; they went on to add a basement level.
“The MMH in all its glory!” Annie captioned.
“There are pieces in the MMH that represent each member of my family. What some may overlook holds a story dear to my heart,” she said. “My sweetheart Cliff, is represented by golf clubs in the garage. The Wall Street Journal is an ode to my sweet dad who would read the paper everyday without fail. The scarf on the entry table is for my dear mom.”
She added that there are aspects representing all seven of their children throughout the home, too, from the man cave to the brass unicorn in the master bedroom.
But more than anything, the couple say that the project afforded them an opportunity to spend quality time together.
“It was just nice spending a lot of quality time with each other and building something from nothing,” Cliff said.
“Like that sense of fruition that we both have and that we did it together,” Annie agreed.
