[Featured] Instagram Identities: Jessica Cloe Miniatures
Dolls House & Miniature Scene // October Issue
Moi Ali looks behind leading Instagram miniaturists’ profiles, with husband and wife team Robb and Jess Coffee taking centre stage this month.
By Moi Ali
An Instagram post from Jessica Cloe Miniatures caught my eye during the height of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the early summer. It depicted, in miniature, an homage to anti-racism that stood out from the pretty little flower vases and tiny cakes in my Instagram feed. ‘Black Lives Matter’ placards and a collection of tiny anti-racist books had been artistically arranged in a little vignette. I was intrigued and wanted to find out more about the duo behind Jessica Cloe.
Based in the small town of College Place, in south eastern Washington state, married couple Jess and Robb got into the miniature hobby after doing several full-sized home renovations together. “We started by renovating an old dollhouse that we picked up second-hand from a thrift store,” explained Jess. “It was meant to be a Victorian style home, but we enjoyed giving it a more modern finish. We named it Bayview House.”
The couple now have several dolls’ houses in various states of remodel. Robb told me about the collection: “We have a mostly-renovated Dura-Craft San Franciscan SF 555, an unfinished Vermont Farmhouse Jr., a dilapidated Dura-Craft Farmhouse FH 500, and a couple of room boxes. We also are working on a very large custom farmhouse remodel on a house that belongs to some family friends.”
Robb has a background in construction and radiographic technology and currently works as a videographer in addition to designing and producing miniatures. Jess is a graphic designer: “I worked as the creative director of a marketing firm until January of this year, when I quit to take up miniatures and join Robb in creating digital content.” It is clear this creative couple have combined technical expertise and artistic flair into an awesome mix. What a team!
“We also have our hands full with three little boys,” said Jess. “They are each interested in the dollhouses in different ways, and we try to let them be as involved as they want to be, while not destroying too much!” My heart warmed. We need more young miniaturists entering the hobby, and it’s always good to see a few more males to help address the gender balance!
I wondered whether the couple undertook commissioned work: “Yes, we do take commissions from time to time, but we usually choose what to create based on what our remodels need. For example, we weren’t happy with the kinds of table lamps that we were finding for sale, so we designed a series of interchangeable bases and shades. And when the large, open floorpan of one of our farmhouse remodels desperately called for a freestanding fireplace, we got busy designing and producing one.” It seems that there’s nothing this couple can’t do!
Realism is what drives Jess and Robb. “It is especially gratifying to create scale miniatures that look convincing, like the hand-shaped wood surfboards complete with fins that we made for a large wall in one of the remodels. We also just finished creating olive baskets in 1/12 scale to mirror the ones we use as plant pots in our own home.”
Jess told me: “We have so much fun with this hobby, and hope that anyone who has ever dreamed of creating miniature spaces will go for it. For the longest time, I was hung up on the idea that dollhouses were toys for kids. That simply isn’t the case. People of all ages can take joy from miniatures. We’ve loved watching the hobby gain exposure and hope to help make miniatures more accessible to everyone.”
Jess and Robb’s miniatures certainly are inspirational and if anything is going to attract a younger following into the miniature world, it will surely be the stunning work of this lovely couple.
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