The first official scratch build model I completed was a self-commissioned piece for my daughter’s birthday. A trained fashion designer, I knew she would appreciate a theme relevant to her passion so I opted to create a Book Nook based around the physical location of one of the world’s more famous fashion houses.

As fate should have it, Chanel would be celebrating their 100th anniversary commemorating the opening of the first boutique in Paris in 1921.

Because of the architectural precision of this location, I opted to use rigid polystyrene as my primary building material. Prepackaged in sheets, strips, rods, etc., it was an ideal material for constructing an accurate rendering of this famous landmark in 1921.

A small mirror at the back of the book nook creates the illusion of depth, allowing the street to extend beyond the physical capacity of the nook.