Hannah Lemon

The beauty of small things

• Hannah creates miniature rooms, plants, furniture and objects
• She usually reproduces existing items, studying them live or from photos
• She mostly uses clay and cheap materials, like toothpicks and plastic waste

Hannah Lemon’s creative universe is at once tiny and immense. Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and British father, Hannah moved first to New Zealand to study art and photography, then to England to become a professional photographer. When the pandemic hit, in 2020, and during lockdown she dusted off her childhood passion for craft and developed a new talent: confectioning miniatures. Her very first one was a miniature of her dream home. Since then, Hannah has been creating realistic miniature rooms and objects, house plants, vintage furniture and appliances. They are all handmade and hand painted, and incredibly detailed. She mostly works to a 1:12 scale – but claims she could make them even smaller!

Interview

©Hannah Lemon

©Hannah Lemon

What kind of materials do you use?

Any material I can get my hands on, preferably cheap and easily found. Lollipop sticks and toothpicks are great for wooden furniture. I collect small plastic rubbish, too, and love to use air-dry clay. I use fabric for curtains and bed linen, but this is my least favourite.

What is the starting point of your miniatures: reality or imagination?

Reality, definitely. Almost everything I have done so far was based on real things. Either I reproduce a real room or object, or I make it up combining elements taken from the real world. If I cannot see the object itself, I just work from pictures of it, like I did with King Charles’s coronation chair.

What did you inherit from your Japanese and British cultures?

From Japan, where I lived until I was 15, I got the habit to pay attention to details: if I look at a plant, I do not just see its leaves, but also veins, roots, damages and so on. From England and my father, I got the love of antiques, of old and rustic things. And of traditional doll houses, of course!

Is there a miniature that you are particularly fond of?

The one of my father’s room when he was a teenager. I made it as a surprise for his 60th birthday, so I could not ask him for details. I had only three old black and white pictures to rely on. But then, when my dad saw it, he told me it looked exactly like the original one.

Hannah Lemon is a rising star: she began her career in 2020

Works

©Hannah Lemon

©Hannah Lemon

©Hannah Lemon

Where