When Furniture Becomes a Dollhouse: The Miniature Worlds of Andrew Sosenko
- Darren Scala
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
Every once in a while, someone comes along who doesn’t just make miniatures — they live inside them. That’s exactly what I discovered when I had a chat with Andrew Sosenko (https://www.instagram.com/), a young furniture designer and artist whose work sits beautifully at the intersection of fine furniture, miniature architecture, and emotional storytelling. Andrew is part of a new generation of makers who instinctively understand what collectors of fine miniatures have always known: small worlds hold big meaning. Sosenko is currently exhibiting work at the MASA art gallery and jazz club in Latvia through February 18, 2026.
Andrew recently graduated from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where he earned a degree in wood-oriented furniture design, after previously studying product design and technology in Manchester, UK. He has since returned to Latvia, but his work is already circulating internationally among designers, collectors, and miniature enthusiasts who recognize something rare in what he builds. And what he builds isn’t just furniture.
It’s entire worlds in scale.
“I am obsessed with miniature.”
When I asked Andrew about his relationship with miniatures and dollhouses, he didn’t hesitate.
“I am obsessed with miniature! There is something fascinating about it. It gives me a sense of comfort and control… I can see the entire building in my eyesight and touch every element of it. I can hold a chair in a palm of my hand. Feeling like a god in a way.”
If that doesn’t sound like every serious dollhouse and miniature collector you’ve ever met, I don’t know what does. Andrew doesn’t see miniatures as novelty — he sees them as a complete universe you can touch.
“I could never build a house that I want in four days, but I can if it is smaller… I can build five of them and put them together so they form a flying city with inhabitants and stories… The most important thing? You can touch it and interact with it.”
That tactile, immersive, emotional relationship with scale is what puts Andrew squarely in the fine art miniature tradition — even when he’s building full-size furniture.
When Furniture Became a Dollhouse
Andrew’s breakthrough moment came when he finally stopped worrying about whether people would take him “seriously.”
“I was ashamed of making something more fun, thinking others would take me less seriously for making dollhouses… But one day I just said screw it… and people loved it. I was having fun and people around me had fun.”
That’s the magic point. When the artist lets go — the work becomes alive.
Today, Andrew designs fully functional cabinets, bookcases, and storage furniture that also operate as true dollhouses, built meticulously in 1:12, 1:24, and even 1:43 scale.
“I made cabinets and bookshelves… and even though they are meant as furniture pieces for clothing or books, all elements are made in 1:12 scale so it can be used as a dollhouse if a person wants to.”
In other words: you’re not just storing sweaters — you’re inhabiting a miniature city.
Furniture With a Soul
Andrew’s philosophy will feel instantly familiar to serious miniature collectors.
“I believe furniture can have a soul and personality… The objects we surround ourselves with can impact our mental well-being.”
This is exactly why fine-art miniatures matter. They are not décor — they are memory machines.
“My furniture provides stories, which modernist movement completely killed in design and architecture. Blank spaces have to exist… but a storytelling alternative has to exist too.”
That’s what separates Andrew from trend-driven design. He’s not chasing fashion — he’s building narrative.
Architecture, Wear, and the Poetry of Scale
One of the most compelling things about Andrew’s work is how deeply he uses architectural storytelling.
“I change not only styles but also how well the house element is kept — graffiti, wear and tear, abandoned or historically accurate… I even blend styles to create chaos.”
Anyone who has ever built or collected a serious dollhouse understands this: the wear is the story. Just like the finest artisan miniatures, Andrew’s furniture doesn’t feel manufactured — it feels lived in.
Built to Be Used
Here’s where Andrew truly stands apart. His pieces are not fragile sculpture. They are designed to be used.
“My pieces are fully functional and I get upset when people are afraid to use my furniture… I design and test it so it can take a lot of stress. Functionality is how I incorporate art in daily life.”
He builds primarily in wood, because of its emotional resonance:
“There is something about wood that feels like home, yet is still noble.”
That’s exactly how the greatest dollhouse furniture artisans think — wood isn’t just a material, it’s memory.
Sustainability, Scrap Wood, and Miniature Magic
Andrew’s philosophy is deeply aligned with the values of the fine miniature world.
“I avoid trends. The longer you keep the piece, the less you buy. That’s my idea of sustainability.”
Some of his most exciting work comes from reclaimed wood:
“Sometimes I make pieces completely from scrap bins… I glue them together, carve out elements and boom — a treasure piece made from trash.”
That is pure miniature alchemy.
Why Andrew Sosenko Matters to the Miniature World
Andrew doesn’t call himself a dollhouse artist. But in every way that counts, he is one.
He builds:
Narrative architecture
Scaled environments
Emotionally resonant objects
Worlds you can enter
That is the very heart of fine-art miniatures.
And perhaps most inspiring of all:
“Before I started furniture making, I had never held a saw in my hand… You never know what you are capable of until you just start doing things.”
That spirit is what keeps this hobby — and this art form — to exist to celebrate exactly this kind of maker: artists who don’t just make objects, but build entire universes in scale.
Andrew Sosenko is one of them — and I have no doubt the miniature world will be hearing much more from him!
