Toy Story, the Final Chapter

Sweden is home to Lundby dollhouses, and their resemblance to Ikea interiors is striking. I give them points for operable lights in the oven and range hood; I can't vouch for whether the undercounter refrigerator also has that feature. Putting legs on the base cabinets is a nice detail, too.

Toy Story, Part 5

All I can say is: Appliance designers, take a lesson. Harkening back to the immortal Chambers stove, this playhouse kitchenette delivers all the essentials with a surplus of style. And it's berry red.

Merry Christmas, and to all a good night.

Toy Story, Part 4

I call this the Happy Days kitchen. Its optimistic color scheme [note the jazzy red appliance handles] reflects the feeling of the 1950s; all the conveniences of the New Era are in place. The view of farm fields outside the 'window' I find both touching and telling: Even as society was racing towards modernity, it looked for reassurance to the agrarian past.

Toy Story, Part 3

The last of the bathrooms for our Toy Story week, this chubby tub reminds me of the Dreamscape design Michael Graves produced for Hoesch many years ago. His was more geometrically pure, to be sure—but the sense of fun [which is rather important for toys, yes?] is shared by this little soaker.

Toy Story, Part 2

A Brutalist bathroom suite for the progressive child [or their dollhouse surrogate self], rendered in wood rather than béton. You may be startled at the source for these pieces—I certainly was. potterybarnkids.com

Toy Story

In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, this week KBCULTURE takes a break from the harsh realities of the kitchen and bath world—almost. We'll stay on topic, but focus on the more forgiving realm of make-believe: toys, both old and new.

Yes, Virginia, once upon a time dollhouse fixtures actually worked. Fill the tin cistern on this 1920s vintage bath, and a scaled-down shower could be enjoyed by members of the miniature household.

Chicken Little

Unless my eyes deceive me, this helpful indoor BBQ was offered in electric and—whoa!—charcoal models. Perhaps that explains the prominence of the intercom system [on the wall to the left of the fruit bowl]; it's easy to buzz in the ambulance crew when they arrive to treat guests suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner—Looks like that bird is cooked.