Tiny Chairs for Big Collectors

Career miniaturist is sought by enthusiasts around the world

Photo by: Sunny Lockwood

Tiny furniture is not just for children’s doll houses. Aficionados and museums worldwide seek miniatures for their collections, and Hendersonville resident Nicole Walton Marble has been satisfying those desires for nearly half a century.

“There’s something about miniatures that transports the imagination to another space,” she says. “One of the reasons I’ve stayed with this so long is that it makes people smile. And I like that.”

Collecting and dealing in the world of miniatures is no casual endeavor, however. Marble’s work, known for its exquisitely crafted detail, sells for thousands. From the graceful lines of Windsor chairs to sumptuously upholstered Queen Anne sofas, her elegant, high-end pieces are meant for serious connoisseurs.

She started in the 1970s making tiny musical instruments — violins, cellos, pianos —then transitioned to furniture. Miniatures are generally 1/12 the size of regular furniture, so each item to be reproduced in diminutive form must be carefully measured, and all angles recorded. Marble draws every view to scale: front, back, sides, top, bottom. Then she researches the materials needed to actually make the piece.

Her home workshop holds drawers of tiny nails, screws, hinges, and tools, and shelves of various woods and fabrics. Saws and sanders, paintbrushes and other necessities occupy a desk and counter.

Most career miniaturists have an area of specialty, and Marble’s hallmark is her chairs. She’s one of the few artisans in her field making caned chairs, for instance, although this spring, most of her orders were for Bergère chairs (a 17th-century French enclosed armchair).  “It’s the most popular right now,” she says.

But she also gets numerous custom requests, and says she loves the challenge of creating something new via commission. “Someone will ask, ‘Can you make this?’ and I’ll give it a shot. I like to please my clients, and I love the actual production — big furniture made little.” The process still intrigues her, even after so many years.  “It’s utterly fascinating,” she says. “Traveling to the various dealer shows has let me see different parts of our country. And other countries, too.” 

Before the pandemic, she regularly attended international miniatures shows, where she met dealers and collectors from Germany, Russia, Ukraine, several South African nations, Australia, Japan, and other countries. Such shows have led to international friendships and fascinating customers. 

“My best customer is a member of the Royal family in Qatar. He’s interested in fancy French furniture. The first time he visited my table at the Chicago dealers show he had this huge wad of bills making his pants pocket bulge,” she remembers with a laugh, noting, “Royals don’t use credit cards or write checks for what they want.”

Now, at age 80, Marble has semi retired. She no longer goes to dealer shows — but that doesn’t mean she has quit making tiny furniture. “I’m not out drumming up business,” she explains. “But the orders keep coming.”

Nicole Walton Marble Unlimited, Hendersonville. For more information, see the artist’s Facebook page.