The slowing of the property market is what Ben Taggart, founder of Model Houses, believes has led to an increase in commissions for his painstakingly detailed, miniature replicas of residential facades. “People are living in the same location for longer, so when they finally decide to move the house is full of memories and they want to take a reminder of those times with them,” he says. Making a semi-relief of a model of a terraced house without its neighbouring properties provides a fresh viewpoint. “The building is taken out of its environment and architectural details, which would usually go unnoticed, are drawn into focus,” says Taggart, who has made models of houses in smart addresses around Chelsea, Richmond and Dulwich.
The art of the house portrait
