Over the last several months, I’ve been able to admire the individual pieces of this gorgeous LEGO creation by fellow SPSLUG member Kimberly Giffen. But when all the parts came together this past weekend at BrickCon, my jaw hit the floor! The build is alive with so many textures, from the roof and cobbled tan walls of the house to the stone-paved path around it. Each of the dozens of flowers adorning the grounds here feels unique, a single beautiful piece in the larger puzzle. And the variety is outstanding, bounding between building techniques with ease. In this pocket, we have rockwork with studs exposed, but an inch to the left explores the patterns made with this pentagonal tile in dark blue.

And when viewed from each new angle, more details come to light. Below, you can see the intricate work put into those darling side doors on the greenhouse section, with a cute flower cart right off their front stoop. This angle also gives a better view of one of the garden’s secrets: a koi pond with moving fish. They’re swimming around below the layer of trans-light blue garage door segment parts. Reliance on this difficult-to-use piece mandated specific spacing between the surrounding rocks and the foot bridge across the pond, but Kimberly pulls off the look seamlessly. A glorious detail that is easy to miss amongst all the flora.

But it’s not hard to see how a detail like the koi could be overlooked here. Every square inch of this creation feels worthy of its own picture. But when they come together – the colorful vegetation of the exterior with the chairs, tables, and carts on the interior of the greenhouse – the whole is somehow even more impressive than the sum of its parts. There’s so many colors, textures, and patterns coming together in harmony that it conveys a palpable relaxation in this garden. It’s no wonder that this creation took home the Best in Show award at the convention. Congratulations, Kimberly, on a truly breathtaking build!