Tag Archives: Modern

Mid-century Modern Megapalooza

Here at TBB we’ve long admired Paul Hetherington‘s vivid, vivacious LEGO celebrations of pop culture and Americana. Following his “Bricktacular West Coast Modern Show” at the Vancouver Art Museum, Paul has been sharing out more detailed pics of his architectural series on Mid-century Modern buildings from the Vancouver area. Each model is a faithful recreation, capturing the minimalist design, sleek lines, multiple levels, and seamless blending with the environment associated with the movement. Paul said he was inspired to take this deep dive into Mid-century Modern during the pandemic, a style more modest in scale and perfectly suited for LEGO bricks.

Arthur Erickson LEGO Eppich House 1 model

Click to see more from this collection!

A beachfront property clad in brown and nougat

LEGO builder Sarah Beyer definitely has a style when it comes to house design. And every time, without fail, I’m left agape staring at yet another architectural wonder, one more take on her core modern look. This beachside house is gorgeous with its brown, black, and medium nougat coloration. I feel like I can make out every slat of wood in this build, thanks to some great tile and plate work. The beams sticking out over the patios are fantastic, especially when paired with the simplistic modern windows trimmed in black. And the landscaping is divine, especially the small irregularly-shaped pool to the right. It’s a difficult design to create in bricks, much less have it feel at home in a build full of right angles. But Sarah pulls it off quite well! Be sure to check out all the details inside and out on her Flickr page.

Farview House MOC. Bird's view.

A tiny slice of paradise

The Walnut Villa is the latest modern microscale home by Sarah Beyer. Only comprised of a few brick, tile, and plate pieces, this LEGO villa showcases the strength in simplicity. On the facade, the minimalistic colonnade harmonizes with the alternating profile grill bricks. Small textural details contrast with the smooth streamline surfaces like the micro green wall and the poolside masonry bricks transformed tiles. When you look through the panoramic windows, you can spot a single white pillar standing inside the home. It’s remarkable how Sarah captures the same grandeur of her minifigure scale homes in this microscale vignette. Surrounded by brilliant greenery and bamboo-palm trees, the Walnut Villa looks like a dwelling in paradise.

Walnut Villa MOC. House and pool. Microscale architecture.

Browse through our archives to see more architectural builds by Sarah.

Brutalist beauty in bricks

Builder Nikita Sukhodolov refers to this great monolithic LEGO masterpiece as “The Decaying Hive.” Personally, I don’t see a sense of decay here, probably because I cannot look past its brutalist brilliance. In this build Nikita demonstrates how LEGO and boxy modern architecture are the perfect pairing.

decaying hive

The two main towers of this building feature some great tiling as well as excellent use of 1×1 slope pieces (AKA cheese slopes) in grey and translucent black to create an intricate window design. While the housing units with their carved out of concrete appearance are uniform in their shape; Nikita utilizes translucent clear bricks, 1×2 palisade bricks, as well as 1×2 profile bricks to give each unit a slight variation. The palisade bricks appear as blinds, while some minifigure inhabitants prefer shutters which are created by the profile bricks. There are some splashes of color to liven up the structure such as the pink potted plant and green umbrella on the top of the building as well as the landscape scene which the main build sits upon. Overall I think it’s safe to say that the rigid geometric look of brutalist architecture is clearly well translated into LEGO and Nikita makes this translation look easy with his expert use of some pretty common elements.

Netflix and chill

With a global lockdown in full swing, it’s a sure bet that most of us are seeing more of our TV screens lately. Heikki M. has presented his TV and living space. Here we see a clean, brightly-lit, nicely-appointed modern space with a flat-screen TV, wood flooring, and a handsome accent wall. The stereo system and the low entertainment center are both meticulous in style and design. What is it doing being featured here on The Brothers Brick? Can you spot the LEGO? It took me a minute.

Television

It would seem Heikki is quite adept at building interior spaces.

Tiny oil spill is anything but crude

It might seem odd to describe a LEGO model displaying an environmental catastrophe as cute, but it feels like a fitting tag for Koala Yummies‘ microscale oil rig. The oil spill effect is suitably sinister, with thick black crude oozing out over the water, but it’s the rig itself which catches the eye. This model is packed with detail — don’t miss the helipad, the crane, the dangling orange lifeboats, and my favourite touch, the use of 1×2 grille tiles for the tiny windows in the accommodation block.

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Even better, there’s a supply tender ship to go with the teeny-tiny oil rig. It too is perfectly proportioned, and nicely detailed for its diminutive size…

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Charming beach house with a modern flair

Just one look at any of Sarah Beyer‘s wonderful LEGO house models and it is crystal clear that she has a passion for modern architecture, from the use of large window panels to the delightfully detailed interiors found on every house she builds. This latest warm and inviting beach house is full of interesting part usages, as well as a thoughtful eye toward creating flowing spaces that don’t feel cramped, despite their minimal size. Just one of the details that I love about this house is the use of the textured brick, both inside and outside, to bring visual interest to an otherwise plain white wall.

Orange Beach House MOC. Reflections.

Check out some interior photos