Come into our little world. New finds, tiny makes, stories, gifts & a little magic, delivered from time to time.
I’m Joanne – a designer, decorator, artist, storyteller, and lover of pretty little things.
I’ve spent much of my life dreaming, decorating, making, and finding ways to make home feel beautiful – big or small.
I’ve loved dolls and decorating for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I could lose myself creating their homes and imagining their lives. That love never really went away. No matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always believed there’s something special about making a home feel like your own.
My grandmother
My grandmother, Beatrice Claire Waterfield, instilled creativity in me from the very beginning. She taught me to make things, to use my imagination, and to see possibility in what was already around me. Her influence still finds its way into so much of what I create today.
Now, at the tender age of 60, I’m learning how to play again.
alittle.life is where all of those pieces of me come together – design, decorating, miniatures, storytelling, old things, new ideas, and the simple joy of creating something just because it makes me happy.
What began with a tiny counterpart to my life-sized Chateau Joanne has grown into a collection of little homes and places, each slowly becoming a world of its own. But somewhere along the way, I realized it was never really just about the houses.
Olive & Emiline
There’s Olive Joanne and Emiline Joanne, two of my alter egos, along with a growing cast of characters who have developed personalities, histories, families, friendships, and plenty of opinions of their own. I love creating their spaces, telling their stories, and watching their little lives unfold. The more I play, the more alive their world becomes.
And alittle.life is growing beyond my own little worlds, too. Through LifeEd, our nonprofit, I hope to use creativity and what we build here to make a difference in the big world as well.
I believe our homes tell our stories, whether they’re measured in feet or inches. And sometimes, creating a beautiful little world reminds us to see the beauty in our big one, too.
Come on in. Let’s play.
For the keepers of little worlds.
The shop inside this little world
Made, found & reimagined for little worlds.
The studio is home to miniatures for collecting, decorating, and telling stories. Look around for the piece that belongs in your little world.
A question, an idea, or a miniature you’d like to tell me about? I’d love to hear from you.