LITTLETON \u2022 After following the stone path to the storybook cottage, I step through the carved round door, as if walking into a fairy tale.<\/p>\n
A tree stands at the heart of the earthen playhouse, surrounded by caramel wooden panels embellished with paintings and mystical decorations. Light peeks through the sunroofs and porthole windows, adding luster to the space no bigger than a shed. For a second, it would seem completely normal if a fairy flew through the hatch to greet me \u2014 or ask me to leave her home.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Rudi Monterroso\u2019s first build. It\u2019s in his backyard garden \u2014 a quaint, storybook-style house he made for his children 16 years ago.<\/p>\n
The whimsical cottage welcomed them as they progressed from baby toys to Barbie dolls. Now, it serves as a reading nook or place to get away.<\/p>\n
Monterroso is the mind behind whimsical, Hobbit-like playhouses that he makes by hand at his home in Littleton. The colorblind artist, who works during the week as an art and Spanish teacher, spends his free time creating these quirky gateways for children and adults alike.<\/p>\n
No two creations are the same. Handmade from wood and upcycled materials, Monterroso\u2019s signature style is reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s Hobbit houses from \u201cThe Lord of the Rings.\u201d Moss and fairy lights often line the structure, with ornately carved doors and stone details.<\/p>\n
Using repurposed materials is key to his process, trying to avoid creating waste. Even his studio is made from the shell of an old airplane. It also lets him experiment with different materials, he said, telling of a time he used about 170 secondhand plastic buckets to create a Mexican-style shingle roof for a playhouse. The intricately designed covering is still in great shape more than five years later, he said proudly.<\/p>\n
Starting with the wooden base, it takes Monterroso a week or two to create the foundation, he said. He sometimes creates a masonry stone look on the base with wood: cutting it, sealing it, painting it, texturing it and painting it again, he explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an insane amount of labor that a lot of people would not be willing to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s fascinated by Gothic and fairy-tale architecture, but has a special fondness for strange angles and round doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something magical about a round door,\u201d he said. \u201cI love the Hobbit doors, because I feel like going through a round door is almost like going through a portal of imagination. And once you are inside the portal, it\u2019s up to you what happens, and it is just something unique.\u201d<\/p>\n
The labor is really in the details, though. He describes the meticulous process of finding the small pieces that make each design unique, like little red mushrooms he used to frame the doorway in one project, or the tiny bird nest filled with blue eggs he put on another.<\/p>\n
The houses are not just meant for kids. He shows one moss-roof camper that his family uses, designed like a storybook barrel. The circular doorway is framed by intertwining branches and greenery. Pointed arched windows and faux-stain glass provide natural light, and on the inside, a table that can be turned into a bed. Maybe the best part \u2014 the solar-powered kitchen and heater.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re probably wondering \u2014 how much would one of these put you back? Well, Monterroso has a range of prices, trying to make the playhouses accessible while also earning a fair wage. Small indoor houses can range from $600-$900. The stand-alone outdoor houses range depending on size. For example, a 4-foot-by-4-foot might cost between $4,000-$6,000, but a large 4×8 could run you upward of $12,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat highlights my work from other people is the quality of detail that I put as an artist, not as a builder, and the imagination that I put in each piece of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To do so, he brings his inner child to the table.<\/p>\n