Coffee Table Diorama

This project came about simply because of a slightly damaged coffee table. Some minor wear and tear to the top surface was enough to kickstart me and my wife into creating a diorama, in order to up-cycle this table.

We were initially aiming to carve up the dioramas floor plan into 3 or 4 segments; each containing references to a bunch of old movies we like. With the lack of space, we landed on two main areas that could use the space more effectively. With an ideal scale of 1/18 (based on a ceiling height that was determined by the original coffee table top) using two spaces was the best way for us to include enough detail without being too crowded or too sparse.

Why Stranger Things and The Shining?

Well, the first one is easy. We love Stranger Things; Season 1 (2016) - the original and best. Stranger Things uses many references to other movies that we like from the 80s, and the notion of reimagining and recreating movies from our youth in a new format…in a somewhat rose-tinted, nostalgic fashion is very much up our street.

The Shining (1980), on the other hand, isn’t in our must-watch list. It does, however, feature heavily in Ready Player One (2018), which is another favourite of ours. We couldn’t deny the pull of the iconic hexagonal carpet (David Hicks) from the Overlook Hotel. The corridor gave us good flexibility with the arrangement of spaces, and provided a useful, physical connection to Joyce Byers’ lounge.

This project used a mix of skills that my wife and I have, including modelling, 3D printing, painting, laser cutting and some minor electronics for lighting. You can see the collection of models used for 3D printing below.