Home is where the heart is, but just how much do you love your house? If the answer is enough to purchase a miniature replica, we’ve got great news!
Shari Austrian turned a bonding experience with her children during a move into a full-fledged business building Lego models of people’s homes for thousands of dollars.
Austrian, 39, rediscovered her love for Legos, and discovered her talent for architecture, around four years ago when her children have gifted Lego sets from relatives.
Austrian and her husband were at the time building a home in Rye Brook, New York. The family, she recalled, was “a little anxious” about moving to the suburb from their home in New York City.
“I wanted to make the experience even more special for my kids,” Austrian said of her twins, now 7 years old. “I thought it would be special to create a small model of our home with Legos as we were watching our house being built.”
Austrian said her children were “mesmerized” as she built an exact replica of their home brick by Lego brick. She used their architect’s plans to make the dimensions correct and asked the architect questions along the way.
When the 30,000-piece Lego replica of Austrian’s 3,400-square-foot home was complete, Austrian’s family and friends asked her to make replicas of their own homes and encouraged her to start a business.
Austrian, a molecular biology major in college, gave up her 16-year career in the healthcare industry and now works part-time for the architect who built her family’s home. The rest of her time is filled by Little Brick Lane, the Etsy shop she started this year to sell her Lego masterpieces.
“I’ve always had this creative side … but it’s since having my children that I’ve been reconnected with this love of art,” she said. “I’ve been overwhelmed by the response.”