Dollhouses of Death that trained America’s Detectives

I always found the game of Cluedo fell a bit flat. I wanted more from the murder mansion’s one-dimensional floor plan, and really, how were we ever supposed to solve crime with a cast of suspects crafted into tiny plastic tokens? But it turns out, around the very same time that the iconic American board game was being developed in…

The Chateau You Should Visit Instead of Versailles

Chateau de Versailles can keep its 7 million visitors a year. I’ve got my own little-known gem of the Parisian countryside that you’d find if you drive 15 minutes further up the road from the sun king’s famed royal residence. The garden is filled with 18th century follies that would have made Marie Antoinette green with envy,…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCLIII)

1. When People Accidentally Found Their Doppelgängers In Museums Found on Bored Panda. 2. This Fantabulous Forgotten Boy Band The Fantabulous Jags ladies and gentlemen. Have a listen. 3. Matching Family Sleepwear of the Seventies Found on Grooveland. 4. Lights made from real French Bread A bread has some interesting charms. There’re potentials…

The 1950s All-Girl Hot Rod Gang

When we think of women in the 1950s, we tend to picture some kind of Stepford housewife or a glamorous Marilyn Monroe type. Rarely does a character like bad girl Betty Rizzo come to mind and you’d be hard pressed to find a female Hollywood equivalent of James Dean’s “Rebel without a Cause”. Today, I think I found the real…

These Fabulous Vintage Japanese Slot Machines are a Collector’s Dream

I‘ve just recently discovered the world of vintage Pachinko machines and my new interest is dangerously close to turning into something “I absolutely have to start collecting right now”. For those that, like me just a few days ago, had never heard of “pachinko” before, prepare to be dazzled by a far more fabulous, Japanese version of the…

Adopt an Abandoned French Chateau

So you know how I’m always telling you about these incredible chateaux left to ruin here in France? And then you ask, “why can’t someone save that place?” Well, I’ve come across something that can certainly help us try… Adopte un Château is a relatively new association dedicated entirely to saving endangered castles by working with…

The Best Pieces up for Auction from Audrey Hepburn’s Personal Collection

I‘ve always been drawn to the less clean-cut screen legends of the past, but there was no way I wasn’t going to have my eye on the Audrey Hepburn sale of the century. To own her Breakfast at Tiffany’s script, a pair of her ballet flats, or just a card from the studio telling her what time…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCLII)

1. Mr & Mrs Karsy’s Giant Myriphon From the Byron collection but little more information is given on the photo other than “Musical act” penciled on the back. The unusual contraption depicted was probably the centrepiece of a musical act at Coney Island or at Union Square circa early 1900s. Found on the Museum of…

The Vault

All Aboard the Perilous Piha Railway

I found an interesting collection of photographs all the way on New Zealand’s side of the internet today. Pictured here is a steam train called the “Sandfly” circa 1915, travelling along what looks like a fun little railway– at first… This is the Piha Tramway, which ran from 1906 -1921, along the Tasman Sea on the North…

Pssst! You've stumbled across content that is exclusive to Nessy's Keyholders.

There’s a new way to access the really special stuff from Messy Nessy Chic …

Hidden beneath the surface layers of the internet, there’s a place where we keep our most secret addresses, untapped archives, creator’s inspiration, collector’s guides, explorer’s manuals, obscure research and much more… And it’s made for our keyholders only!

Apply now to unlock the Vault

Keyholder Login

Stop Everything, check out a Life-sized Victorian Dollhouse for Rent

I‘ll admit it’s a completely delusional exercise, but I do it anyway, staring wide-eyed at dreamy historic homes where I could act out my own Daphne du Maurier novel. Today’s property du jour, found wandering the internet, is a National Historic Landmark, a unique octagon-shaped and domed Victorian style house known as the Armour–Stiner House. It’s currently for rent…