This framed miniature was commissioned as a meaningful birthday gift, recreating Café Balsam from a treasured family photograph.

Working from a single historic reference image, I reconstructed the café’s distinctive wooden frontage, decorative glass panels, hand-painted signs and window displays. Small details, including the bottles, flowers, brass door plates and bow tie hanging from the handle, help bring the family memory to life.

The finished piece transforms an old photograph into a three-dimensional keepsake, preserving not only the appearance of the café but also the personal history connected to it.