Image: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
The Huntington Store has introduced the ‘Silent Corner Study Book Nook Model Kit’, a 196-piece miniature build that combines an illuminated study scene with the scale and detail of a display object. The kit is priced at $45 and is described by the store as a bookend as well as a model project, expanding The Huntington’s retail line of puzzles, DIY kits and art supplies highlighted in its recent ‘Create & Play’ email.
According to the store listing, the kit includes LED lights and requires no glue. Once assembled, it measures 4.25 inches by 9 inches by 7.25 inches. The product is recommended for ages 14 and up. The store’s description frames the finished piece as a miniature study, complete with tiny books, wooden shelves, a reading lamp and a desk, with framed art and nested miniature book nook kits worked into the scene.
The announcement arrived in a newsletter from The Huntington promoting “hands-on creativity” as a response to summer heat, alongside other new items in the same shopping section. The newsletter grouped the book nook kit with other products such as the ‘Sushi House Model Kit’, the ‘Sakura Tree House Model Kit’, a magnetic 3D art puzzle and a 3D model of a red rose. The email also pointed readers toward the store’s broader ‘Create & Play’ collection, which is organized around build-and-assemble items, craft kits, games and puzzles.
The Huntington, based in San Marino, California, is known for its library, art museum and botanical gardens, and the store’s product pages connect purchases to the institution’s mission. The newsletter says every purchase from the Huntington Store helps share, preserve and enhance the Huntington’s collections and supports education in the arts, humanities and botanical sciences. The product page likewise says a purchase helps keep the Huntington’s mission of enrichment, education and stewardship alive for generations to come.
The new kit sits within a wider merchandise program that draws from the institution’s collections and audience interests. The store’s navigation includes categories such as books, home and garden, stationery, fashion and jewelry, print shop and Huntington signature items. Within ‘Create & Play’, the store also categorizes products by materials, age groups and themes, including bookends, models, art supplies, Japanese design, Asian collections and seasonal motifs.
The store listing does not indicate that the ‘Silent Corner Study Book Nook Model Kit’ is tied to a temporary exhibition or public program. It does, however, present the item as part of a broader curatorial approach to retail, where books, architecture, literature and handcrafted display objects overlap. The miniature study scene is designed to fit on a shelf, and the page emphasizes its lighted interior and assembled form as much as its role as a gift item or pastime project.
The Huntington Store says it is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays. The site also notes that visitors do not need a ticket to visit the store or pick up an order, and that the product can be shipped or collected in store once ready.
