Sabine Timm is a Düsseldorf-based artist, illustrator and photographer—and the creative mind behind Virgin Honey. Her studio is part workshop, part cabinet of curiosities, filled with beachcombed treasures, flea-market finds, natural materials, vintage toys, food and all the little things others might pass by. From them, she creates characters, miniature worlds and unexpected visual stories filled with colour, poetry and gentle humour.
Sabine’s fascination with found objects began in childhood. During visits to the seaside, she collected fragments of pottery, sticks, seeds and other small treasures. Many years later, she rediscovered this way of playing alongside her son. Driftwood, sun-bleached plastic, bottle caps and a broken flip-flop suddenly became imaginary creatures. Discarded objects were transformed into something precious—trash became treasure.
To this day, Sabine tries to look at things without being limited by their intended purpose, approaching them with the openness of a child. A piece of crispbread becomes a sofa, a slice of toast turns into a dog, a paintbrush develops a personality and a lemon becomes a friend. Sometimes an object’s shape, colour or texture sparks the idea; at other times, Sabine searches for the one small detail that will give a character its distinctive identity.
Many of these arrangements exist only for a brief moment. Sabine builds each scene, photographs it and then takes it apart again. The objects return to her collection, ready to appear in new roles and new stories. What remains is the image—and an invitation to see the familiar world differently.
Sabine studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. Her work has been exhibited in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin, Bologna and Tokyo, and featured by international publications including The New York Times, Colossal and SZ-Magazin. Her unmistakable visual language has also led to projects with brands and publications such as Apple, Bimba y Lola, Moleskine, noissue, Flow and ARTE Magazin.
In 2022, Sabine illustrated her first picture book, Come On In: There’s a Party in This Book!, written by Jamie Michalak and published by Hippo Park. Populated by characters assembled from everyday objects and found materials, the book celebrates imagination, togetherness and the joy of being unique.
Virgin Honey is an invitation to take a second look—because inside the ordinary, there may already be a character, a story or an entire little world waiting to be discovered.