Building a dollhouse doesn’t have to be an expensive project. There is a whole range of dollhouse miniatures on the market ranging from custom built dollhouses and dollhouse kits to high-end, solid wood hand-carved miniature dollhouse furniture (such as Hansson Miniatures) to lesser expensive, value-priced dollhouse miniatures.

The first place to start when building your dollhouse is to decide how much you want to spend. Is your goal to build a premiere dollhouse to showcase in your living room, or is it a project you wish to share with your child? For the crafter-at-heart, this may be a one-time project for fun you would like to build for yourself or give as a gift to a friend or family member.

Since this article is geared towards the budget-conscious miniaturist, here are some tips we’ve picked up on how to save money building and furnishing your dollhouse.

Start Simple – Build your dollhouse as your budget allows. Your project could take a few days or it could take years. It’s up to you to decide how much money you want to devote to your new hobby. Set a weekly or monthly budget for yourself and treat yourself to miniature building supplies or dollhouse furniture and accessories of your choice accordingly.

Build using a Dollhouse Kit – Some experienced miniaturists opt to build their dollhouses from scratch, using custom dollhouse plans. However, these custom-built homes can be very pricey. Try building your dollhouse using one of the many dollhouse kits available which includes all of the pre-cut pieces ready for assembly. If it’s your first dollhouse, you may want to begin with a room box kit which contains just a single room for you to design and build. As you gain confidence in your dollhouse building skills, you can always move to the larger project of building a dollhouse from a kit.

Use Paint and Stain – If you are on a budget, consider painting your walls and staining your floors. This will save quite a bit of money. You can always go back and install floors and wallpaper room-by-room later on as your budget allows. This will at least give you a semi-finished look as a beginning step.

Buy Value-Priced Furnishings – Purchase value-priced dollhouse furniture for your dollhouse project. There are many great pieces available from makers such as Town Square Miniatures or Handley Classics. Depending upon the piece of furniture, you can expect to spend an average of $5.00 - $20.00 per piece for value-priced miniature furniture. Typically, the higher the price the more detail and quality the piece will feature.

You can also purchase your miniature furniture in packaged room group kits. For example, a kitchen room group might contain a refrigerator, stove/oven, sink and kitchenette table set. Purchasing miniatures this way can often save lots of money in the long run. You can also opt to make your own furniture from scratch or by purchasing a ready-to-assemble furniture kit. You also always have the option of redecorating your dollhouse to more expensive furnishings as your budget allows.

Do the Research – Before you begin your dollhouse project, we suggest you thoroughly research the project. There are many websites and books devoted to the topic of building a dollhouse. Ensuring you have all of the supplies and tools necessary will help make your project a success!

The history of today’s dollhouse can be traced as far back as 400 years ago to the “baby houses” of Europe. Built in the 16th century, baby houses were cabinet displays crafted in Europe and were made up of many rooms that contained exquisite architectural detailing. Unlike the dollhouses of today, these baby houses were off limits to children, and were designed and built specifically for adults. Cabinet dollhouses were the prized possessions of affluent women living in large European cities. The dollhouses of that time as well as the miniature dollhouse furnishings and miniature dollhouse accessories within it were reserved for the wealthy with a price comparable to a modest real life-size home.

Miniature homes have been around for thousands of years. Some of the oldest known miniature homes furnished were found in ancient Egyptian tombs nearly 5,000 years ago. These completely furnished homes were made of wood and included many of the same furnishings and articles one might find in today’s dollhouse.

With the advent of the industrial revolution, factories began to mass produce dollhouses. Originally, dollhouses were popular in European countries such as Germany and England. Germany specifically had earned a reputation of crafting some of the most prized dollhouses ever made.

The manufacture of the American dollhouse began in the late 19th century. Dollhouse manufacturing grew more popular throughout the early 20th century as more companies began to produce them. Mass production was in full swing after World War II. Mass production allowed for greater output and more affordable dollhouses, but compromised the quality, detail and craftsmanship of traditional European custom dollhouses. During the 1950’s, the typical dollhouse was made of painted sheet metal and plastic furniture. However, the efficiency created as a result of mass production allowed for many young girls in the western culture to afford their very own dollhouse.

Today’s dollhouses are a hobby for both adults and children alike. Many still enjoy the challenge and reward of building a custom dollhouse much like the traditional dollhouses hand-crafted in Europe. Others enjoy building a dollhouse from a dollhouse kit, which includes a fully built house usually made of plywood or MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) and ready to assemble.

Autumn’s in the air and it’s time to decorate your dollhouse with all of the abundance that Autumn brings. Allow your miniature dollhouse to become your creative outlet for all of your decorating desires.

Seasonal dollhouse decorating has become a favorite pastime among miniaturists and the selection of charming miniature seasonal accessories is almost endless! Your dollhouse may be an important showcase piece within your home or a fun outlet used to express your creative inspirations. In either case, decorating for the season is a way for your dollhouse to continually evolve as seasons, designs and your own tastes change.

Here are some important factors to consider when decorating a dollhouse for autumn:

Think Color – Add life and color to your dollhouse with the vivid colors of Fall. Look for seasonal dollhouse accessories in bright reds, oranges, yellows and hearty browns. Miniature carved jack-o-lanterns, miniature plants with fall foliage, glass jars filled with tiny nuts, miniature curtains and quilts in bold hues are all simple ways to add autumn color to your dollhouse.

Get Creative – There are many seasonal dollhouse accessories that can be made by hand. Visit your local craft store for ideas on how to make your own charming seasonal decorations for your dollhouse. You can also look to nature for unique dollhouse miniature decorating ideas. Look for tiny-sized fall leaves that will fit the scale of your dollhouse or take full-size leaves of your choice and cut them to scale. A basket of real twigs also makes for a fabulous miniature seasonal accessory.

Food is Festive – A fun way to add a taste of autumn to your dollhouse is to focus on your dollhouse kitchen and dining room. The dollhouse kitchen or dining room table is a great medium to showcase your seasonal décor. Think about adding boldly colored miniature dollhouse fruits and vegetables to represent the bounty of harvest time. Beautiful red tomatoes, yellow squash and pumpkins make for great seasonal autumn accents. A basket of miniature sweet potatoes or a scrumptious turkey dinner will also make for charming autumn décor.

The Warmth of Autumn – Visions of autumn conjure up special memories for each of us. Brisk autumn nights and the warmth of the fireplace is an important piece that should not be overlooked when decorating for autumn. Think of adding a fireplace (if you don’t already have one) as well as charming miniature fireplace accessories including miniature fireplace screens, fireplace poker sets or even a fireplace logs with burning embers!

Let your creative juices flow and most importantly enjoy the beauty of the season as you bring the taste of autumn to your dollhouse.

OK, so you’ve decided to build your own dollhouse. Congratulations, the dollhouse miniatures hobby is both fun and rewarding! A common question among newcomers to the dollhouse hobby is “Where do I start?”

The first step in building a dollhouse is to decide whether you want to build your dollhouse from scratch or build your dollhouse using a dollhouse kit. Take into consideration that building a dollhouse from scratch is not for the faint of heart. If you are new to the hobby, consider building your first dollhouse or room box using a kit. There are many kits available which include all of the pre-cut pieces ready for assembly. Real Good Toys and Greenleaf Dollhouse are examples of two popular manufacturers of dollhouse kits.

If you’ve decided to build your dollhouse from scratch, the first item you will need is a set of dollhouse plans. These can be obtained through hobby shops or through specialty websites. Before selecting dollhouse plans, you must decide on the scale of your dollhouse. 1:12 scale is one of the most popular scales among American dollhouses.

The next step in building your dollhouse is deciding which type of wood you will use to construct your miniature home. Before making this decision, ask yourself why you are building your dollhouse? Is it meant to be a toy for a child, a gift, a fun craft project or a treasured heirloom you plan to keep in your family for generations. The answer to this question should help guide you towards the type of construction material you will use in your dollhouse. Oak, MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) and plywood are some of the more popular woods used in constructing dollhouses.

Oak is more difficult to work with, but if you want to build a top quality dollhouse as a treasured heirloom or beautiful display showcase, oak will give you the high-end results you are seeking. Be prepared that oak will require more tools to work with than the other two wood materials mentioned.

MDF is the least expensive of the three materials mentioned above, but is considered the easiest to work-with. Cutting this wood will generate a lot of dust, but it does not splinter and is very easy to paint making it a great choice for a children’s play dollhouse.

Plywood, another common building material is available in thin sheets and is another common wood used in collector dollhouses. Plywood is very easy to transport and is also easy to work with in constructing a dollhouse. Plywood can splinter which means it’s not the best choice for a children’s play dollhouse.

Windows and doors are also an important decision when building a dollhouse. You can opt to make your own windows and doors, or you can purchase these ready-made. Building doors and windows can be a challenge, so if you are building your first dollhouse, you may be wise to purchase these already manufactured.

This article is meant as a basic overview for constructing the basic shell of a dollhouse. There are many more interior options and decisions to be made including electricity, flooring, wallpaper, niches and mouldings and hardware – just to name a few! We recommend that you stay tuned to our blog for more helpful tips in building and designing a dollhouse.

In our previous posting, we provided an overview of the variety of dollhouse miniature furniture pieces available and what to look for in terms of color, style and quality. We would like to dive deeper into the topic of choosing the right miniature furniture and upholstery pieces for your dollhouse or room box project.

The principles of interior design apply to your dollhouse just as much as a real home. Color, style and function of your dollhouse or room box should be determined before your project begins.

Most dollhouse furniture pieces are available in a variety of stained and painted wood colors. The most common finishes are mahogany, oak and walnut. When selecting colors of woods, be cautious as colors can vary widely between manufacturers. For example, you may have 2 manufacturers producing mahogany wood furniture with two completely different shades. It’s OK if all of your pieces don’t match exactly, but you do want the pieces to be similar in style or quality – or make sure the colors only vary slightly. Many real high-end homes will have furniture pieces that don’t match exactly giving the room a “collected over time” appeal. For example, having miniatures in slightly different shades of mahogany is OK – you just don’t want the difference to be too drastic or you’ll achieve a mismatched look.

Unfinished dollhouse furniture is another popular choice among do-it-yourself hobbyists. This allows you customize the stain or paint color of your dollhouse furniture to fit your personal tastes. Furniture kits are also available which include the necessary pieces to construct your own furniture using pre-cut pieces.

Upholstered miniature furniture also comes in an array of styles, colors and patterns. Consider the general style of your house (traditional or informal) as well as your color scheme when choosing upholstered fabric styles. Also, take into account the colors and styles of the furniture, rugs and drapes that will be placed next to your upholstered pieces.

There are several manufacturers who craft dollhouse furniture and upholstery. Hansson Miniatures manufactures top-notch heirloom-quality miniature furniture. Hand-crafted of solid woods including mahogany, walnut and some with hand-painted detailing, these pieces include miniature drawers that actually open, removable seat cushions, soft felt backs, real glass shelves and mirrors.

Handley Classics and Town Square Miniatures craft lines of furniture that range from value-priced to higher-end pieces. These charming miniatures also feature opening drawers, swivel bases on chairs and come in a variety of finishes including the ever-popular mahogany, walnut and oak.

When shopping for dollhouse furniture, upholstery and accessories, look for on-line dollhouse miniature stores that feature up-close and detailed pictures of their products. Crystal clear product shots are essential to making sure you are purchasing the perfect pieces for your dream dollhouse!

There are so many pieces of 1:12 inch dollhouse furniture available – it’s enough to boggle your mind! If you are new to the dollhouse hobby, allow us to give you a brief summary of the selection of miniature furniture on the market and what to look for in terms of style, quality and price. Since 1:12 scale is the most popular scale among dollhouse miniatures, we will focus this article with that scale in mind.

There are many options when it comes to selecting miniature dollhouse furniture. Miniature furniture is available in a variety of wood finishes. The most popular finishes include oak, walnut and mahogany. These wood-grain finishes are usually the easiest pieces to find in addition to classic white painted wood furniture. Of course, you can often find beautiful dollhouse miniatures in unfinished wood allowing you to finish your miniature with whatever paint or stain you choose. Of course, there are a variety of dollhouse furniture kits available if you are up to challenge of building your own miniature furniture!

Although traditional styles of furniture dominate in the miniature business, there are plenty of other styles available including rustic, arts and crafts, contemporary/modern and transitional giving each dollhouse builder the freedom to customize the dollhouse to his or her particular liking. Of course, the more traditional Queen Anne and Victorian styles are easy to find if you prefer to keep the design of your dollhouse consistent with its traditional roots.

The quality of each piece of miniature furniture will vary widely. The price of the miniature is usually a good indication of the quality of the piece. Miniature furniture pieces that use solid woods and feature hand-carved detailing such as Hansson Miniatures will typically carry a higher price tag. However, the handmade quality will show in each exquisite piece.

Depending upon your dollhouse building and designing goals, you will want to select miniatures that will fit with the architecture, time period theme and of course, your own personal tastes. If building a dollhouse for a small child, you might be wise to furnish your dollhouse with value-priced furniture. Other dollhouse builders work hard to recreate their dream home on a miniature scale and may only want to furnish their miniature houses with the best pieces.

Which scale to choose?

I often receive many questions regarding scale from my customers. Some are new to the dollhouse miniature hobby and just aren’t sure which scale is the right scale for their project. Scale is defined as the ratio between a full-size object and its miniature-sized version. Scale is a size ratio and is not a measurement.

1:12 scale dollhouse miniatures is the traditional scale miniature and the most popular scale in the United States. 1:12 scale is also written as 1/12 scale and is also commonly referred to as inch scale. Each of these means the same thing – they are just written in slightly different formats.

A one inch (or 1:12) scale miniature is defined for every one inch a miniature measures, it is equivalent to one foot (12 inches) in its full-size version. For example, let’s say you have a table lamp in your living room that measures 2 feet tall. You are looking for the same table lamp only in a 1:12 scale miniature version for your dollhouse. The height of this same table lamp in the miniature version should measure 2 inches tall.

Many other miniature scales exist and often times a serious hobbyist will build multiple dollhouses using different scale miniatures. Another popular scale includes 1:24 scale miniatures (also called half-inch scale). For every ½ inch a miniature measures, it is equal to one foot in a full-size version. This means the same table lamp described above would measure 1” tall in a 1:24 scale miniature dollhouse. Other scales include 1:48 (also called quarter inch scale) and 1:144 scale. An example of 1:144 scale would be a dollhouse-within-a-dollhouse. If your 1:12 scale dollhouse had its own miniature toy dollhouse in 1:12 scale – that toy dollhouse would have to be 1:144 scale to fit proportionately.

It’s important to ensure that you are purchasing the correct scale miniature for your dollhouse, otherwise your furniture and accessories will look out of proportion. Check each miniature that you purchase carefully to ensure the item is the correct scale for your dollhouse project.