If you’re new to collecting dollhouse miniatures, then you’ve already discovered the vast selection of miniatures available! It can be almost overwhelming the first time you visit a dollhouse miniature shop or dollhouse miniature on-line retailer.

If you’ve decided to enter the wonderful world of miniature collecting, then this article will help get you started. Brainstorming and planning is an essential first step in dollhouse miniature collecting.

Here are 4 basic questions to ask yourself before beginning your collection:

1. Do I have the space? Before you begin your collection, decide which scale of dollhouse miniatures is right for you. Decide where in your home you will display your collection. The amount of space you have to work with will help you decide whether you want to showcase your collection in a room box, dollhouse or in a room filled with display cases!

2. What’s your purpose? Ask yourself why you are motivated to start this miniature collection? Do you enjoy collecting a certain type of miniature (i.e. miniature dogs or miniature vases) or do you have odds and ends of miniatures stored away in a closet that you wish to display in a scene? There are many reasons people love to collect miniatures. Some wish to tell a story with their collection by recreating a scene from their past memories. Others wish to showcase their interior design talents by creating a miniature version of their dream home. Others want to highlight the miniature objects themselves, without necessarily creating a miniature scene.

3. What’s your budget? There are many price ranges of dollhouse miniatures on the market and budget is an important factor. Ask yourself if you wish to complete your project in a few months time, or over several years. If you are in no hurry, consider beginning with a room box and “upgrading” to a larger scale dollhouse as you add pieces to your collection.

4. How do I want to display my collection? This is perhaps, the most rewarding part of miniature collecting. Interior design is at the heart of miniature collecting. If you’ve decided to display your collection in a dollhouse or roombox, now comes the real planning – choosing the style of your room box or dollhouse (i.e. Victorian, Georgian, Craftsman), planning your interior colors and deciding what type and style of miniatures to add to your display. This final planning step will help you realize what’s most important to you as you begin your collection.

We encourage you to read through our other blog postings for more tips and ideas on what you miniature pieces to add to your dollhouse.

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.