Dollhouse Decorating

Miniature Decorating Ideas |Articles on decorating dollhouses and the history of this artform

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I have had a life-long love affair with dollhouse miniatures, and careers in art education and interior design. I hope to combine these life experiences to help other miniature enthusiasts get more out of this wonderful hobby we enjoy, a hobby that often reaches the level of an art form. Susan Downing

Posted on 18 August, 2018

Uppark-Dolls-House

The Palladian style Doll’s House c.1735-40. The center pediment shows the Lethieullier coat of arms.

Uppark Dolls House

The Uppark Dolls House has a connection to the most famous doll house in the world — Queen Mary’s. The Uppark country estate is now owned by the National Trust. The Hall is often called, “A giant dolls’ house, perched high on a hill …” Legend has it that the architect that designed Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, Edwin Lutyens, used the Uppark dolls’ house as inspiration.

uppark-dolls-house-rooms

Close view of the Doll’s-House, kept in the Stewards Hall at Uppark, West Sussex. The rooms, clockwise from the bottom left are the Kitchen, the Drawing Room, the Dining Room and the Staircase Hall.

A Work of Art

This is a large miniature house that, like so many of its kind, is also a piece of furniture, a toy and a work of art. It is a distinct object, with a diverse collection of objects that provide a window on the times in which it was created

The Uppark dolls’ house dates from the late 1730s and came to Uppark with Sarah Lethieullier, who married Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh in 1746. Apart from that, not much is known about the dolls house, except its namesake manor house had no connection to its creation.

It is a favorite exhibit at Uppark. The contents are incredibly well preserved, due to a lack of female children in the family, and gives a rare and very detailed glimpse of family and servant life in the 18th century. Everything is in 1:12 scale, from the mahogany furniture in the housekeeper’s room to the gold silk bed in the center bedroom.

uppark-house-gardens

The real Uppark House & Garden, with a video.

The Real Thing

Click on the photograph of the Uppark Manor House for to the National Trust website for views of the gardens and a video on the house as it looks today.

Susan Downing, with Patrick Owens

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I invite you to visit my Etsy Shop where I offer many accessories and pieces of furniture in 1:12 scale.

Posted by Susan Downing

Categories: recycled


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