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
Christopher Dresser’s (1834-1904) Roland Wall, in terracotta and burgundy, with a Victory frieze in indigo.
The answer could start with another question. “That depends. Which room? Town or country house?” When choosing the appropriate type of wallpaper for a Victorian dollhouse, it’s important to understand how wall coverings were used in the Victorian era.
Categories: dollhouses, Victorian, wall covering
Orange Victorian on Housekaboodle
Help Stamp Out Beige was the tagline in a paint manufacture’s advertisement in the ’70s, touting a new line of vibrant colors. I guess that’s what’s put me on this kick to be bold with color.
Victorian dollhouse and miniatures are one of the most popular styles. So when it comes to color, be like the Atlanta residents in the 1870s. For those that could afford it, spectacular Victorian homes rose from the ashes of the Civil War. By the 1880s, when the Queen Anne style became popular, synthetic pigments allowed for vivid blues, greens, purples, and yellows. Also common were multi-hue schemes that accentuated the style’s diverse architectural details, such as turned porch spindles and fish-scale shingles under the eaves.
Victorian dollhouse kit no longer available
Victorian homes also have a long and illustrious tradition of whacky color. Different colors helped to highlight the incredible details on these homes. Multicolored palettes can still be found in beautifully detailed homes today.
You really can’t go too far with your next Victorian dollhouse or one that needs a remodel. The Victorians believed that if one detail would do, two was better. Better yet was to paint them a different color, not necessarily compatible. They loved repetition, like putting enlarged porch spindles on the front gables.
Paint schemes with several colors and sharp contrasts play up these architectural features. The more detail, the bolder you can be. Extremely ornate corbels can have a sharp contrast between light and dark colors, while the less detailed panels can be painted in two dark colors.
Victorian Painted Lady in Brookline, Massachusetts
Why not a red dollhouse, or one patterned after the wondrous orange Victorian above, decorated by Sue Pekaric. And for inspiration, you can’t beat the Painted Ladies in San Francisco or some New England towns, like the beauty pictured here.
So fear not! Be as lavash as you want with color. Some might question your taste, but no one can accuse you of not being authentic.
What do you think? Can a Victorian dollhouse be too garish?
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.
Categories: beige, color, dollhouses, Victorian
Great hall in Maria’s Tudor Rose Apothecary, one of Kevin Jackson’s dolls houses.
Tudor Great Halls had undergone dramatic change after Henry Tudor ascended the throne as Henry VII in 1485. During medieval times it had been the most important room in the castle, where the Lord received hordes of supporters and where feasts were held for special days. In many castles, all the members of the household sat down to eat at tables set up for every meal.
The Tudor’s brought a period of peace and prosperity to England. The aristocracy no longer had to live in castles, where fortifications were more important than comfortable living conditions. The manor house was born, and over time, the Tudor Great Hall became obsolete.
Categories: dollhouses, hall, room boxes, Tudor
Sara Rothe Cabinet Dollhouse, Gemeente Museum, The Hague
On April 2, 1743, Sara Rothe was the high bidder on 3 dollhouses created by Cornelia van der Gon, a leading dollhouse builder of the time. The incentive seems to have been to scavenge these dollhouses for their contents to improve the two cabinet dollhouse Rothe already owned. Apparently, it worked out. The dollhouse in the Franz Hals Museum is amazing. The one at on exhibit at the Gemeente Museum at The Hague equally so.
Categories: amazing miniatures, cabinet, dollhouses, Dutch, Great Dollhouses
