Susie Rogers and Kevin Mulvany,. Image found in their Gallery

Mulvany & Rogers – Boutique and Apartments

Of the many marvelous miniatures created by, Kevin Mulvany and Susie Rogers, I think this 17th century “hotel particulere,” now a very classy apartment above an haute couture shop, is my favorite. The boutique is so chic and has such a clean, modern look. The apartments have everything, from an eclectic mix of classic interiors to the mundane – a broom closet.

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Miss Miles’ Dolls House Day Nursery  video by Olleana Ottini

Nurseries – Why Pink or Blue?

It seems to be a hard and fast rule today that pink is for girls, boys are blue. It wasn’t always this way. One of the best things about dollhouse miniatures is that they reflect the lives of real people that might have lived in them over the centuries. Nursery color schemes were all over the place. But today, we seem to be stuck with a pink/blue stereotype. Has there been some biological gender change in babies, or is it a cultural choice? And what does a dollhouse enthusiast do with the answer?

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Astolat Castle third level

Astolat Castle – How It Came About

There are hobbies, then there are obsessions. When Elaine Marie Diehl’s customers entered her dollhouse miniatures shop in Sedona, Arizona, the nine-foot, seven-tiered, meticulously decorated dollhouse just inside the door gave them a clue about the owner.

Making dollhouses began as a hobby for Elaine. She would come home from her day job working in “display art” and play with her latest creation. The miniatures grew in size and price. People dropped by her home unannounced to see her latest creation. After one particularly profitable sale, she decided to give up commercial art and play full time, opening Minielaine’s Miniature Shop in 1981.

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Orange Victorian on Housekaboodle

Help Stamp Out Beige

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.

A Wacky Tradition

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

Painted Ladies

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.