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 19 February, 2017

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Kevin Mulvany touching-up the miniature Ham House entrance

Miniature Ham House

Susan Rogers and Kevin Mulvany are amazing artisans, responsible for some of the most expensive dolls houses ever made. They have been commissioned to create such 1:12 scale marvels as the Brighton Pavilion, Spencer House, and Buckingham Palace. One of their latest creations is a miniaturized version of historic Ham House in Surrey which was on display in the 17th-century Stuart manor house during the Summer and Fall of 2016.

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Posted by Patrick Owens


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Posted on 29 January, 2017

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Frans Bosdyk and the Dollhouse on exhibit at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney

The Bosdyk Dollhouse

It took 15,000 hours and many thousands of dollars for materials spent on the work. Frans Bosdyk made most of the furniture, which he researched in ‘Antique Furniture in Australia’ by Anthony Hill, and developed special lathes to turn the tiny wooden parts. He also fashioned his own tiny hand tools from 75-100mm concrete nails to make it easier for him to handle the small pieces. He used silky oak, cedar, myrtle and

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Posted by Patrick Owens


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Posted on 26 January, 2017

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Elegant Home Office, hidden behind the sofa. Source unknown.

The Miniature Home Office

If you work from home, you may not be able to devote an entire room to business use. But you don’t want to hide your office behind louvered doors in an extra closet, either. The same is true in a contemporary room box or dollhouse. Here is one example of how to do it in a tiny space, and still have this work area fit in with elegant surroundings.

Elegant Surroundings

Move the sofa to the center of the living room, using the space behind as a home office. A glass-top desk and narrow credenza have just enough room behind the sofa. With this arrangement, if the TV is centered in front of the sofa, and the desk is too, you can have entertainment while you work. There’s just one negative with this plan. I dislike seeing a big, flat-screen TV on a living room wall.

Hide The Flatscreen

Here’s how I handled that for a client. I bought a stretcher at Michaels, framed the telly with 1X4s and stapled a piece of Marimekko wall art to it. The stylized poppy picture is easily removed when the client wants to zone-out with the tube. Why not do the same in a miniature room?

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Flat screen TV takes over the room, an unattractive focal point.

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Hide the flatscreen TV behind a piece of fabric art stapled to a stretcher.

A Studio Apartment

Christine Ferrara, the owner of The Call of the Small, had this idea for a home office in a studio apartment. The same arrangement could be done in any room that has another principal use.

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Christine Ferrara, featured in the New York Times

 

Just think what you could accomplish with screens and drapes!

 

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. Subscribers to this blog receive a discount on all Featured Products. Click here for details.

Posted by Patrick Owens


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Posted on 15 January, 2017

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Section of the White House replica being unloaded at an exhibition site. Source unknown.

Miniature White House

Using the word “miniature” to describe enormous dollhouses has always seemed weird to me. That’s especially true with the 1/12the scale replica of the White House. This colossus is 60 feet long and 20 feet wide. It weighs 10 tons and goes on tour in a big rig. John Zweigel’s obsessions truly stretches the universe of “tiny things.”

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Posted by Patrick Owens


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