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 28 October, 2019

astolat-castle-third-level

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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Posted by Patrick Owens

Categories: artisans, Great Dollhouses


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Posted on 23 October, 2019

frans-bosdyk-dollhouse

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 Susan Downing

Categories: amazing miniatures, cabinet, dollhouses, Dutch


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Posted on 21 October, 2019

petronella-oortman-cabinet-dollhouse

Petronella Oortman’s cabinet dollhouse on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Cabinet Dollhouses

A Cabinet Of Curiosities

The term cabinet was originally used to describe a room rather than a piece of furniture. A “Cabinet of Curiosity” could contain collections of unusual items: fossils, scientific studies, oddities gathered from newly discovered lands. These rooms were often lavishly decorated, the treasures displayed in a setting designed for their maximum effect.

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Posted by Susan Downing

Categories: cabinet, dollhouses, Dutch


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Posted on 18 October, 2019

kensington-dolls-house-exterior-hartnell

The Hartnell’sKensington House has a side portico above a wine cellar. Found on the Daily Mail

The Hartnell’s Kensington House

Tim and Angela Hartnell, owners of Anglia Dolls House in Norfolk, modeled the Kensington House on an 1815 Regency property. Their attention to detail is paramount. To protect the 1:12 scale visitors from being exposed to the scurrying and clatter of the miniature staff bringing food to their table, each elegant reception room is entered from a servants’ corridor.

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Posted by Patrick Owens

Categories: artisans, dollhouses, Regency


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