Dollhouse: Encyclopedia II - Dollhouse - Getting started

Dollhouse - Getting started

There are several ways to acquire a dollhouse. The majority of people buy a ready-made and decorated house first and proceed to more adventurous projects later on. The other options are to buy a house made to your own design (which can be expensive), build one yourself, or construct one from a kit.

The same principle applies to miniature objects to go inside dollhouses, such as books and clocks, items of furniture, interior decorations, and dolls. Although shop-bought items are generally of a higher quality, they tend to be more expensive. Homemade items are often cheaper and more rewarding to make as almost any material can be used.

If there are no dollhouse shops in your area, then one alternative is to use mail order. This is popular in Britain and America, but more so in the United States. Some of the mail order companies include the Dolls House Emporium, based in Britain, and Real Good Toys, an American company. 1/12th scale dollhouses can cost upwards of £2500. There are also dozens of miniature trade shows held throughout the year by various miniature organizations, where artisans and dealers display and sell miniatures. Often, how-to seminars are part of the show features.

If you are looking to fill a 1940s-1970s period dollhouse with furniture, you might try Renwal dollhouse furniture, as it was one of the more popular makers at the time. Although the company no longer exists, there is a strong trade in the antique market for their crafts.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Getting started", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki