How to Make Your Own Dollhouses

Once you understand a few basic dollhouse design principles, you can apply them to make any style. Dollhouses range from rustic cabins to Victorian mansions to modern block homes. They can be one or multiple stories. Dollhouses can be open on one side, two sides or they can open from the middle to increase available decorating space. Most dollhouses are made to a particular scale. Scale means the measurements correspond to those in real life by a set ratio. One inch in dollhouse terms often equals 12 inches in real life.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sharp artist's utility knife Balsa wood, thin plywood or Masonite (R) Hand drill, one-sixteenth inch diameter drill bit One-eighth inch diameter wood screws Hot melt glue gun Clear glue sticks Instant adhesive Five-minute epoxy Jig saw Table saw with miter fence Small spirit level Carpenter's pencil String Hex nut

1. Make a standard dollhouse frame. This can then be adapted to your chosen dollhouse style. The three main dollhouse frames are one-story single or two-room, two-story single or four-room, and hinged versions of the one- and two-story versions. Cut two pieces of quarter-inch plywood, balsa or Masonite (R) 24 inches by 12 inches, and two more pieces 12 by 12 inches to make a one-story open-side dollhouse. Cut the pieces 24 inches by 36 inches and 24 inches by 24 inches for a two-story open side house.

2. 

   Decide what style dollhouse you wish to make. Dollhouses can be simple sets of rooms, having more in common with a bookcase or display box than an actual house, or they can be elaborate reproductions of real buildings. The video of the Great American Dollhouse Museum in the Resources section shows several dollhouse styles that you might wish to explore.

3. 

   Use your choice of adhesives or screws to assemble your dollhouse. Apply adhesive in a thin, even line along both pieces you intend to join. Allow glue to dry until tacky before pushing pieces together. Hold or clamp pieces until the glue, epoxy or other adhesive has time to set.

4. Use cloth, wallpaper samples or paint to decorate the interior walls of each room. Match the material to the dollhouse style. A rustic cabin might not have any wall coverings at all, it might use old quilts or horse blankets to separate rooms, or it might have wattle and daub or lime plaster walls and oiled paper windows. A Victorian mansion might have flocked velvet wallpaper or paisley patterns. A modern style dollhouse would use painted walls in contrasting shades such as paprika and cream, avocado, mint or pine, sky or powder blue, antique white or black and white.

5. Create appropriate floor coverings. Make braided rugs for your rustic cabin. Use Turkish-patterned carpet samples for your Victorian house and modern carpet samples for a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired modern block home.

6. Choose or create furniture in your chosen style. Rustic furniture can be made from twigs. Victorian furniture is usually overstuffed and tufted, while modern furniture is block or modular and has toss pillows or throw cushions.

Tips & Warnings

• Most dollhouses have one to eight rooms. Rustic dollhouses, colonial and pioneer schoolrooms and single room displays are examples of one-room dollhouse styles. Children's playroom dollhouses have four to eight rooms, and often have two stories or are made in a case that is hinged in the middle so that the dollhouse opens for play and display. Victorian dollhouses have two, three, and sometimes even four stories. Your screws need to be very thin, no larger than one-sixteenth to one-eighth-inch diameters and no longer than half an inch. Instant adhesive makes a good temporary hold, but you will have to use epoxy or hot melt glue for a more permanent hold. Use screws only if using plywood or Masonite.
• The dollhouse sites given are for style reference only and are not intended as an endorsement or attempt to sell a particular dollhouse. The author has no connection to any dollhouse supply company or site. If using balsa wood, do not use screws, as they will cause the wood to split or break.

References

• Jane Hettich: Whiskers on Kittens: Bungalow

Resources

• Lori Kagan-Moore: The Great American Doll House Museum
• Log Cabin Dollhouse Examples
• Modern Dollhouse Examples
• Victorian Dollhouse Examples