Doll's Houses

I have been fascinated by doll's houses for most of my life, but only recently have I invested in the huge monsters I always yearned to own. I've taken photos of the two largest ones for this page. I hope you enjoy them!

 

This is my first 1/12th scale house.
My husband made it for me as a Christmas present, and I got it by the following Easter! It is a Georgian house inhabited by a family of market traders who can be quite rich you know! They've picked up all sorts of bits and pieces on their travels and have filled their house with antiques and pictures, as well as modern items.

I made most of the things in the house myself, or adapted them from bits and pieces. The chandeliers are made from old necklaces and beads. The furniture is either adapted from the cheap Chinese sets or made from scratch. I have collections of old costume jewellery and fabrics and part of the fun is going through them all to find something suitable. I had to make the kitchen from scratch as there were no modern kitchens available at the time. It was fun to do, but I'd do it differently now! Also in the house are some swaps I've received, also part of the fun of this
hobby. I'm constantly amazed at the talent shown by so many people.

This is my latest house, a Tudor mansion, but it will be furnished as if it was lived in today. I completely redid the outside. I made the timbers out of thick plaster, painted it on with a coarse brush, then painted them dark brown. Over that I put a grey wash to age the timbers, then went over the lot with a coffee wash to age it. The roof is hand cut (by me!) out of good quality card, then stuckon one by one! Before cutting, the card was painted different shades of salmon pink. Then I went over the whole lot with Rosewood acrylic wood stain, then got my artists' paints out (acrylic) and aged it.

I've only just started on the inside. I've stripped off the original paper, and made plans for a Chinoiserie bedroom, Jacobean dining room and Robert Adam salon. Also, for contrast, an ultra modern kitchen. I've been collecting pieces for it, and I've made up some furniture kits, but I want to take my time. There's 11 rooms and 3 hallways to fill and I intend to enjoy every minute of it!