Does anyone have a dolls house? As a hobby?

[ChocChipOwl]

I'm considering it and wanted to know if there were any enthusiasts out there

I have a lovely set of apothecary drawers on my now spare room and keep envisaging a genuine Edwardian or Victorian dolls house sat on it and then spending time sourcing period bits and pieces for it

Anyway, that's the current day dream and I wondered if anyone had a similar interest?

And here is my townhouse, still a workin progress

the last two pictures are of some cross stitch pictures I’ve done. I also did the panda picture in the Panda Palace.

What a lovely thread. I have a house my father put together having bought a flat pack, I think in the late 80s, I started stripping it back, came across my father’s writing on the wallpaper, which was lovely as he died a few years ago and I don’t know it just felt special. It has lights but I think is quite dangerous, copper ribbon attached to a plug with light sockets attached!

Ive not done anything to it for a few years now, must get it out the garage.

Daisy, that’s Y Bwythyn Bach (think I’ve got that right) not many about, but I have one too!

ChocChipOwl wow like a hidden treasure trail with all the original features coming to light.

The wardrobe, dressing table and bedside table would say are 1930/40. My parents were married in 1939 had bedroom furniture of that style pieces still in the family now.

@TrashyPanda they're incredible. Where is your townhouse from please?

In typical me fashion, I think I'd like one period house and one new house!

@KeziaOAP I'm going to strip off the paint later on I think as they appear to have a thick layer of brown paint on them! Thank you for your help

It’s the central portion of this house

www.dollshousedirect.co.uk/product/longford-park-house/

i contacted them and asked if they would supply just the centre part, and they were happy to help. I can highly recommend them.

For mouldings (skirting boards, cornices etc) I get trim from B&Q - it’s a lot cheaper!

for beautiful plaster mouldings, Sue Cook has fabulous things. The lion heads above the ground floor windows on my town house are from her. The exterior of the house is painted with Sandtex paint, which gives a glorious textured finish and the sides are papered.

Ohhh, I didn't think of using Sandtex on the outside. I read somewhere about using sawdust and glue mixed. Sandtex much easier.

@HighlandCowRose these are both beautiful! Did you know the V&A collection includes one of these Doll's House Emporium houses as an example of CRM style? Even if it needs TLC I'm sure you would get a good price for it. I wish I had a bigger house so I could have one!

I always wanted to build my own dolls house.

Absolutely loving your progress, what a great thread

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread over the past few days, and seeing everyone's pictures.

My house is in my dad's loft & needs a lot of work iirc. The door is hanging off, it's missing a piece of the roof & I think half of it's windows. Tbf, they were a Christmas gift not long after my mum died and me and my sister were very young for "proper" houses really.

Maybe I ought to rescue it but I'm not sure where to put it here.

I do have plans to do up the playhouse the girls had though - it's nothing special & I have no idea of scale but I think I want to turn it into a gingerbread house maybe 🤔

Trashy Panda, the panda house is gorgeous fun. Your cross stitch is amazing - did you do it on 'count' Aida/linen or is it freestyle?

I do the cross stitch on Aida - as high a count as I can see to stitch!

Loving the uncovered shutter details and the hidden flooring.

Will you recreate the flowers growing up the walls @ChocChipOwl ?

After much housework I'd love some information about mine, all the furniture came with it apart from the food/crockery/cutlery.

I clearly have an issue with scale as neither bed seems quite right and the bathroom fittings are huge.

It's approximately 30" high and 15" wide.

Very sweet going through all DD's things left inside including some plastic horses, a button, a hazelnut and a fossil. She's 23

I have an Edwardian style one - by default- I bought one years ago for my DM but she has a history of regifting so ended up with it.
It is in a corner of my spare room with a mixture of furniture from Dolls House Emporium (minimumworld.com) / Sylvanian Families stuff / Peppa Pig stuff from when my DD was little
That catalogue is heaven!!
Am now waiting for DGD to be old enough to play with it (none of this it's just for looking!)

I’m guessing your house is either 1/18 or 1/16 scale, stayathomegardener

if it helps, Sylvanian families are 1/16 scale.

1/16 was the scale of some older British dolls houses.

Lovely to see your progress @ChocChipOwl! I think the deep cream that is starting to show is the original colour - old Triang houses have such a lovely colour. It's great the shutters are coming up so beautifully!
I think if you go very gently around the bottom and sides, you will find more of the delicate Triang flowers.

Perhaps strip the paint on the bedroom furniture on a small area that will not show (underneath/back)?
I suspect that your bedroom furniture was made in the 40's (based on 30's styles). Due to the war and rationing, a lot of (real) homes had 30's furniture throughout the 1940's. Dolls house furniture was therefore homemade with scraps of wood, and painted with paint that was available (very basic utility range due to rationing). Brown was also a fashionable colour ('cafe au lait' I call it!), so the brown paint maybe the original? Just a warning, the paint may contain lead!

@stayathomegardener sadly not! I'm not in the slightest bit artistic unfortunately

That's a lovely house @stayathomegardener - what age do you thinking might be

@Minimoan yes I may take it easy with the furniture for now! Just in case it has lead in it which it may well do so that could be a job with gloves in in the garden at some point

Can't seem to get the flowers to come out much at all so I don't know if they're still under another layer of paint or if they're just too delicate to survive

This is where I've got to

There was the red paint, then white paint , dark green paint in some areas and then finally cream paint - so quite a few layers