Doll House Collectibles

Recent trends suggest that many adults are adopting the hobby of collecting and decorating doll houses. The reason is very simple; decorating doll houses gives tremendous satisfaction to adults as well as younger children. One supplier of doll house decorating material points out that there is a hidden desire in every adult to build a house of their design. But this desire is not practically possible for all, so they feel elated when an opportunity comes to decorate a doll house.

Those who have the hobby of collecting and decorating doll houses use all of their artistic imagination for the design and decorations that they use. For them this is an inexpensive way to decorate the house which they always wished for. It is no wonder that some of these hobbyists take years to complete their decorating, sometimes never finishing. These hobbyists mostly work with one room at a time, and by the time they reach to the last room they come across a new idea for the first room, so they will scrap the decoration of the first room and start all over again. For some it is a never ending process.

The hobby of decorating doll houses is very time consuming and challenging. The bigger the doll house, the bigger the challenge. All decorators have one common thing, and that is patience. It is no wonder, since they would probably go crazy without it. They have to work out the detailed plan before starting the decoration for the living room, bed room, kitchen, bathroom and even attic or spare room. After creating the detailed plan, the hobbyist starts designing the rooms with wall paper, carpet, window curtains etc. They also decorate their doll house with other innumerable accessories like miniature light bulbs, furniture and many more.

Some doll house decorators want to replicate their doll house exactly like their home, or how they wish their home would look like. Some even try to experiment first in their doll house before applying the same thing in to their house. Today, the hobby of decorating doll houses becomes more and more specialized. Most doll houses have landscape, patios, gardens etc. Some have even built a mini theater in their doll house.

There is a very big market for miniature decoration materials for doll houses. There are special companies that deal with only miniature, custom made furniture. Generally the cost of custom made miniature furniture is high, since they pay full attention to the minute details. Most miniature furniture is a working model; that is, you can open the drawer of miniature wardrobe.

The most difficult part of designing and installing a doll house is the lighting system. If the hobbyist has no previous knowledge of electricity and wiring than it is very tough to do the wiring and lighting of doll house without expert help. As long as the hobbyist doesn’t have any specific plans for advanced lighting systems, it is possible to buy small kits that are fairly generic in their appearance.

Building a doll house and stocking it with collectibles is a long and time-consuming process, and requires great attention to detail. It is a hobby that will cause quick frustration in most people. But, if you think you have it in you to pursue the hobby, you may find that it is very fun and enjoyable.

Collecting Dollhouses and Dollhouse Miniatures

What we know as dollhouse miniatures have been unearthed from Egyptian tombs dating back 5,000 years. These wooden miniatures of people, household items and animals depicted life as it was in the Old Kingdom. Foraging and gathering are inherent human attributes. Therefore it comes as no surprise that collecting meaningful and representational objects will forever be a part of mans' culture. Miniature collecting in the 16th and 17th centuries was not limited to the female gender. Monarchs, scholars and rich merchants owned cabinets in which to display collections of fossils, precious stones, rare coins and the like.

During the 16th century cabinet displays known as Baby Houses were collected by well to do families in Holland, England and Germany. These early collectible wooden dollhouses were architecturally designed and furnished with true to life miniatures. One example is the Tate House built in England in 1760. Back then it was very common for the wealthy to travel for extended periods of time, so the dollhouse was built in sections for easy transport. These Baby Houses were a major part of daily life, as even the construction of them reflects both pleasure and necessity. It was customary for a visitor to gift the host with trinkets to display in the Baby House in appreciation of hospitality.

It was common in the 17th century for wealthy Dutch merchants' wives to spend inordinate amounts of money on the hobby of collecting dollhouse miniatures. Petronella Oortman, the wife of a Dutch silk merchant, commissioned a Baby House that became a work in progress from 1686 -1705. She enlisted the efforts of several artists and experts to bring her idea to fruition. Porcelain miniature collectibles were obtained from China, and various mediums such as copper, tortoiseshell and marble were used to create the collectible wooden dollhouse. Silk and velvet tapestries and furnishings graced the rooms, and when all was said and done the cabinet cost between 20,000 - 30,000 guilders which could have bought a real home plus a canal in Amsterdam. Interestingly, the only historical example of a maternity room, or lying - in room dating back to that time is preserved within the walls of the Oortman Baby House.

The Killer Cabinet, so named because it was commissioned by Dr. John Killer of Manchester in 1835 is another example of the meshing of culture and family tradition. Dr. Killer ordered a replica of his favorite lacquered cabinet in which to display dollhouse accessories handmade by the ladies of his house including a chair fashioned from pheasant feathers as well as dollhouse miniatures crafted in London. Perhaps the most grandiose dollhouse of modern times is Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle which is displayed in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. This labor of love was begun in 1928 by the silent film star. In all, 700 experts contributed to the execution of this divine venture.

The group was comprised of Beverly Hills jewelers, Chinese jade craftsmen and surgical lighting experts among many others. Walt Disney painted various murals and paintings within the wood dollhouse. The collectible dollhouse miniatures consisted of chandeliers studded with diamonds, emeralds and pearls, 2,000 year old ancient statues and the tiniest Bible ever written which dates back to 1840. The Fairy Castle dollhouse contains more than 2,000 miniatures at a cost of $500,000 to complete. It is safe to assume that collecting dollhouses and dollhouse miniatures have always been and will remain an ever present thread in the tapestry of mankind.

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Falling In Love With Miniature Doll House Furniture

Miniature doll houses have been charming girls of all ages since its creation. In fact, it has even caught the attention of the opposite sex because of the craftsmanship and exquisite design that makes it a collector's item. Today, these doll houses are made available in a number of materials, and it also comes with its own set of miniature doll house furniture made of the same material the house is made of.

A house is certainly not complete with its furniture and accessories, and the miniature doll house furniture certainly completes the look and feel of intricately designed doll houses. Manufacturers have long been experimenting on a number of materials to make these miniature doll house furniture as close to real life as possible. Among the materials used are wood, metal or tin, and plastic.

Apart from the said materials, miniature doll house furniture also utilizes the ingenuity of fabric to make it more attractive and appealing. The fabric used in the said furniture also reflects the specific design influences used for the doll house. The main concern though, is the pattern on the said furnishings for the miniature doll house furniture. Manufacturers do not simply use the same fabric for the miniature doll house furniture and instead, creates similar fabrics with patterns scaled in the proportions of the doll house and its furniture.

The beauty of these miniature doll houses and its miniature doll house furniture lies not on aesthetics alone. These small bundles of joy have also been capturing the hearts of many collectors and doll house enthusiasts because of the do-it-yourself versions of these items. Thus, having been given the opportunity to create and customize these doll houses and its miniature doll house furniture, a good number of consumers have made this into a favorite hobby or pastime.

In fact, the doll house kits available in the market today vary so much that it gives the consumer options as to whether or not they want a partially-built doll house or one that involves more work apart from just assembling the said pieces. DIY enthusiasts can even find sources of floor pans and scale model plans of these miniature doll houses and miniature doll house furniture.

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