Dollhouse

A dollhouse is a miniature house in which real life objects are reduced.

The hobby interests adults and children. The British term for the hobby is dollshouse, although the American term is dollhouse, and the idea of minaturising objects has been around since Ancient Egyptian times. There are several scales available, but the most common are 1/12th and 1/48th.

There are several ways to acquire a dollshouse. The majority of people buy a ready made and decorated house first and proceed to more adventurous projects later on. The other optoins 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 in side dollshouses, (such as books and clocks), items of furniture, interior and exterior decorations and dolls. Although shop-bought items are generally of a higher quality, they tend to be more expensive. Home-made items are often cheaper and more rewarding to make as almost any material can be used.

Dolls houses are a hobby which almost anyone can take up to any extent. While some people create scenes that are correct to the last detail, others are less concerned with historical accuracy. You can create anything from a medieval castle to a night club. The hobby also gives you the opportunity to use undiscovered skills such as modelling, and also meet new people who share the same interests. Dolls house clubs which meet regularly, and on-line chat rooms let you talk to other miniaturists.

If there are no dollshouse 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. Almost anything is available now. Some of the mail order companies include the Dolls House Emporium, based in Britain, and Real Good Toys, an American company.

1/12th scale Doll Houses can cost upwards of £2500!!! Take a look at this site: The Ultimate Dolls House.

Despite starting off as a relatively rare hobby, dollshouses and miniatures are now becoming increasingly popular. Citizens od countries as far away as America and Germnay are now heavily involved with the hobby, a phenomenon the internet is mainly reponsible for.

The most famous dollshouse is Queen Anne's which, built in 1924 by Sir Edwin Lutyens, which can be viewed at this site.

However, a lesser known master piece is Tara's Palace, housed in Malahide Castle, Dublin. Started by Ron and Doreen McDonnell in 1980, it is based on Sir Neville Wilkinson's celebrated Titania's Palace, which he created in 1908. The house itself is built in 1/12th scale, and is influenced by Castletown House, Leinster House and Carton, the three prominent 18th Century mansions in Ireland. The house has 25 rooms and was built to raise money for childrens' charities.