The other day I got to thinking about finding space for our miniatures and how that often begs the eternal question, “to dollhouse or not to dollhouse?” Having a dollhouse means finding space, about 4-6 sq. ft., an often-precious commodity in today’s real size houses. Many folks who don’t want a huge structure in the middle of their living room go for roomboxes or other small scenes. These can be placed conveniently around your house and can be designed to coordinate with your decor.
Yet having a dollhouse also brings something indefinable that roomboxes can’t touch. It’s the amazed smile of a visitor realizing “Wow, that’s actually a house! In miniature!” It’s the coherency of different rooms that create a visual representation of how people live: how they cook, where they like to relax, what pastimes they enjoy. I’m always amused when viewers of my three-story Victorian point out that the bathroom really shouldn’t be on the third floor because “no one likes to hike up two flights of stairs when they have to go.”
I also know that walking into my “big” house and seeing my “little” house brings a smile to my face even on the worst days. The blue and purple paint scheme doesn’t exactly match my living room’s green sofa and beige carpet but no one’s ever seemed to notice. They are too busy enjoying the view of my dollhouse!
Kim's Miniature Scene 