Vintage cottage decor cabinets make much nicer dollhouses...

Once designed to organize dvds and cds,
these dollhouse themed cabinets will be
filled with furniture and dolls in our
downstairs play room.

        When I first spied these tall, narrow cabinets, obviously intended for the storage of dvds and cds, the first thought to enter my head was... How awful for home decor but how extraordinary nice for doll play! And isn't that often the case? Something that gets marketed for one thing - that it doesn't quite look right . . . can become a perfect fit in an alternative venue. I mean, this designer should have been employed by a toy company!

       What I love most about these cabinets is that when put together, they look like row houses or townhouses in San Francisco, where I once lived.

       The paint needed sprucing up a bit so I brightened the colors and repapered the interior shelves to look like dollhouse rooms.

       These particular rooms are the perfect generous size for 1:48 Scale or quarter scale; this being the furniture size that I chose to work with on this dollhouse project. I could have opted for 1:24 just as easily but the rooms would have felt over-crowded and the decorations limited. 

       If readers find a cabinet or two like these, and plan to give them as a gift to a little person, 1:24 scale may be a better choice for a younger child's play dollhouse. In this scale they won't need as much furniture and durable, wooden peg dolls (1-3 inches) could live inside the ''vintage look'' rooms easily.

       I will eventually include photos here of all my updates once these townhouse dollhouses are finished. 

       So far, I have just finished some of the wallpapers and floor treatments. Tiny 1:48 scale furniture has been purchased for most of the rooms. I will need to make some of the furniture by hand as this project is getting a bit expensive. All of the decor will be altered to match the color schemes of the wallpapers which are a bit flamboyant for my taste but appropriate for Victorian townhomes, especially for those little girls that prefer them in dollhouses.

The Yellow Townhouse for Dolls:

Left, I will either need to name the townhome or change this 'music' sign to a home address.
Right, See the sides of this cabinet are painted with just as much detail, very nice.

Left, wallpaper and 'linoleum' floor added. Left center, just thinking about furniture arrangement. 
This bedroom suite is complete and needs painting. Right center, the wallpaper treatment is for a
pink nursery, I still need to find a faux white floorboard paper. Right, I have a tiny crib, rocking 
horse, dresser and chair for this room so far.

Left, The wallpaper and kitchen tile floor are finished. Center left, all I have for this dollhouse
kitchen thus far is a white table and chairs and one planter. Right center, both stripes and flowers
in purple for the living room walls and a grey checkered floor treatment are finished. Right, all the 
furniture that this living room can comfortably hold will need to be painted to match the purple 
color scheme for this room.

The Pink Townhouse for Dolls:

Left, this door will need a set of front steps for it. Right, there is an extra room for this pink 
doll townhouse. I will turn it into a bathroom.

Left, the pale blue and grey figured wallpaper is finished. The linoleum floor will need to be
reapplied. Center left, a sink, toilet and bath wait to be installed. Right center and Right, before
and after photos of window repaint. I applied highlights to the windows and brightened up the
pink outside walls.

Left, The study/family room has hand painted wooden floor and green wallpaper finished.
Center left, a few furniture pieces: T.V., side table and desk set. The television needs to be painted
for certain and I will craft a couch and chairs for this room. Right center, the rose colored wallpaper
is finished, the floor still missing. Right, see the furniture I have for this bedroom thus far: bed,
two dressers, crib and potted plant. All will be repainted for the decor.

Left, the wall paper and linoleum floor are finished. Center left, the kitchen sink, stove and refrigerator
 are a perfect fit for the room. Right center, the butterfly wallpaper and stained wood floors are finished;
 but, the wainscoting needs to be applied before finished. Right, here you see that I have acquired the
tiny dining room set and a piano for the room. I may alter the dining chair cushions.

More City Living for Dolls:

• Build a doll sized apartment including an elevator and multiple stories
• KPO crafts a working elevator for Barbie's cardboard dollhouse and a pulley system for a dollhouse elevator by Inventor Crafts
• A Barbie Town House from 1979