A Miniature World

As a young girl I found that most of the fun of owning a dollhouse came from furnishing it. My mother enjoyed it just as much, and the two of us would pore over the tiny dining tables, baby cribs and coat racks, trying to decide which would look best in the dollhouse. It’s no surprise that so many adults enjoy collecting dollhouse miniatures!

Miniature dollhouse furniture comes in all sorts of styles to match different types of houses. There’s furniture designed to resemble Victorian era styles, or sets that mimic the thirties Art Deco type designs, complete with victrolas and wood cookstoves. There are Southwestern style dollhouse miniatures, rustic, woodsy log cabin furniture, as well as contemporary pieces.

Miniatures can appreciate in value, however most people collect them for the joy of searching them out and creating a finished room or scene, rather than with an eye to their investment value.

The Art Institute of Chicago has a fantastic display of miniatures depicting furnishings from different historical eras, as far back as the 13th century. This is easily my favorite exhibit at the Art Institute – check it out if you get the chance.

While collecting dollhouses requires a large amount of space, a collection of dollhouse miniatures needs very little space at all. Many people who collect miniatures choose to display them in a dollhouse, but there are plenty of other options. Shadow boxes, shelves, display cases – follow this link to read more about alternative means of displaying a collection of miniatures.

The website for Dollhouse Miniatures magazine has some fantastic tips and articles, such as how to photograph miniatures.

Here’s another collection of articles about miniatures and dollhouses.

Our Collectors’ Quest toy expert Collin David recommends Re-Ment for miniatures. Check the comments section of this post to see everything Collin has to say about Re-Ment.