When we think back to our childhood toys and the things we enjoyed playing with the most, we realize that a lot of our childhood memories centre around the time we spent playing with our dollhouse
Dollhouses are the kind of toy that are still very popular, but that have changed extensively over the years. We think the modern store bought ones look like a lot of fun but we can’t help wanting to make our kids a custom homemade one like we had when we were little. That’s why we’ve been on the hunt for DIY dollhouse options all over the Internet lately!
Are you feeling just as intrigued as we were, if not more, by the concept of learning how to make your very own dollhouse? Check out these 15 fantastic ideas, designs, and tutorials that you’ve come across so far in our search for inspiration and guidance.
1. Simple cardboard dollhouse
Are you feeling very intent indeed on the idea of making your kids their own DIY dollhouse but you’re really working on a budget? Then we thunk perhaps your best option would be to create something from recycled materials you might already have at home, like this awesome DIY cardboard dollhouse outlined carefully on Pie Mummy!
They even show you how to made cardboard furniture and decorate the rooms using things like scrapbooking paper and cutouts from old magazines.
2. Detailed dollhouse furniture
Do you actually already have a dollhouse for your kids and it’s the furniture you’ve been more interested in amping up lately, so your children can feel like their dolls really have everything they could possibly need?
In that case, we have a suspicion that you might actually find something like this guide to very impressively detailed DIY dollhouse furniture from Creative Social Worker to be a little more useful!
3. Detailed 1-inch doll’s ladies secretary
Do you actually have some experience with making things like models and miniatures, so you’re always feeling up for a challenge when it comes to constructing little things?
Then we think you simply must take a look at the way 1 Inch Minis Made by Kris created this fantastic ladies secretary, complete with vanity drawers and china plates like a real antique, that measures only 1-inch wide. It’s a great way to add some realistic vintage flair to the dollhouse your kids already have.
4. Lovely hinged dollhouse
Are you a little bit more experienced in simple woodworking techniques than the average crafting enthusiast so you’re looking for a tutorial that will actually help you build a dollhouse from scratch in a way that’s beautifully wooden and classic?
Then we think you just might be the perfect person to give this fantastic tutorial from The Handmade Home a try! They teach you step by step how to make a hinged dollhouse with a front that opens outwards to each side to reveal the inner rooms. It even has individual shingles like a real roof!
5. Cute fabric dollhouse
Are you absolutely determined to make your child their very own DIY dollhouse but you’re also the kind of crafter whose primary DIY skills lie mostly in the world of fabrics, stitching, and soft materials?
Well, believe it or not, you can still make a dollhouse happen with these skills! Take a better look at Sew Some Stuff to see how this adorably portable unfolding fabric dollhouse was made and embellished, complete with its own little garden and pond.
6. DIY bookcase dollhouse
Do you adore the idea of making your kids a little wooden dollhouse but you’re actually not all that hand with woodworking techniques?
Well, luckily for all of us, that doesn’t actually have to mean that you can’t still make your wooden dollhouse goals happen. Fab Art DIY is here to guide you step by step through the process of transforming a bookcase and its shelves into a dollhouse with different rooms that you can decorate! We love their brightly patterned wallpaper ideas.
7. Wooden pieces dollhouse in a cardboard box
Do we still have you thinking a lot about this whole idea of practicing your woodworking skills out in a way that relates to dollhouses but you think you’d actually prefer to make some nice furniture pieces rather than the whole frame of the house itself?
Then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Adventure in A Box created these little wooden pieces like chairs and ladders and made them work well in a simple house made from a cardboard box.
8. DIY woodworked Barbie house
Like we did at their age, our kids are obsessed with Barbies. Now that we’re on the lookout for good dollhouse ideas, we’re keeping the proportions of Barbie dolls un mind specifically, since we know that’s what our kids will play with in the house most. This particular tutorial from Build It, Sew It, Love It looks especially promising as its measured for those dolls, making it an awesome resource for anyone looking to use their woodworking skills but get all the dimensions just right!
9. Wooden background dollhouse from scratch
Do you really want to make a dollhouse for your kids but you’re also looking around the house and realizing that you don’t really have much spare floor space for some of the designs you’ve seen so far?
Well, so long as you can find a little bit of wall space, then maybe you’d get along a little better with something like this wooden frame dollhouse that simply mounts on the wall, using that for the background in each room and thereby staying quite flush and space efficient? Remodelaholic shows you how to make it happen.
10. Small folding dollhouse
Have we really got your attention with less space grabbing dollhouse designs that don’t have to become a rather chunky part of a room’s permanent decor because you live in a small apartment and simply don’t have the room to spare?
Then we think you’ll much prefer the way My Froggy Stuff helps you make a detailed cardboard dollhouse for smaller toys that’s foldable so it can be tidied completely away when it’s not being used!
11. Fabric bag style dollhouse
Did we actually really catch your attention when we started talking about the idea of portable dollhouses because you love the idea of your kids being able to take at least a couple dolls to a friend’s house or their grandparents’ place, but you’re not sure any of the store bought dolls they have will fit in the one you saw before?
Then we think you’d get along much better with this idea from Xoxo Grandma that shows you how to make a flat dollhouse scene right inside a carrier case, complete with little clothes and miniature rag dolls who actually fit right inside when you want to carry the house somewhere by the handles.
12. Papered dollhouse with a shingled roof
Have you positively fallen in love with the idea of a dollhouse that’s made from cardboard because you just know you can oull it off, but you’re also feeling determined to make yours a little more detailed, rather like the wooden ones you’ve seen previously?
Then we’d definitely encourage you to check out how Dcoracao made this cute cardboard dollhouse that has roof shingles of its own, window shutters, and even string lights that add a glow to each room!
13. Miniature doll sized beach house
Do we still have your total attention regarding constructing some kind of dollhouse from wooden pieces but you can’t help wondering whether you can make your kids’ dolls more of an extended adventure area as well, rather than just sticking to the classic home?
In that case, we have a feeling this adorable handmade wooden beach house outlined nice and clearly on Akameru Kawaii might be right up your alley! We adore the way they even show you how to give it a thatched roof.
14. Branch and bark covered dollhouse
Rather than playing with bright brand name dolls like Barbies, have your kids always been more into little handmade dolls or fairy characters who live out in nature?
Well, particularly if you’re still open to the idea of putting your woodworking skills to good use, then we think you simply must check out the way Semi Proper not only outlines the process for making the base house and its frame, but also teaches you how to cover it in halved branches and bark to give it an adorable woodsy effect.
15. Dollhouse from a suitcase
In addition to being an avid crafter are you also the kind of upcycling enthusiast who will take just about any project as an opportunity to recycle something older that you’re not using anymore?
Well, especially if you adore the idea of combining that with essentially any vintage element, then we think you’ll simply adore the way The Craft Patch shows you how to make a lovely hinged dollhouse out of an old suitcase turned up on its end!
Have you made other kinds of dollhouses or dollhouse furniture pieces before that made your kids squeal with glee but that you don’t see anything quite similar to on our list? Tell us all about what you made or link us to photos of your finished work in the comments section!
