I've always been into miniatures. I got my first dollhouse for what (I think) was my 5th birthday. It was an open-back custom built mansion. It sat on a dining table for the base and took up almost half my room, and between my sister, our friends and I, countless hours of fun and imagination were spent behind those walls. Being a child I didn't have much concept of scale and so this 1:12 scale house was for the most part inhabited by a Sylvanian family made up of a range of different species. It was also frequently invaded by plastic pirate figurines which usually lived in a Fisher & Paykel ship. No limitations on what was possible in this world. As I grew older, numerous features of the dollhouse were in need of repair, and I also decided I'd like more space in my room. By then I'd discovered the wonderful world of collectible 1:12 miniatures such as the Dolls House Emporium and much of my money and birthday presents were devoted to buying elegant Victorian style furnishings to match it. Unfortunately such a big house required a lot of furniture and being about 13 or 14 years old I didn't quite have the income to account for that, so into the garage the house went. My love for miniatures didn't cease though, and I dreamt of one day owning another (slightly smaller) dollhouse. One Christmas or birthday my sister got one of the Dolls House Emporium houses, and I was so in love with the working doors and sleek finish. The next year I got my own from a different company but very similar, just a simple front-opening Victorian style house with 6 rooms. Typical, run of the mill style house but I loved it. Plans were always in my mind to decorate the walls and floors but never quite happened. This is the dollhouse that I still have in my room today, decorated nicely but not completed by any means.
Miniatures and dollhouses have always been a special part of my life but never something I've invested great amounts of time into, and in a much needed attempt to get some creativity back into my life amongst my studies, I have decided that building, creating and entirely decorating a new dollhouse is something I would love to do. After perusing the internet I've discovered that far from the flat-fronted (albeit beautiful) front-opening dollhouses typical of the UK, with 2 rooms on each of the 3 floors, there is a whole other world of open-backed American made dollhouses with elaborate front porches and bay windows which make my heart flutter with excitement at all the decorating possibilities. I'm a little fussy when it comes to miniatures. I like them to be as realistic as possible, and a staircase going through a bedroom, or the one and only bathroom being in the attic just won't cut it for me. I've spent countless hours looking at various brands and styles of kitsets, and considering the addition or removal of interior walls to better fit my preference. I long for a dollhouse that allows for landscaping and a garden, hence another reason why I am in love with the open-back houses. After a week or so, I have decided that the dollhouse that has won my heart is the Greenleaf Beacon Hill. I like the layout and it's not too big that it won't fit through doors.
Next though, comes the issue of actually buying this set. Shipping to New Zealand is not going to be cheap but I feel like it's worth it. I still don't have enough money however, on top of paying rent etc. but I'm hoping the fact that it's my 21st birthday in 8 months could come into play... As well as that, I'm going to sell my current dollhouse which I am now glad is untouched and in perfect condition. Even the staircases are only blu-tacked in, haha. It'll get me max. about $200 (it came pre-painted and it's gorgeous quality) and I also plan to open an etsy store to sell some hand-made miniatures and some upscaled furniture I no longer want.
The Beacon Hill is going to be a big project and it'll probably take me a year to complete the building and decorating (I am only home every 6 weeks for breaks) but it's something that I want to do slowly and properly, as I plan to keep this dollhouse for a great many years to come. I've had a lot of sleepless nights where my mind is too full of decorating ideas, which has resulted in every aspect of decoration and detail being planned already. Before I've even bought the house. Oops. The colour scheme for exterior and interior walls and floors are going to be simple but timeless, meaning I can always refurnish in years to come with no need to renovate the walls etc which I can already tell would be a task I'm not willing to risk my sanity on. It's going to be based around most of the furniture I already own, but I'll add and make a bit more. I plan to decorate and finish the Beacon Hill as a Victorian house that's lived in in the modern day and age. It's to my own personal taste so my interior design Pinterest board for real houses is also my main source of inspiration!
This blog is going to be a diary of sorts following my progress and methods building the Beacon Hill, as well as any other smaller miniature projects I might do in between (I have plans already for a few very small custom-made builds that my dad is going to help me with). I've read entire blogs by other people building this house to see just what I was getting myself into, and all I can say is bring on the frustration and stress! But also the fun. In the end no matter how frustrating tiny spaces can be to build and decorate when you're not quite 1:12 scale yourself, it's always enjoyable and there's a great sense of achievement when it's done.
