For many of us, the word dollhouse is tied up with memories of childhood; doll-sized dwellings where the tiny-sized objects conveyed a larger-than-life sense of order, calmness and suburban idyll.
Within these same walls there lies the potential to develop and harness a new way to actualize your interior design skills. By creating vivid, to-scale living environments in a miniature dwelling, you can begin to imagine how these choices would apply to a much bigger home.
Creation Without Consequence
Tinkering in a dollhouse lacks the monetary, social, and societal repercussions which can present when you’re performing such tasks in a real house. Firstly, there are no permits required to perform extensive modifications on a dollhouse (although soliciting the permission of the owner of the dollhouse is always recommended). There are also fewer barriers when it comes to factors of cost and budget – which means that it’s a great way to experiment with ideas, looks, and colors which might otherwise seem too risky or expensive.
If you’re unsure of where to begin (or how to find your inner design diva) get in touch with experienced interior designers (in Melbourne). By consulting with expert decorators and curators, you can help harness your own ideas in a positive and rewarding manner. They may even give you the confidence to get cracking on a dollhouse.
Making The Most Of Available Space
When space is small or at a premium, you begin to look at the items you’re putting in that space differently. Boxes are a prime example – many people use boxes to hide clutter and to keep goods that they otherwise wouldn’t bother with. In a dollhouse, this type of mess or unnecessary clutter is unheard of – because it has no aesthetic purpose. By applying this same spirit to your home, you can create a more pleasing, eye-catching space – without the fuss and mess.
Practical Considerations
The items in a dollhouse tell a story about how the home is used. If there are a kitchen and lounge room in close proximity to an outdoor space, the logical conclusion is that a lot of time is to be spent in this portion of the house (you’ll often find the plastic tenants inhabiting the kitchen or lounge).
Translating this to your own home means paying attention to the function and the design of each item you choose, and not purchasing or keeping items which are superfluous. Think about the ways in which you are likely to interact with space (cooking, relaxing, gardening etc) and create an environment which is conducive to these activities.
Looking At A House As A Whole Entity
The beauty of a dollhouse is that it allows you to look at an entire space at once. This luxury ensures that each room is considered as a part of an entity, rather than as a series of unconnected spaces. It’s easier to remember color schemes, textures, and motifs when you’re able to see each room as part of an interconnected network.
In order to translate this principle into interior design for your home, it can be a cool idea to take an inventory of your living spaces and rooms. List and photograph your items and the rooms as a whole, and use a service such as Pinterest or Polyvore to see how these spaces visually interact with one another. You may find there is considerably more clash than you could have otherwise imagined.
Though useful for children, a dollhouse can teach adults a lot about how larger home functions. Taking the time to build, furnish and decorate a miniaturized house can help you begin to contemplate and realize interior design concepts, without the need for extensive training, knowledge, or expense.
