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Growing up, I had a beautiful doll’s house that was my pride and joy. I played with it daily for years and by the time I was a teen, it had started to look pretty worn. Rather than pass it on to other family members, I asked my mum to keep it so that my own children could play with it. Thankfully my mum’s got a big loft and kindly agreed to store it.
In my early 20s I had a daughter of my own and I was so glad I’d kept it. When I got it down from the loft, it was very clear how well-loved it had been. Perhaps a little too clear! We had tiny a renovation project on our hands and I couldn’t wait to give my childhood doll’s house a facelift to pass on to my daughter.
How to Revamp Your Doll’s House
There are lots of things you can do to breathe new life into your old doll’s house. Having done it myself, I thought I’d share my best tips below!
Clean it up
First off, the doll’s house probably needs a good scrub. Even if your childhood self hasn’t attempted to colour it in or wiped chocolate on it, it’s probably a little dusty from storage.
Don’t use any overly harsh chemicals on it like bleach. I would also advice against using sprays directly on it too. Instead, get some warm, soapy water in a washing up bowl (diluted dish soap is fine) and use washing up sponge to gently scrub off any dust or grime. It’s really important to squeeze out the sponge so it’s only damp, so as not to cause any water damage. I would also dry each section after you’ve washed it by wiping it with an absorbent towel.
Refresh the wallpaper
Decorating the inside of your doll’s house is a great way to make it look brand new. Even if the previous wallpaper is still in tact, it’s probably still worth updating the wall paper because fashions have changed. Chances are, the wallpaper in your childhood doll’s house is something your parents had left over from the 80s or 90s!
These days, you don’t have to rely on whatever leftovers you having lying around, and you can get self adhesive dolls house wallpaper. The designs are appropriately sized for tiny world play, and come in a range of styles. I know a lot of people love creating a Victorian style doll’s house over a modern one, but you can get designs for any decorating style you like. You can even get paper that looks like books in a book shelf, tiles, or bricks. If they’re had these choices when I was little, I think I’d have been constantly redecorating!
Update the carpets
Much the same as the wallpaper, the carpets are probably whatever offcuts your mum had lying around thirty years ago. My doll’s house had my mum’s lounge carpet in the downstairs rooms and my brother’s bedroom carpet in the upstairs rooms.
If you have plain carpet or small patterned carpet lying around then it’s not a bad idea to use offcuts from your own home to save money. Large patterns just don’t work in tiny houses though! If you’re feeling fancy and you’re handy with a Stanley Knife, you could even fit lino in some rooms. You might also want to to consider some self-adhesive coverings for the floor too. There are loads of tile designs out there and you could create a really fancy looking kitchen and bathroom in your doll’s house.
Refresh the exterior
Depending on how well you looked after your doll’s house and how well it’s been stored, you might not need to change this at all. I’d attempted to colour a small area of my doll’s house exterior and it wasn’t coming off. I imagine lots of people out there have a similar tale to tell.
To finish your doll’s house revamp, the exterior of the doll’s house probably needs some work. Roof tile design self-adhesive coverings are great for a quick and easy fix. You can get various colours and styles depending on what you want the final look to be.
For a plain-fronted finish, a tester pot of emulsion should be enough to give your doll’s house an expert finish. If painting isn’t really your thing, you can get self-adhesive coverings that look like bricks, which is also a lovely option.
Check the accessories
The final stage of the revamp is furnishing every room. I kept all my furniture and it was in great condition, so it just needed wipe down. I arranged each room in a way I thought was cute just to give that wow-factor. Then my revamp was complete. I did really enjoy setting it up, so I couldn’t resist buying a couple of new accessories and some more people. The best thing I bought was a tiny tea set that looked like it was made from fine china. It’s possible I’m getting as much out of this revamp as the kids!
Related: If you love a taste of the retro, you’ll love this post on Care Bears!
Related: Baking with kids – we try Nadiya’s Deluxe Baking Kit.
Love these ideas. Wish I’d kept my dolls house from when I was younger. But I do have lots of my old Sindy dolls and furniture!