Kids Rooms

A DIY dollhouse featuring miniature designer homewares

This mum’s DIY dollhouse turned into a viral sensation.
Woman wearing striped dress next to a large custom dollhouseSam McAdam-Cooper

What started as a simple dollhouse renovation turned into a full-blown work of art for designer and mum-of-two, Linzi MacDonald. After realising that her daughter Maddie didn’t have anything that was really hers (“Everything came from hand-me-downs from her brother, Will”) Linzi decided to follow in a friends’ footsteps and upcycle an old dollhouse her husband purchased off eBay.

Before embarking on the project, Linzi collected her supplies: fabric glue, white spray paint and a fine point sharpie. Linzi soon discovered that one of the perks of creating your own DIY dollhouse is that the sky’s the limit when it comes to accessories.

It wasn’t long before she turned to her own home for inspiration, she says. “I love a challenge, so I thought it’d be funny to create miniature items that we have in our home. Then it spiralled out of control – in a good way of course!”

The wall decal is by artist Beastman and its lines contrast with a rug inspired by an Armadillo & Co design.

The boy’s room features cute paper bags from Tellkiddo and tiny felt garlands.

One of the pieces you might recognise is the tiny rug inspired by Armadillo & Co’s ‘Daisy’ rug (now discontinued). While the original was made from hand-braided jute, Linzi’s version is made from twine and fabric glue.

“It took a whole morning, but I was so happy with the result! My fingers hated me for it though,” she says.

The Armadillo&Co ‘Daisy’ rug in miniature form.

Linzi even reeled in her husband, James, to create most of the wooden furniture in the dollhouse.

The dining table was inspired by a life-sized Mark Tuckey creation. Other familiar items in the house include a tiny Marimekko-inspired mug and a miniature Rachel Castle artwork.

A dot-patterned mug inspired by a life-sized Marrimekko mug sits on the Mark Tuckey table.

A Rachel Castle artwork gives big impact, even on a tiny scale.

But it wasn’t all fun and games. Just like a real house renovation, there were tedious aspects to the project that Linzi is glad are now behind her.

“The trickiest part was painting the exterior. It was such a horrid and tedious job. So don’t look too closely at the window frames!” she says.

Linzi used white spray paint on the walls and staircase.

A hand soap dispenser, towel and pot plant put the finishing touches in the miniature bathroom.

While the project has earned Linzi praise from the likes of Armadillo & Co, G. Nancy and Zilvi, the most important judge Linzi had to impress was Maddie.

“She loves it, especially pushing all her animals through the side door! I think the kitchen is loved the most. I usually sit back and watch them play, and pray they don’t destroy it all in one go!”

The dollhouse is 80cm high by 80cm long by 40cm deep and takes two people it carry it.

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