Building this modern farmhouse dollhouse ended up being one of those projects that was a lot more personal than I expected it to be.
If you know anything about me and my love of miniatures, you probably know my grandpa is where all of this started.
Growing Up in Grandpa’s Workshop
My grandpa was always the coolest guy. He had a workshop in his basement where he built dollhouses from scratch and from kits, and I spent a lot of time down there with him.
I learned how to paint doors, windows, and roofs, and as I got older, I got to help with cutting and sanding. It was our thing. And honestly, his basement workshop was also a pretty good place to disappear when we needed to get away from my grandma.
Grandpa built some really amazing dollhouses. Some came from patterns he found in dollhouse magazines, and some he designed himself for people who wanted something specific. He would take them to craft shows to sell them, and my mom and I would go along.
My mom would crochet rugs and make bead lamps while I entertained myself under the table with my Barbies and Hot Wheels. I was basically running my own little miniature world down there.
The Dollhouse We Never Built
Grandpa and I always talked about building my dream dollhouse someday.
I had a whole list of things I wanted — electric lights, a spiral staircase, and probably way more ideas than either of us really needed.
We even had a binder where we kept ideas and plans.
Unfortunately, Grandpa passed away in 2008 before we ever got the chance to build it.
At his funeral, I put my dollhouse plans in his casket.
I figured if I couldn’t have my dream dollhouse, nobody was going to get it.
It sounds a little morbid now, but at the time it just felt like the right thing to do. Those plans were something we had talked about together, and I wanted them to go with him.
Then Covid Happened
I honestly didn’t think much about miniatures for years.
Then Covid happened.
I was stuck at home, looking for something to do, and decided to order a little beach house miniature from Amazon.
That was apparently all it took.
I was hooked again.
One little miniature turned into another, and before I knew it, I was back down the rabbit hole.
Finding My Miniature People
Once things started getting back to normal, I found the Columbus Miniature Society.
They meet once a month and put on a big show every year, and it was exactly what I needed. It was nice to have a group of people who understood why I was spending ridiculous amounts of time making tiny things.
For a couple of years, I stuck mostly to smaller projects like room boxes. They were fun, and they were a lot less intimidating than taking on an entire dollhouse.
Because, let’s be honest, I was scared to mess up a whole house.
I’m a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to things like this, and the thought of spending months on a dollhouse only to decide I hated something about it was enough to keep me from starting one.
Then the Columbus Miniature Society challenged members to take on a year-long project for their show.
So I figured…okay. I guess I’m building a dollhouse.
Turning a Farmhouse Into My Farmhouse
I chose the Real Good Toys Victoria’s Farmhouse kit.
The original kit was really nice, but I didn’t want to just build it exactly as it came. I wanted it to look like something I would actually choose.
So the modern farmhouse transformation began.
And while I was working on it, I couldn’t help but think about Grandpa.
Every time I decided to ignore the instructions and do something completely different, I could practically hear him saying, “Girl, what are you doing?”
Which, to be fair, was a pretty accurate question.
There were a lot of hours involved. And some frustration. And definitely more than a few swear words.
And then I won the 2024 People’s Choice Award.
That was pretty darn cool.
What I Changed
I made quite a few changes to the original kit to make it feel more like my style.
- Gave the roof a “metal” look with metallic paint
- Replaced the bay window with a sliding glass door
- Added board and batten siding
- Replaced the regular staircase spindles with wire spindles
- Removed the wall dividers to create a more open-concept layout
- Added a wood feature wall in the bedroom
- Built several pieces myself, including cabinets, a refrigerator, stove, and shower stall
Some of the changes were planned from the beginning. Others were more of a “well, let’s see what happens if I do this” situation.
That seems to be how most of my miniature projects go.
I Think Grandpa Would Have Liked It
I’m really happy with how the dollhouse turned out.
But more than that, I’m glad I finally built the dollhouse Grandpa and I used to talk about — even if it ended up being a very different house than the one we imagined all those years ago.
I wish he could have seen it.
I think he would have had plenty of questions about why I changed half the things in the kit.
And I’m pretty sure he would have asked, “Girl, what are you doing?” at least once.
But I think he would have liked it.
And that’s good enough for me.
