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Choosing A Dolls House Era
Most collectors dolls houses are designed to represent a particular historical era and will be built and furnished according to the styles of the time. Although the scope for houses is getting broader all the time and the market can supply shops, Japanoiserie, gardens and Macintosh, the three most common styles still remain Victorian, Georgian and Tudor.
Victorian Dolls House Style
Victorian Dolls House Style is possibly the most popular style. Large rooms, high ceiling, grand houses packed to the rafters with furniture, accessories and miniature ornamentation make Victoriana a perfect era for miniaturists. The era spanned over sixty years which gives plenty of leeway when trying to adhere to historical accuracy and also means that the influences and fashions were endless. It is perfectly possible to own a Victorian dolls house that has every room decorated in a different style. Possibilities for your Victorian house include:-
- Rococo and Baroque, light, swirling and elaborate ornamentation
- Gothic, rich and sumptuous colours and fabrics, influenced by church architecture and the medieval era
- Louis XIV style and Chinoiserie
- Neo-Classicism, return to the forms and architecture of Ancient Rome and Greece
Georgian Dolls House Style
While Victorian interiors proliferate the world of dolls houses, Georgian house shells are the most common. They are large, graceful and symmetrical with functional rooms each leading off a central stair case. They are well suited to dolls house design A front opening house will expose all the rooms easily. A Georgian dolls house might include:-
Tudor Dolls House Style
Tudor dolls houses are increasing in popularity and suit both 1/12th scale and 1/24th scale very well. Timbers may be blackened or left as their original olour, roves can be thatched or tiled and inside would be a lot of wood panelling and plaster decoration. They therefore make very attractive dolls houses. Later on in the Tudor period, windows became more prevalent and wattle and daub was replaced by brick buildings. If you are contemplating a Tudor dolls house you may like to think about the following:-
- Will you Tudor dolls house be a wealthy merchants house with a shop frontage and overhanging living space above it? It might include a central courtyard and the Tudor era creates a fantastic feast scene in the Great Hall.
- Or would you prefer a poor mans house. Recreate the filth and the squalor of living in a wattle and daub house.
Although Tudor dolls house furniture and accessories are increasing all the time, it can still be tricky to locate some pieces. It may be reassuring to know that many Tudor families had few possessions and even fewer luxuries!
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