Why Children and Collectors Fall in Love With Dolls’ Houses

For some, it is the chance to act out the lives of their own tiny family. For others, the appeal is in lovingly decorating and furnishing each room to create a beautiful model home. Whatever the reason, dolls’ houses are set to continue winning the hearts of children and collectors for a long time to come.

The first dolls’ houses were created in the sixteenth century, and were known as ‘baby houses’. Over the next few hundred years the popularity of dolls’ houses steadily increased, and by the nineteenth century many children included a dolls’ house in their toy collection.

In the 1920s a magnificent dolls’ house was built for Queen Mary. Many of the most renowned artisans of the era contributed miniature furniture and other products. The contents of the house include real Doulton china, tiny bottles of real Mumm champagne, and scale model cars built by Rolls Royce. Queen Mary’s dolls’ house is still on display in Windsor Castle.

Queen Mary’s dolls’ house inspired other adults to begin dolls’ house collections, and these days there are as many dolls’ houses built for grown-up collectors as there are for children.

One of the most appealing factors of dolls’ houses for parents is the educational value they offer. Through playing with a doll’s house, a child can learn a great deal about the world around them. The choices a child makes about how the house is decorated and furnished will also help them to develop imaginative and creative skills which they will find extremely useful in later life.

Children’s dolls’ houses come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and it is important to select the right kind of dolls’ house for your child. For younger children, a robust and hardwearing dolls’ house made from tough plastic or wood would be most suitable, as it is likely to experience a high level of wear and tear. Your child may want a house for the dolls they already have, in which case it is important to get one that is built to the same scale as the dolls themselves.

The choice of dolls’ houses available for adult collectors is perhaps even wider and more varied than what is on offer for children. Scale models of buildings from many different periods of history have been lovingly created by expert craftspeople. For those collectors who like to get more actively involved in the craft, there is a huge selection of dolls’ house kits available.

The design and creation of dolls’ houses is in itself a very popular hobby. Hobbyists can spend a lot of time and effort creating perfect miniature versions of existing and imagined dwellings. A lot of these people offer their services to other dolls’ house collectors, creating furniture, dolls, and even replica food, to scale.

With the amount of choice available, there is a dolls’ house to suit the tastes of the youngest and oldest enthusiast. For children, a dolls’ house is one of the most rewarding gifts they can receive, providing hours of enjoyment and creative play. Adult collectors of dolls’ houses find it an enjoyably time-consuming and satisfying hobby.