Constructing the Dollhouse

Once Studio Slip’s architectural plans and interiors for the dollhouse were finalized in early 2019, I then embarked on an 8-month long process of constructing and producing it all in miniature. Furthermore, constructing it in the middle of a pandemic came with its own set of complications, with printers and lasercutters shutting shop for months together and causing several delays in my production timelines. All in all, Little R spent a very frustrated year living in a dingy drawer in my study, waiting for her new home to be ready.

Planning the Structure

Planning the dollhouse’s structural assembly

Creating a paper prototype

Creating the Shell

The construction process first began with creating the outer shell of the house. Much of the dollhouse was constructed with laser cut/CNC-cut MDF, which meant a lot of the assembly and measurements had to be planned all at once, right at the outset. Based on Slip’s architectural plans, I converted all measurements down to 1:12, prepared digital cutting files and then had all the wall and floor pieces CNC-cut out of MDF. The pieces were then primed and painted with emulsion paints pretty much like any real house. Together with Studio Slip, we’d picked out specific colours from a swatch book for each room, and the pieces were all painted to match. Read more about the design process with Studio Slip.

Using my bed as my work surface

Keeping track of lasercut pieces

Transporting all the CNC cut pieces in my car

Constructing it Like a Set

Given that this was a storytelling project, the dollhouse had to function somewhat like a set that could be staged and photographed from various angles. As such, the house was planned and constructed such that it could be dismantled and taken apart, splitting into 4 quadrants, with removable walls, windows and ceilings.

Textures & Surfaces

The dollhouse, with its contemporary industrial aesthetic, features a combination of several different textures and finishes, many of which were mimicked using paint. The exposed cement and rammed concrete floors and walls were all created by laying a grey base coat and then sponging it over layers of diluted black paint. The bright yellow Jaisalmer flooring too was created with an orange base coat layered with several shades of yellow.

Mimicking rammed concrete

Mimicking Jaisalmer flooring

Several surfaces and textures were achieved through print. The exposed brick walls were digitally prepared, printed on sunboard and then grooved with a blunt hand-embossing tool to mimic the grouting. Wooden herringbone floors and bathroom tiles too were printed on glossy cardstock and then grooved the same way.

Studio Slip designed several feature walls for the house. The guest bedroom features moulded wall panelling that was created by stacking very thin laser-cut rectangular frames atop one another to produce the effect. The master bedroom also features a rich, fabric-clad wall that was created by wrapping different textured fabrics around narrow, vertical boards and then sticking them onto the wall.

Moulded Wall Paneling

Painted with Emulsion Paints

Fabric Wall Cladding

Partitions created with lasercut MDF and frosted acrylic

Making Furniture

Inspired by furniture pieces from real brands

Recreated in miniature

All of the furniture in the dollhouse was inspired by real pieces of furniture from brands like West Elm, Restoration Hardware and Anthropologie. From wardrobes to console tables to beds, most of the furniture was divided into pieces and plotted digitally, and then laser cut out of MDF (producing hundreds and hundreds of pieces to be catalogued), which were then assembled and then painted.

Skeletal MDF Structures

Couches and arm chairs were also made with MDF skeletons which were then cushioned and upholstered with fabric, pretty much like real sofas. Tan-coloured rexine was used to mimic leather furniture. Wrought-iron furniture pieces were created with very delicate MDF skeletons that were then clad with M-seal (epoxy putty) to produce the final effect.

Tan rexine to mimic leather

Tufting created with a thread & needle

Fabric upholstery

Wrought iron effect created by cladding MDF frames with epoxy putty

Decor & Miscellaneous Accessories

Rugs were created by UV-printing the designs onto cotton fabric and then wrapping the fabric around a thin sheet of foam to give it thickness. Pillows & cushions were created by gluing fabric pillow cases together and stuffing them with batting.

Rug designs UV printed on cotton fabric

Fabric wrapped around foam sheets

Pillows and cushions

A few items like lamp shades and commodes were 3D printed (courtesy my very own little desktop 3D printer – a generous birthday gift from friends and family). The porcelain sink in the guest bathroom too was 3D printed and then hand-painted to mimic blue-and-white cobalt oxide pottery.

3D printing lampshades, vases, commodes, etc

Sink 3D printed and hand painted

Artwork was donated/purchased from real artists across the world, after which I then printed them in miniature and framed them within tiny lasercut MDF frames with clear acrylic covers. The staircase gallery was also made up of real flowers and leaves collected from my garden and Studio Slip’s garden, press-dried for 3 weeks and then framed the same way as the artwork.

Artwork frames

Press-dried leaves and flowers

My miniature making process is rather eclectic and I tend to use a variety of objects and materials that work in my scale. Door knobs, cabinet handles and bathroom hardware like faucets and towel rings were all created with a variety of jewellery-making odds and ends. Two of the rugs in the house are in fact Persian-rug-style mousepads bought off of Amazon. Many of the planters and vases are simple large novelty beads used in chunky jewellery.

Bathroom & kitchen hardware made with jewellery-making supplies

Two of the rugs in the house are Persian-rug-style mouse pads

The dollhouse took a total of 8 months to construct, after which it was officially inaugurated at a ‘Dollhousewarming’ in March 2021. Read about the ‘dollhousewarming’ here.

Watch my miniature-making videos here on Youtube.

If you’re curious about anything else you see in the dollhouse, post your questions in the comments below!