For over 20 years, a once-beautiful colonial dollhouse has been shuffled from house to house, garage to garage, collecting dust and slowly deteriorating. My mom bought this house second-hand with every intention of fixing it up. But like so many well-intentioned projects, life got busy, and the dollhouse was pushed aside.
I don’t know much about this dollhouse’s history, but I like to imagine a grandfather lovingly built it for his granddaughter’s 5th birthday, or maybe a family had it commissioned by a local craftsperson to give to their children one Christmas. For me, it was just a project piece that sat on a shelf in my parents’ garage for years—until now.
Eventually, my mom passed the house on to me, and I’m thrilled to finally begin the complete makeover of this charming, vintage dollhouse! However, I quickly realized I have my work cut out for me. The exterior paneling is chipped and gouged, the wallpaper inside is barely hanging on, and the remnants of dirt dobber nests have stained the walls. Years of neglect have taken their toll, so it's time to strip it down and start fresh.
At first, I thought I could get away with giving the dollhouse a facelift—repairing the siding, removing the wallpaper and flooring, and replacing a few missing parts. But once I took a closer look, I realized I was severely mistaken. Decades of storage in Florida’s heat and humidity had caused the plywood structure to warp and separate. Removing the wallpaper or flooring meant the veneer layer peeled up, too. The damage was beyond repair, and I had no choice but to strip off the top veneer from the entire dollhouse.
I deconstructed the entire house, removing the exterior paneling, floor shelves, dormer windows, and all remaining windows. After separating the walls and roof, I armed myself with a heat gun and a putty knife and got to work scraping off the old siding and veneer. When I was done, my hands were scraped and sore, and I was left with a pile of bare wood that didn’t even resemble a dollhouse anymore.
What started as a quick refresh turned into a major overhaul, and there was a moment when I doubted whether it was even worth fixing. But, like anything worthwhile in life, nothing good comes easy. I grabbed my nail gun and wood glue and began reassembling the structure.
Now that demolition is complete, I can start rebuilding. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be transforming this house room by room. From selecting wallpaper to creating custom furniture and tiny decor pieces, the process will be a true labor of love.
If you're as excited as I am to see this project come to life, be sure to check back for updates on the renovation. I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes videos, design tips, and, of course, plenty of miniature DIY tutorials to help fellow miniature enthusiasts follow along with their own projects.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my YouTube channel, Viva Design Miniatures, for more content. I’m so excited to bring this dollhouse back to life and can’t wait to share the journey with you!
