Retro Kitchen 2

The mirrors in every shot are abused by Photoshop. I'm not a photographer (or a great Adobe Photoshop expert either...) so I cannot take decent pictures when I use mirrors (always get my ugly head in the shot) or Plexi (can never capture its existence) in the miniature scene.

Let's see..., the kitchen set is actually two vintage 1960's or 1970's sets that I won on ebay several years ago. They may have been produced by Flairline but I'm not sure. I've seen a blue and white set similar to these. Note that I covered the orange kitchen cabinet doors with wood grain designed contact paper. The orange shelving unit is from AG Minis, the orange stool is from Lil Bratz and the range hood is from Streets Ahead Dollhouse. The mirrors are purchases from your average craft and hobby store. All of the accessories are from Irwin, Mighty World, Re-Ment and Bodo Hennig.

Retro Kitchen 1

Ahh--there is something appealing about old school modern. Granted the 60's, 70's and 80's all had their "why in the hell?" design moments but I occasionally find the decor of those eras to be quite appealing.

Sometimes when casually haunting Open House events, I come across homes where the elderly occupants have a minty fresh 1960's or 70's kitchen that wants to be remodeled but doesn't particularly need to be. Sure, the wallpaper and period flooring often leave scars on your eyeballs but sometimes the nostalgia has a pleasant taste. I'm also in awe of how anyone can keep any part of their home looking like day one after 20, 30, 40 plus years and several children later. Are the rest of us doing something wrong??

Above is a quick retro kitchen design in the Voila Large Dollhouse that features vintage and current Bodo Hennig, Momoll, Mighty World and Re-Ment accessories.

Eco Friendly Dollhouse

Have you seen this one? I like the concept but wish that the company had gone the extra mile on the exterior and interior design. I dig on the solar panels and modern windmill on the roof. I’m disappointed with the touches of pink paint here and there. Hopefully the door is actually green and not pink (the photos show two versions). This dollhouse is supposed to help educate children about the importance of "living green” via play themes that include recycling, planting trees, alternative energy, alternative transportation and rain water collecting. It’s roughly $130 and comes with all accessories.

Images: ToysRUs

Half Scale Beach House by Real Good Toys

This dollhouse kit reminds me of the old school type of dollhouses found in 1950’s and 60’s magazines. The removable roof allows one to access and decorate the interior of the structure. I’m not a fan of looking down to decorate or enjoy a miniature scene. The smaller ½ scale is probably good for someone who lacks space to have a 1:12 contemporary dollhouse.

Images: Real Good Toys

Very Slowly Getting Time For My Hobbies

I especially like the minimal modern dollhouse inside this miniature scene.

Nice Roof

This dollhouse distributed by Lakeshore Learning is kind of interesting. I think it would be a suitable dollhouse in a modern designed child’s room or for someone starting a modern miniature adventure, obsession or sickness.

The Play-All-Around Dollhouse appears to be a simple dollhouse that gets some modern design street credibility thanks to the Plexiglas roof. The house is relatively large at 22x25x23 and is constructed of heavy-duty hardwood—so it can probably take playtime beatings. I would guess by the staircase that the scale is 1:10 but 1:12 furnishings should blend well. If purchasing for children, I would advise not to get the dollhouse furniture produced by Lakeshore but to use sets from Voila Toys, Plan Toys, Pintoy, etc., etc.

This dollhouse is affordable at $129.00 retail and about $20 for shipping. This house actually arrives completely assembled. I’m curious to see what it looks like in person. I think it could look rather fascinating if decorated with realistic furniture and accessories.

UPDATE 12/29/08
Hey! They raised the price to $149.00 plus shipping.

Image: Lakeshore Learning

Prolonged 1:6 Crush

Okay. I typically collect modern dollhouses in 1:12 scale—and a few in 1:16/1:18 scale. However, I am seriously considering a purchase of the Voila Toys Giant Dollhouse, which is 1:6 scale. I mean, I really have a crush on this massive toy—since 2006. There’s really nothing architecturally astounding about it—other than its size. It just looks fun!

It stands slightly less than 5 feet, has 3 stories, 12 rooms, 2 spiral staircases and 3 fireplaces. The dollhouse even has casters to easily move all around. It comes with a set of dolls and is fully furnished. The design is reminiscent of the Voila Toys Large Dollhouse which is 1:12. The construction is rubberwood so it can take several beatings and still look fab over the years. I see it as this cool item in one of my children’s rooms and later the cool toy at my house for my grandkids.

It’s roughly $1,300 retail—and probably double once you ship it to the States. Hmm.

I’ve started putting pennies in a “save” jar…

Images: Voila Toys