Reliving My Childhood Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Its funny the different things that people are fussy about... stairs, windows, bathrooms, etc. 1) Unless the house is plenty large, I don't use the stairs. They take up way too much room. It doesn't bother me at all that the inhabitants have no way to get upstairs. If I do choose to use the stairs though, they need to be nice ones (not usually the ones included with the kit). 2) Gotta have a potty , even if its behind a false wall. Bathrooms are one of my favorite things to decorate, too. 3) Although I often shudder seeing this in real houses, in my doll houses, I don't care if each room is a completely different color . Don't know why. I do insist that the general style be the same though. I wouldn't have a 1940s kitchen with a Victorian bedroom and a modern living room. 4) I have no interest at all in: having a story behind my idea for my house, using dolls, making nurserys, or doing landscaping. I get no satisfaction whatsoever from doing them. Love to see and am inspired :lol: by other people's work and read their stories but just don't want to fiddle with it myself. 5) Can NOT get the hang of Fimo and am tired of paying big $ to buy food! That is my Summer Resolution. I'll be 47 this June and that's on my immediate Bucket List! 'k sorry about all the emoticons... they're just too cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyD Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 First of all I get a kick out of the emoticons. I don't use them that much, but I do like them. Stairs, I agree with you. A lot of times there isn't enough room. I would rather have them in a house, but I also want to be able to use the space for other things. A house doesn't seem right without a bathroom, but that is often the last room that I think about. I was working on a one room school house and bought a outhouse for it. I think my biggest pet peeve is when you buy something that states it's one certain scale and then when you put it into the house it seems too big. I have bought things that came package from the manufacturer that stated 1 inch scale and it just seem too big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Pet Peeves ... hm-m-m-m ~~~ Tsk-tsk-tsk .... Have many but, then, I think, for me, it really comes down to me allowing myself to just have and wallow in, a self/introspective or inward looking, cranky old lady attitude. So, I need to try to breathe and let it go - Easier said than done, I might add. I guess my biggest dh building irritant is that my creations always end up looking "homemade" or "frumpy", IMO, as in, lacking that certain polish and sophistication. A great deal of that had to do with my old crummy hands and dexterity issues - snarl, growl - whine - (Oh yeah, and I really hate whining too, so then, why am I doing it? sigh ... can't seem to take my own advice.) Anyways, whether a house is country, city, forest, water, magical, period specific, animals or people populated, themed, elegant or rustic, doesn't matter to me. What's important to me is that the finishes should, indeed, look finished as to the premise of the original idea for the scene/house. Whatever it is intended to look like, whether that is smooth or rough, gleaming or matte, corners even, no unintentional gaps or or crooked and out of alignment places, etc. it should just be without flaw. (no big goal here, right ? hahaha) This is also, where I fall flat on my face in my ability to execute it. My dexterity, time, and finances will never match this lofty and noble ideal. Whew, this is very revealing about myself. Maybe I should start lightening up a bit, like that's gonna happen any time soon. Maybe our peeves are connected to an unconscious lack within our own selves. Yikes !!!! Too much psychoanalyzing going on here. Anyone got a magic wand handy? I'm in need of a big zap about now. :lol: PS. I love the emoticons too !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoalaSam Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I cannot believe this, but my pet peeves are changing!! Still number one for me is STAIRS. Love the look of them, love what others have done, but every time I work on my houses there is not enough room, and so the stairs go first. I used to really dislike dolls in dollhouses, but I have changed!! I can't believe it, even bought a doll recently and I am enjoying the stories I am hearing in my head that she seems to be telling me (yeah, I know they commit people who hear voices!) I too wish the finished? product was what I actually had envisioned, but the houses seem to take a life on of their own. I am learning to enjoy where it actually goes. My major peeve now, is that I need to sleep, do real life activities and there isn't enough time to dwell permanently in the mini world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmatson Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 My major peeve now, is that I need to sleep, do real life activities and there isn't enough time to dwell permanently in the mini world. Mine too!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Med Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Funny topic when you really start to think about what irritates you in a dollhouse. Hmmm lets see 1. Curtains or fabrics used anywhere that stick out and don't drape like real ones. 2. Dolls on stands 3. Dolls that are sitting down but are straight legged - snort. 4. Gaps - I hate hate hate it when I have an unintentional gap. Some are easy to fix - others not so. 5. Anything out of scale and yes I've bought stuff too that ends up being unusable because the scale is off. 6. Painted wood that hasn't been sanded first. 7. Bright colours. Personal preference but I also think that bright colours in real life are dimmed by distance but not so in a miniature - they stay bright and jar the senses so the miniature looks toylike rather than realistic. 8. Don't mind all the rooms being different colours as long as the colours are fairly muted (see 7) 9. Don't mind a mix of styles and periods as long as they happen in real life such as old victorian furmiture in a modern setting, or a 1930s kitchen with a slightly older sitting room or bedrooms - or the other way round. Better stop now I could go on and on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 It's funny you should mention stairs. It drives me nuts to see a house, like a bookcase house, townhouse, etc, with no way to get from one floor to the next. However, I LOVE to create illusion -- -- like a picture attached to a window to give an "outdoor" view. I'm working on a small wall-hanging dollhouse right now, with two floors and an attic. A stairway is out of the question as it would take up about 1/3 of the room space. But this is going to be an office complex so using foamcore on the back wall I have recessed 2 elevators; closed downstairs and open upstairs. And a bathroom is a must, even if it is only a doorway marked "Restroom" without a real bathroom behind it. Of course, perfection is a given, at least on the goal sheet! :lol: Not that it transfers from the goal to the reality, but I keep trying! And it's lots of fun to keep trying and keep improving one's skills PS: I also love this little emoticons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnasDollhouse Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Funny topic when you really start to think about what irritates you in a dollhouse. Hmmm lets see 1. Curtains or fabrics used anywhere that stick out and don't drape like real ones. 2. Dolls on stands 3. Dolls that are sitting down but are straight legged - snort. 4. Gaps - I hate hate hate it when I have an unintentional gap. Some are easy to fix - others not so. 5. Anything out of scale and yes I've bought stuff too that ends up being unusable because the scale is off. 6. Painted wood that hasn't been sanded first. 7. Bright colours. Personal preference but I also think that bright colours in real life are dimmed by distance but not so in a miniature - they stay bright and jar the senses so the miniature looks toylike rather than realistic. 8. Don't mind all the rooms being different colours as long as the colours are fairly muted (see 7) 9. Don't mind a mix of styles and periods as long as they happen in real life such as old victorian furmiture in a modern setting, or a 1930s kitchen with a slightly older sitting room or bedrooms - or the other way round. Better stop now I could go on and on. Fun Topic!!! Jo Med, I couldn't agree with you more on #'s 1 and 3. Too Funny!!! People, please learn how to pleat your fabrics!!! And get dolls that bend. I have to think of some of my own and post later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabrina Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 #1 I haven't found a dollhouse that is exactly how I'd want it, in a price range that won't send me into bankruptcy, with enough rooms for authenticity of a period I choose. #2 STAIRS! It drives me nuts when a building doesn't have a way to get from one floor to another. I love staircases in RL and adore them in miniature. Something about nicely turned spindles and banisters and stair carpets that I just can't get enough of...yeah I know I'm a bit crazy. #3 Reality in miniature. I can't stand it when I see something that wouldn't work in RL. I want my houses as realistic as possible and this is where I am the worst. Definitly going to work no that. As for bathrooms, I can take them or leave them. If it's a victorian house a chamber pot peeking out from under the bed will do for me. If I have the room great otherwise I'd like to dedicate the space to something else. Oh and I love the emoticons too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minifan Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 You guys are too funny!!! My pet-peeves... 1 - Selkie listed my #1 - when MY creations look home-made...(or like I made them!) 2 - rooms that connect to other rooms with no hallway...so you have to walk through the bedroom to get to the bathroom...it bothers me and I feel it takes away from the realism 3 - I think I'm alone in the crowd, but I HAVE to have a staircase...if not 2... 4 - the gold of it all...I'm done with gold...gold hardware, gold fixtures, gold frames, gold lights...LET'S SEE SOME BRUSHED NICKEL!!! 5 - when there is wallpaper and furniture that don't "quite" match...I can't really explain it...but I've seen it and it bothers me... 6 - the fact that this "hobby" sometimes ends up costing me more than the same things in RL cost me...(really...$109 for a bedroom set!?! you have GOT to be kidding me!!! My daughter's toddler bed cost $89 & then 20% off!!! (sorry, saw this on Ebay for a Lee's Line bedroom this am and I'm still irritated) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minifan Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 #1 I haven't found a dollhouse that is exactly how I'd want it, in a price range that won't send me into bankruptcy, with enough rooms for authenticity of a period I choose. You can TOTALLY add this to my list!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdodyd Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 My pet peeve also is that the things I make look homemade and not as nice as purchased items. I have resolved to slow down and take time to do things as carefully and neatly as possible, with the idea that every project be a little better than the one before. I like making things myself, including furniture kits and landscaping. I've tried Fimo vegetables, some were good, some were not. I vote for staircases, hallways, etc. in order to make a dollhouse as realistic as possible. I try to fill my dollhouse with people, pets, and possessions to make it looked "lived in" and have invented quite detailed "back stories" for the house and people. This is just fun for me. That said, I really enjoy looking at the fantasy and fun houses that other people have done. The creativity and imagination of other people just inspires me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reliving My Childhood Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Minifan - I absolutely agree about your idea of realism... specifically, I hate the idea of houses where the stairs go into the room that can only be a bed or bath. The Orchid and Rosedale do that. Now someone here did a neat thing where they added a room divider to the upper stairwell to give some privacy. I recently did one house, made from scratch, where the stairs went up into the bedroom and then from the bedroom to a sewing room. I justified it in my mind that only a couple lived here (arggghhhh! did I just make a story?!?!?) so privacy was not an issue (hence the french door between bed & bath, too). I am also sick to death of brass. In real life, it screams pre-1990s. Fortunately, most people don't do anything in their houses past the 50s so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. That little HBS Bungalow screams for wrought iron, copper or nickel - something cute. At least some lights now come in brushed copper or black. Jdodyd - I love that you use people and make up stories. When I look at everyone else's photos, I like to know what was going on in their head. I just don't do it for myself. Basically, I'm just decorating a house because its easier to do in miniature than it is in real life (albeit almost as expensive!). Because I like more modern things, I don't always mind something oversized. Depends on how it can be used (usually something decorative but not so good for furniture). But when I want it the right size, it makes me mad if it isn't. Like the coffee maker I just bought... the "pot" is the same size as a coffee cup. Way wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxxie Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just One More Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I have to have stairs. Unfortunately whoever designs most houses thinks if it looks like stairs, good enough. I can't stand when the stairs go up so close to the wall at the top that a real person would be severely injured the first time going up them. Also, the stair openings are never long enough for head clearance even if the room at the top is not too bad. I also like my stairs in a separate area, as in a Colonial house. Otherwise they have to go into what is usually a bedroom, not leaving much room for a bed or other furniture. Having to have third floor bathrooms since there is never room on the second floor and if there is you have to go through the bedroom to get to it. Kitchens with no room on an outside wall to put a stove needing to be vented. I am a nut about realism here. You don't vent the stove into the living room. I know these are dollhouses and there is no real plumbing, electricity, etc., but you can imagine that. Little people on the floor dead from carbon monoxide is what I imagine with this. Fireplaces with no chimneys. Another venting problem. Instructions that are too confusing. Just like in sewing, a lot of times I just do what's easier for me. Dollhouse dolls that are not realistic, plastic, hair too big, not bendable. I know realistic dolls are expensive so I only have a few. Better none than one that ruins an otherwise beautiful room. The quality of wood in doors, windows, baseboards etc. being less and less. They used to stain beautifully. Now some need to be painted with a wood color and then antiqued for the wood look. I have several houses now I thought I'd love but the pet peeves listed put them all in the basement and garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reliving My Childhood Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Pat, I totally agree about the outside wall or walls in general. Again beating up on the poor Rosedale... where on earth are you supposed to put a fridge? There are windows on 2 walls and stairs/door on the 3rd. Oh, I see, I'm to be forced to use one of those 2" high "ice boxes". Sorry. Not happening in one of my houses unless the era calls for it. I don't mind an Aga stove (I actually think they're awesome looking) or an old fashioned farm sink. I like vintage but not impractical. The Rosedale forces me to ignore it, do without the stairs, or make some sort of an outbuilding stuck on the side (like they would have done in real life). Not fair. And I agree about the trim wood. After buying a 12pk of Victorian Skirting, I made them replace 8 of them because when I cut them, they were so porous that they didn't make a clean edge (yes, the blade on my little mitre tool is sharp). I'd try another cut on the same strip and have the same problem. And it infuriates me when I go to stain a door and its all blotchy. Now, I can live with blotchy or painted trim but not a messy door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minifan Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Fireplaces with no chimneys. Another venting problem. Or 2 chimneys with no fireplace!!! DRIVES ME NUTS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoalaSam Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Another thing I hate, cheaper furniture stained with that cherry-red, mahogany stain, then covered in ultra shiny gloss! Why can't they leave it plain so that we can choose our finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just One More Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I have a Handley House catalog that has lots of unfinished furniture. It's a couple of years old so I'd have to see if it's still in business. So far the furniture stains well. It's the window frames and doors that are getting to be impossible to finish nicely with stain. Have you tried painting over the red shiny furniture? I've sanded some and painted with a spice brown and then antiqued over it and it looks almost like a walnut wood finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judithfa Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Fireplaces without chimneys -- at least a chimney without a fireplace could be the chimney for the furnace! Stoves in real life do not have to be on an outside wall to be vented. I have two gas stoves in my kitchen on inside walls. The venting ducts go up to the ceiling and are under the plasterboard between the ceiling joists to the outside wall. My cousin has a Jennaire electric where the company makes the ductwork to go downward ( to the basement for my cousin) and then out to an outside wall so the stove can ber placed in the center of the kitchen. I think the "no-chimney" for fireplaces look especially odd for the grand, large houses such as the Foxhall Manor, Montclaire, etc where the houses have wonderful fireplaces and spectacular thought to the furnishings, and NO chimneys! Just my opinion, we each each build our houses and the details the way we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Med Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 So agree with the cherry red mahogany and brass - why???? I painted a chest which was like that and replaed the handles, it looks good now - or it did until I aged it very vigourously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabrina Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Kitchens with no room on an outside wall to put a stove needing to be vented. I am a nut about realism here. You don't vent the stove into the living room. I know these are dollhouses and there is no real plumbing, electricity, etc., but you can imagine that. Little people on the floor dead from carbon monoxide is what I imagine with this I love this! Too true!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyole Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I guess my biggest dh building irritant is that my creations always end up looking "homemade" or "frumpy", IMO, as in, lacking that certain polish and sophistication. Selkie - I have the same problem - the "home"made vs "hand"made look that I am trying to achieve...sometimes I fool myself into thinking I've got it, then I take a picture of what I've done & it's an instant ego-adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 1. Pieces that aren't a true 1:12 scale. Yuck-a-duck! 2. Gaps 3. Chunky furniture 4. Skinny walls 5. Bad wallpapering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Great idea for a thread - - got me thinking. I don't mind lack of realistic room entrance/exit/head clearance on stairs as long as the house is beautifully decorated. I must like bathrooms as I've automatically included one in every house I've done so far. My first three houses had staircases but my fourth (the chateau) does not work very well unless I remove them - splits into six tiny boxes of rooms where no decent furniture fits in. Things that bug me are quite similar to Jo. 1. Unrealistic dolls 2. Poor scale of items I've had 2 telephones one was huge and the other so small you couldn't see it, both supposed to be 1/12th 3. Curtains or fabrics that don't drape well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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