dwcole7 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 So, I am super excited, I am getting a Ashley Gothic Victorian Dollhouse Half inch scale Kit and I can't wait to get started. But, I am curious, what is your process of planning your rooms, the design, colors? I have SO MANY ideas running my head I can't decide where I want to start first and what I want to do where. So, what is your planning process for your new houses? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I am of no help whatsoever, because I generally know exactly what I want to do with a house and how it should look straight away. I do try to keep the interiors sympathetic to the exteriors. I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest or interiors magazines. Also, I'll often choose a wallpaper or fabric or piece of furniture and let that be the focal point of a room and design around that. I keep an idea of who the mini character is living in that house and try to add touches of their personality to the house. Designing and planning is the best part for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Here is a link to a previous thread where quite a few folks put together some of their planning/process ideas. Thought it might be helpful for you to read through. It's only 3 pages so it's not too long of a read. Good luck with your new build. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I try to build the house first and let it dictate how it will be designed after the build. This way the process keeps moving along while I decide how the rooms will be utilized. Otherwise, I'd never get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I have gone from not a clue to changing my mind in the middle of decorating and redoing the whole thing to knowing what I wanted to do before I even bought it. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 So, I am super excited, I am getting a Ashley Gothic Victorian Dollhouse Half inch scale Kit and I can't wait to get started. But, I am curious, what is your process of planning your rooms, the design, colors? I have SO MANY ideas running my head I can't decide where I want to start first and what I want to do where. So, what is your planning process for your new houses? I used to get a feel for how to decorate the house when I looked at the kit, and that lasted until I started to put the Glencroft into dry fit, planning to make it into a cute little countryside cottage. As soon as it was in dry fit it began to explain to me that it was going to become a pub, NOT a cute cottage. You will notice that it is a pub... It turns out that the darned things will talk to us and tell us what they want; subtly, at the outset; but apparently my attitude that I was in charge needed changing. The house I'm working on now did not want to look like the picture on the instruction booklet, and I'm still not sure how much of the kit I'll end up actually using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KariW Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 I decide when I look at the exterior. I try to figure out who's house it is. What story book it reminds me of. My son likes to help. He decided the beacon hill is the spiderwick chronicles house. Nicer of course, but he nailed it. So that became our inspiration. The story is always there. The fun is finding it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minigrandma10 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 I agree with everyone.....but you are making a 1/2"scale house. What I do is to wallpaper as you go, before gluing the house together. This scale( my personal favorite) Can have small spaces and this way will give you a finished look. Just consider that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Half scale is my preferred scale too. I love this compact size that still has loads of details! As Gail points out, it's good to paint and wallpaper as you go, because you will get into some tight places and it will be easier if you are able to plan ahead. But you can do everything after building the structure too, that's how I did the Diana (Summer House) and a Buttercup (Swift Cottage). If you do nothing else, put the house into dry fit first. Leonard's kits fit together easily so this should be a quick process using masking tape to hold it together. This will help you see areas that will be difficult to complete if the house is glued together, and help you visualize what you (or the house) want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Minis Dollhouses Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Its hard to plan for a dollhouse, especially when they have a mind of their own but I usually come in here and browse photos of the kit I plan to build. I also google photos of the dollhouse as well, to see what others have done. Searching pictures of real houses also helps. Then I just make a list of things I saw that i would like to try out or improvise on. Usually nothing pans out as planned but I still use bits and pieces of those ideas. The magic always happens during the assembly though. As I work in the dollhouse, ideas just come to me in the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 ...As I work in the dollhouse, ideas just come to me in the moment. That's the kit talking to you. For me anymore the darned things start talking to me s soon s I see the box! By the time I've started the dry fit I have already been told what it wants and how to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdlnpeabody Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I doubt I'll be able to offer anything. If I'm building a replica like the MacKenzie House, I get as much information (measurements, photos, sketches, etc.) from the real house as I can and then start plotting on paper. If I'm building a design of my own, I draw several sketches until I see what I'm looking for, then I draw several floor plans until I find the one that works best. For the interiors, I looked at several home design websites and incorporated designs that I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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