Details

I've been doing various odds and ends on the house, but not really finishing anything. I keep doing little details like putting logs into the wood box when I should be getting the shell completed.

I need to touch up the stairs before I put that outer wall up, and that's the next step before doing the roof and other additions. The stairs had some primer and paint spilled on them - as I've already said I should have added them in later - and after sanding that off I need to add a fresh coat of polyeurethane. I'm waiting for a warmer day when I can air out the room afterwards.

So I think I'm kind of stalled a bit! I've also spent a lot of time on bits of furniture that aren't done yet. Although I did finally sand, prime and paint the living room floor.

I also bought some baseboard trim and thought I would try that out. But I realized I would need to add the door trim first, and the instructions say to add the door hinges before the trim. Which means getting the doors ready and figuring out the hinges. So I just tried out the baseboard on one of the plain walls. I love how it looks!

Adding the mitred corners is a bit trickier but I found a good little saw at a local hobby shop. I wasn't sure about going in as it seemed to be mostly boat, airplane and car kits, but they had lots of handy tools and the man I talked to had helpful tips and used to work on dollhouse furniture himself.

So that's the update for now, I really am going to finish the shell someday, but it could take a while!

Downstairs fireplace

the downstairs fireplace

Speaking of upstairs, downstairs, I love the show Downton Abbey that has just started airing here. It makes me want to make a period dollhouse because the decor is so lovely. I enjoyed the Dowager Countess of Grantham's (played by Dame Maggie Smith) dismay at the addition of electricity to the house. I'm not planning to add electricity to my dollhouse. Partly due to the extra cost but mainly because I just don't think it's necessary.

I painted around the first bit of trim before adding the rest

So on to the downstairs fireplace. This fireplace has curved trim similar to the upstairs fireplace, but also has additional pieces. Two strips go next to the curved trim, then one on top, then the mantel on top of that. I thought it would be good to post as I personally found it difficult to get a good picture online of this feature of the kit. The instructions were also lacking a diagram or picture which would have helped clarify this part.

trim is in place and trying out the mantel

I decided that it would be best to paint all the trim pieces to look like grey stone. But I'm not sure about the design, and in some ways I prefer the simplicity of having just the one curved piece as trim. The extra pieces do give it more presence though.

the shortened mantel - before touch-ups

Also, the mantel is designed to extend over the bookcase as well. I decided to cut it down to go over the fireplace alone. I want a pair of Staffordshire dogs for the mantel. Or if they're too large they can sit on the hearth. A typical example of how my version of a contemporary dollhouse isn't exactly modern! (Are miniaturists strongly divided on this issue? I seem to see mostly modern mid-century or Tudor/Georgian/Victorian houses)

touch-ups on the mantel done and the hole in the wall filled

For our full-sized house (will I have to specify this from now on? I'm obsessed. Lately when I look in decorating magazines the rooms suddenly look miniature to me) I adore these charming contemporary versions of Staffordshire dogs by artist Donna Wilson. They could go on our mantel if we ever get one.

I'm waiting for someone in our neighbourhood who is gutting their bungalow to put one on the curb for me to find. The bungalows around here (including ours) are from around the 40s. Ours was built in 1940 so a mantel from around then would be perfect. I figure we don't need a real fireplace to have a mantel!

Upstairs fireplace

I wish I had a fireplace in real life. They can be such a pretty focal point and then you have a mantle to decorate. And of course, I would want beautiful built-in bookcases. So I'm trying to make my dollhouse fireplaces nice but they have been a bit fiddly to work on.

So this is the upstairs fireplace in the bedroom. The kit is designed so that there is a fireplace, then next to it a built-in box for firewood. How cute is that going to be with logs stacked up inside and just the ends showing? There is a curved trim piece that goes over the front of the fireplace opening. There is a piece that fits on the floor of both openings (and juts out front a bit) for a hearth. And lastly there is a little mantle.

I made a few adjustments. The curved trim part really does not match the curved opening. I could have cut the opening away so that they matched, but I painted both in a stony grey (as seen in the 3rd pic) and figured it didn't matter, it's like an extra grooved detail in the stone. I think this stone paint will need some touchups but basically I used old separated grey paint that was kind of sludgy. I painted everything grey, then painted a paler grey over top (leftover Titanium from our old kitchen) then sanded it all down. The result is a smooth surface but with a mottled grey colour for a subtle stone effect. I like it now.

The second adjustment was because I didn't like the pointy top to the wood box. This was an easy fix. I took the original punched out piece and cut it so that just the top part was left, and glued that in place. Then a bit of filler and sanding and the wood box is now squared.

Behind the fireplace and woodbox there are pieces you glue in place to make the sides. In the case of my adjusted woodbox, I just cut that piece in two and used one for the side and one for the top so that it's square inside.

The mantle is two pieces glued together and I used a bit of filler to make the edges smoother. The mantle is painted in semigloss while the walls are eggshell (Cloud White). It's hard to see in the pictures but I thought it was important!

This is the final result - and a sneak peek at the flooring.