Getting Started With Dollhouse Miniatures & Kits

Whether or not you had a dollhouse as a child, there’s something irresistible about tiny homes and decorations. Making dollhouses goes back to at least the 17th century but these days you can find all kinds of fun options including kawaii dollhouses. This guide will help you choose the right kind of dollhouse miniatures, kits & DIY projects for your budget and patience levels, plus a look at one that I’m currently making.

Kawaii dollhouse kits

The easiest way to jump into this trend is with a dollhouse kit. They’re affordable and come in all kinds of adorable designs from a patisserie or coffee shop to a teenage bedroom or beach house. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with a single room or shop as it won’t be too tiny or intimidating. The kit will include everything you need but be aware that even small kits can take a few days or weeks to complete as there’s lots of tiny things to make and you’ll need to wait for glue and paint to dry. If you don’t have the space for a full room, there are smaller kits that fit inside a tin, terrarium or even a walnut!

There’s hundreds of kits online and which seller you choose will depend on where you live and how much you want to pay. Most come from China so resellers in your country will be more expensive but international orders will take longer and may incur customs fees. Have a look on Etsy, Ebay and Amazon (UK / USA) for starters.

No patience for fiddly crafts? Brands like Lego and Sylvanian Familes (Calico Critters in the US) have kits and sets that are readymade or easy to build and will integrate with lots of other items from the same brand.

---

Dollhouse DIYs

If you don’t have the budget for a kit, or would like to make a kawaii character themed dollhouse, head to Youtube. There’s loads of talented crafters creating rooms and houses with options for paper crafts, polymer clay and more. There’s plenty ideas for decorations and doll accessories too, plus you can just watch people build DIY & bought kits if you’re not crafty at all.

heekkong is the channel to start with as they have so many characters and themes to choose from, but TheHollycopter also has some amazing dollhouse DIYs with Pusheen, Animal Crosssing and more.

---

Kawaii dollhouse decorations

If you’ve already got a dollhouse, or want to add some kawaii decorations to your kit or DIY project, then let me introduce you to the wonderful world of miniatures. Etsy is the place to look for the cutest options and you will soon be obsessed with tiny food, toys, furniture and art. Here’s some of of my favourite shops, as shown above.

• Littlest Sweet Shop (UK) – tiny detailed kawaii cakes, sweets and colourful treats that are all handmade.
• ChicKawaii (EU) – adorable miniatures with their own characters & designs.
• FeltFellowsByMaria (EU) – the sweetest needlefelted pets to make your dollhouse more homey.
• I Like Cats (UK) – miniature art kits to create your own tiny cat gallery wall.

---

Re-Ment miniatures

The blind box sets by Re-Ment and other brands are mostly at the correct scale for dollhouses so you can cute up a project easily. There’s lots of fun tie-ins with kawaii characters and you’ll find adorable items for every room in the house, as well as shops and restaurants. Have a look at our Re-Ment roundup posts, which include lots of online shops to browse.

---

My kawaii dollhouse kit project

If you want a unique and kawaii dollhouse then it’s easy to make some changes to a standard kit. I’ve started making this Anne’s Bedroom kit (available on Ebay & Etsy) with my own kawaii touches – though it already has a washi tape display and bunny slippers! I’ll share some photos of my progress on the SCK Instagram later today, and will have another post when it’s finished with tips and advice for customisation.

Have you made a dollhouse kit before? Do you have any recommendations or tips?

---

Full disclosure – the dollhouse kit I bought was paid for partly by a gift card I received from Etsy though they had no influence over what I spent it on, or whether I wrote about it. Sponsored content helps us keep SCK running and we only feature things we think you’ll enjoy reading about.