Books about Dollshouses and Miniatures

Hi guys

Today I'd like to talk a little bit about books.

First off, I'd like to say that I purchased most of my books about dollshouses and miniatures at AMAZON. This is - in my opinion - the best source if you're looking for books.

Of course, if you're lucky enough to live in a country where the dollshouse and miniature hobby is much more common and better known than where I live, you might of course find some in a good old traditional book store.

Here are just a few of my favourite books (sorry for the pictures, just realized they aren't very good)

Please note that the descriptions I added are a copy/paste from Amazon.com

This should give you an idea of what the book is about

Veteran dolls’ house maker, expert on all things miniature, and prolific author Jean Nisbett presents a comprehensive volume that brings all the elements of her previous work together. The result: a complete guide to the making and furnishing of all kinds of dolls’ houses, large and small, from the leading writer in the field. Incorporating practical advice, expert tips, and inspiring profiles of top artisans, it covers both the standard 1/12th scale and the increasingly popular 1/24th. And there’s an incredible range of styles, from fabulous palaces and elegant mansions to country cottages and Shaker homes. Breathtaking photos display imaginative decorations, period rooms and room boxes, holiday settings, outdoor scenes, and charming collections of diminutive china and other trinkets.

Want a Tudor dolls' house that looks historically accurate down to the canopy bed? Or one from the 1930s, complete with bathroom fittings? If the magic of miniatures has captured you, you'll find this treasure-trove of glorious photographs and dolls' house information irresistible. Here's just one beautiful example -- a picture-perfect Regency room, based on a real home. It has a chaise longue, elaborate plasterwork on the ceiling, Gothic windows, and bookcases. Build or restore authentic recreations of Tudor, Georgian, Regency, and Victorian homes; designer houses; country cottages; shops filled with wares; gardens with pavilions; and more. First, look at the homes' facades, and then take a room-by-room tour to see how to decorate -- from just the right rug to lay down or hang up, to the food to place on the kitchen table. With all this practical crafts and historical information, you'll get every detail right!

Renowned miniaturist Jean Nisbett offers a wealth of inspirational ideas for constructing extraordinary modern settings in 1/12 or 1/24 scale. All these decorative styles come from the 1900s through the present, and mesmerizing photographs showcase spectacular miniature houses and interiors. Among the delightful and unique choices for sheltering a doll: an elegant Art Deco beach house, an iconic midcentury Philip Johnson house, and an ultramodern 21st-century house, complete with soaring windows and state-of-the-art furnishings. Checklists of key period features and creative ways of using readily available objects to make furniture and accessories on a budget will help you design the dolls’ house of your dreams.

Kevin Mulvany and Susie Rogers create some of the world’s most magnificent and coveted architectural miniatures. Museums and private collectors commission their beautiful work, which covers many periods and countries, and ranges from the double-horseshoe staircase that leads up to Fontainebleau to the outrageously decadent chandeliers at the Brighton Pavilion.  This beautifully illustrated book captures the full breadth of Mulvany and Rogers’ achievements, and reveals the techniques and materials they use to fashion their stunning recreations. Practical projects for the reader include wood paneling, parquet flooring, trompe l’oeil marbling, and much more.

The Thorne Rooms, sixty-eight miniature models of European interiors from the 16th century on and American furnishings from the 17th century on, have entranced generations of visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago. This charming book showcases these rooms, featuring full-color views of each one as well as eight two-page spreads of some of the most spectacular interiors.

The introductory essay by Bruce Hatton Boyer chronicles how Chicago socialite Mrs. James Ward Thorne conceived the rooms. They were made between 1934 and 1940 by a number of skilled craftsmen according to her exacting specifications. Many of the rooms were inspired by specific interiors in historic houses, palaces, and sites Mrs. Thorne visited during her travels, and Fannia Weingartner’s individual commentaries provide information about each one. In addition, a number of Mrs. Thorne’s original drawings are reproduced to actual scale. 

Devotees of miniature houses and small-scale furnishings will be thrilled with this superb collection of more than 90 dollhouse projects to craft at home. A comprehensive volume on small-scale interior design, it presents 15 authentic and carefully matched room settings, featuring a variety of decorative styles from Shaker to Victorian. Each period interior is faithfully recreated in 1/12th scale, down to the tiniest detail. Hundreds of tips ensure that crafts enthusiasts will create splendid miniature furniture, decorative elements, and accessories, just right for decorating the most stylish and historically accurate dollhouses.

John and Jan Zweifel's meticulous recreation of the White House is captured in full-color  illustration.

Considered to be one of the world's greatest miniature houses, the replica is the result of over 30 years of research and construction by the Zweifel family. The tiny, working telephones, hand-carved chairs and tables, and miniature carpets that reproduce the original stitch by stitch, are all proof of great craftsmanship and minute attention to detail.

This tiny old house takes you back to a bygone era. The Big Book of a Miniature House is a superb guide to crafting an exquisite miniature French country home from the ground up. With a fixed front and open back, this little gem of a home takes you back in time to enjoy old-fashioned elegance and vintage grandeur.

Everything and the kitchen sink. There are also instructions to make French-style furniture – chairs, folding screen, ornate light sconces, and dressing tables – even flowers, fireplaces, window treatments and the kitchen sink!  With over 200 vivid photographs, this is a beautiful book to linger over and the gorgeous gallery of dolls' houses will ignite your creativity.

Construction made simple. A practical guide to tools, techniques and materials is included along with detailed step-by-step instructions. With over 400 drawings, it will guide you through all phases of construction, including:

• Basic house construction
• Electrification
• Building the hallway
• Kitchen
• Stairwell
• Bathroom
• Living room
• Bedroom
• Nursery.

Details, details, details - because they make all the difference. Easy-to-follow instructions will help you build up the wall panels to create the deep recesses, fancy paneling, and wall niches that make this miniature home so special. These are techniques that you can use into any dollhouse you make. Plus, you’ll learn more about creating authentic miniatures with expert advice on furnishings, decorations and paint colors.

The secret to a realistic and authentic looking period dolls' house is in the fixtures and fittings - these are both the basics and the finishing touches. Each chapter of this book deals with a different fixture or fitting, discussing how it featured in the period home, illustrated with a beautiful fully dressed miniature room set. The chapter then goes on to feature a captioned, photographic gallery of ideas, shown in chronological order, from Tudor and Georgian through to Victorian and even Art Deco. This will assist the model maker both in selecting a model suitable for a particular dolls' house, and in styling it. A myriad of accessories to dress each feature is also illustrated in full colour. Finally, each chapter has a selection of step-by-step projects that show how to make or adapt some of the fixtures and fittings featured, including tips on achieving decorative finishes and effects.

This book of needlework (soft furnishings) for dollhouses by the editors of International Dolls' House News contains projects similar to those in Pamela Warner's Miniature Embroidery for the Victorian Doll's House but has a broader scope, covering British styles from 1845 to the present. Projects for curtains, rugs, and accessories include descriptions of period furnishings, charts, patterns, and photos of the finished items in a dollhouse setting. These are cleverly designed needlework miniatures that add an authentic touch to period rooms and would be collectible in their own right by needlework enthusiasts.

The authors aim to provide the answers for all those seeking to create a garden to match their dolls' house. This practical guide offers comprehensive coverage of items such as the lawn, paving, ponds and pergolas, and even the garden shed. Ideas are combined with advice on selecting the appropriate materials and products for garden features in 1/12 scale. Eight complete garden designs are presented, each with plans, photographs and detailed instructions for assembly.

You now, there are just so many many more books about this wonderful miniature world, some are for learnings, others are just filled with such beautiful pictures that you wanna make yourself a cup of coffee or tea and just sit down with it for hours

Enjoy

See ya

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