How to Make Your Own Dollhouse

Are you looking for a fun project to do? A fun recycling project that you can do with your children or just for yourself is to make your own dollhouse.

I have made many dollhouses over the years. Some were from kits, some were already started but not finished yet, and then some were made out of everyday objects.

I am going to show you how to make your own dollhouse from objects that you may already own.

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Step 1: Find something to use as a dollhouse

First, you need to find something to use as the house. It doesn’t have to be an actual dollhouse.

For this example, I am using a box with dividers that has a piece of plastic that slides over the front. It can stand up on one end or hang on the wall.

Step 2: Paint the dollhouse

Whatever you use for the house, you will need to paint it before doing anything else. My box is black and gold, so I am keeping it the way it is.

You can always add more details to the outside later, but it is important to paint it first if you are planning on painting it. Paint takes time to dry, and it needs to be done before decorating.

If I was painting my dollhouse, I would just use whatever leftover paint I had. You can use acrylic paint, latex paint, etc.

Step 3: Decorate the walls & floors

After you have your “house” the color you want it, then you will need to find something for flooring and decide how you want the walls to look.

Decorating the Walls

I covered most of my walls with “wallpaper.” My wallpaper is actually scrapbook paper with tiny prints. You don’t want to use paper with a large print because the pictures will be out of proportion with the size of your house.

You can also design your own wallpaper by using computer paper or wrapping paper, but just know that those kinds of paper are a lot thinner than most scrapbook paper.

Decorating the Floors

For flooring, I used a variety of items—felt, self-sticking foam, contact paper, faux leather, and other items. Use whatever you have for the flooring.

I glued everything down with a thin layer of tacky glue to make sure it stays in place.

Step 4: Add the Furniture

After you have finished decorating your rooms, you will have to decide if you want to make furniture or to buy some. I have a mixture of dollar store furniture and homemade furniture.

How to Make Furniture

If you are making furniture, you can use small boxes, sticks, caps off of items, scrap material, sticky foam, wood pieces, or whatever you can think of using.

My sink is made from a box top. I cut off one end because it was really long. The actual sink basin is a container that ranch dressing came in at a fast food place. The faucet is an eye hook screwed into the cardboard. The knobs are metal nuts from my toolbox.

Some of the other furniture I created is made from pieces of cardboard glued together. I added material to the beds and couch.

There are all kinds of things you can do to make furniture. Just look around your house for things that can be glued together.

Step 5: Play with it!

Now it is time to enjoy your dollhouse. If it is going to be played with, you can use any small dolls or animals. I have used bear figurines, fast food doll toys, and actual doll house dolls.

Another Example of a Recycled Dollhouse

This is a dollhouse I made several years ago to enter in my county fair.

Unlike the house in the example above, I decorated the inside as well as the outside. I used felt to create siding on the outside of the house.

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