Dollhouse Decorating – Wall Art: 3 Spacing Ideas

I seem to have a followed a Rule of Three in my decorating assignments: Minimalist, where a single piece of art over-powers every thing else in the frame; Maximum, where a cluster of pictures give the impression of a single image filling the frame; and Moderate, which I was supposed to have learned at my mother's knee. You've got it, “moderation in all things.” To me that's the traditional way of hanging paintings, a few well-lit works being in balance with the room. The three pictures below show what I mean.

Maximum

A grouping of pictures should be thought of as one unit. Marshall Erb's use of space, not only accomplishes this in his cluster of pictures, but he maximized the limited space available by putting the dining room table in an alcove created by ripping out an unused walk-in closet in the room on the other side of the wall. Brilliant!



The easiest way to get the spacing right is to lay the pictures on a piece of paper and play with combinations until you get what you want. Trace around each object and use that as a template to attach the photos to the wall.

Minimalist
The sidewalk cafe fabric art in the dining area came from the Marimekko catalogue. The house had cathedral ceilings and that 12 foot terra cotta faux-brick wall was depressing. I convinced the client to paint it white and brighten the dining area with a piece of art that had a connection to food. Cool, isn't it? The client loved it too, when it was done.

For a piece of miniature fabric art, “audition” a large-pattern material with a window cut out of a piece of card stock in the scale in which you are working. Keep looking 'til you find what you want, and buy the minimum amount off the bolt that they'll sell you.



Moderation

You can't go wrong with the traditional way of hanging art, as shown in the Edwardian dollhouse drawing room below. In this case the 'frame' is the space to the left and right of the fireplace. In other room, the frame could be the space above a chair rail and between two windows. Remember, there is always a frame and it's your job is to place the art in it, just so.

Lighting

There are so many ways to light room boxes and dollhouse now, this should not be an issue. The spaces we deal with are so small, track and spot lighting should not be necessary. Try to build up the light level so indirect illumination is enough. Let the color in the art work do the talking.

Susan Downing

Thinking About The Invisible, aka Negative Space

An important principle taught in art school is called "negative space," the space that surrounds an object in an image. Being incredible witty, we called it "formal waste." But it is important in defining the boundaries around images and brings balance to a composition.

Keep this in mind if you want your room box to feel airy and spacious, or as I like to put it, "think about the invisible." Create as much unused space as possible in your miniature. This doesn't necessarily mean less furniture, but being more selective in choices available, in whatever time period you are working.

For example instead of having a sofa that has a skirt all the way to the floor, have one that has the legs visible, so that you can see underneath. That's the "invisible" part. You don't see the bottom of the sofa. You only see the seat and back, but your mind knows there is probably empty space under there. Sure enough. Hold the box at eye level and you can see all the way to the wall. This gives the illusion of a small block of a space being used rather than a large block.

The same is true of tables, which should have relatively thin tops and legs, They take up less visual space. Add a mirrored top, if authentic, to reflect more space.

Sheer curtains allow the viewer to see beyond, which adds up to more space. A single large piece of art appears to take up less wall space than a grouping of pictures of the same overall dimensions.

Keep books and knick-knacks on flat surfaces to a minimum. Book cases with open backs appear less bulky than enclosed ones. Instead of a solid mass of books, use a clear vase, a stack of two or three books or a picture frame on one of the shelves. It looks as though you can see right through to the wall

Furniture spacing is another way you can give a miniature room a more spacious feeling is furniture placement. These suggestions are relevant only If your project emulates reality, not If you are recreating a memory, which requires the use of as many meaningful objects as possible.

Make sure you don't interfere with traffic flow. Don't block doorways, so that a person would have to go around a chair or table. Traffic should "flow" like a stream, unblocked by obstacles.

If your room box can be viewed from the top through glass or a vinyl sheet, be careful about putting a coffee table so close to the sofa that in real life, a person would have to squeeze by to sit down. If your miniature can only be viewed from the front, it's okay to cheat a bit if you have to balance perspective.

Don't block windows with furniture. And try to keep from having furniture lined up against the walls. Rather, have a grouping of furniture for people to sit close and have a conversation. And be surrounded by negative space.

Rugs should anchor furniture. Put the front legs of a sofa on the rug; back legs on the flooring underneath. If angling furniture across a corner, do it with more than one piece. Or angle the rug, too. The idea is to arrange right angles for each object. One lonely piece just looks like you've cut off the corner.

If it's a modern dollhouse, don't have all of the furniture aimed at the TV. The living or family rooms are for relating with people, not staring at a boob tube. Unless you're making a statement about the times in which we live.

The picture is of a creation by miniaturist Mark Wu

Dollhouse Decorating - Rugs Rule The Room

There are all sorts of rules about how big a rug should be. It is true, Interior designers break them all the time. But before trying in your dollhouse miniature, it is best to know what some of those rules are.

Front legs On

This is the most common rule today. The rug should be large enough to slide under the front legs of sofas and chairs in a seating arrangement. Put a coffee table in the center, with a sofa on one long side of the rug, a love seat on the other and a chair at each end. Each member of this conversation group is facing someone, and is able to reach a coaster for their teacup. If you are working in 1/12 scale, it works out that you need an 8 X 12" rug.

This standard arrangement is great for the average large living room, A long Victorian drawing room wound have enough space for two of these conversation groupings. But what if your room is not large enough to also allow for the free flow of traffic That "what "if' opens the door for an amazing number of broken rules.

What if the focal point of the room is a fireplace and everyone wants to watch the warming glow while chatting and sipping something stronger than tea. Move the love seat to one narrow end of the rug, both chairs shift to the other, the coffee table moves closer to the fireplace and the sofa takes command of the long side of the rug, moving closer to the fireplace. This means the back legs are probably on the rug, breaking the "front legs on " rule, right? No, you are now covered by the Some

The same situation exists if you replace the fireplace with a picture window, or if it's a long narrow room where the sofa-sitters would be facing a blank wall if you had not brilliantly filled the space with a stunning piece of fabric art or a mural.

All Legs Rule

If maintaining realism is important, be careful not to crowd the coffee table in order to keep the back legs on the rug. Better to revert to the Front Legs Rule. Or buy a bigger rug,

This rule is also useful under a dining room table and chairs, especially in an open floor plan, where the rug can be a defining factor in just exactly where the dining room is.

No Legs On

Best for small groupings, with a 4 X 6" rug in 1/12 scale. It is also useful in a nursery, where a small play space for an infant is desirable, but the ease of cleaning the surrounding area is a must.

Few Inches Rule, Eighteen Mainly

There should be approximately 18 inches of bare floor between edge of the rug and the perimeter walls. The size of the room dictates the size of the rug, which being the largest object in the room, still holds our attention. 

Unless, you have a very narrow room or a hallway, with a writing desk on one wall, perhaps, or two chairs on the opposite sides of a low table. The floor is not attractive, but don't want a wall-to-wall carpet look either.

Cheat

Perhaps these rules should be called "guidelines," except for this last one: The Cheat Rule. It is cut in stone. What is true in a real room may not be so in a room box, which we usually view from one side. So, whatever scale you are working in, the proportions have to be pleasing to the eye. That's paramount, and if the measurements don't fit any of the above guidelines, it's okay to cheat, of course.

Dollhouse Decorating – Space Saving

As an interior design specializing in small-space living, I am constantly researching how other designers handle challenges. A Chicago designer, Marshall Erb, has a wonderful way of handling space, which is so applicable to dollhouse miniatures.

Look at all the elements in the picture of a dining room table set in an alcove, and picture how you could utilize this idea in a miniature. It's a clean way of using more elements without the room looking cluttered. That's so important for modern miniatures.

Click on the picture to open Marshall's homepage, then click on his portfolio tab. It offers so many ideas for modern dollhouse decorating.