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

Dollhouse Decorating Ideas – Finding Your Marbles

First off, this “how-to” is about making custom wallpaper that looks like the stone, not the little round things called shooters, aggies, clearies and such. 

I found this idea on the Better Homes & Gardens website on making your own marbleized wallpaper. It looks like fun and is not hard to do. The only issue is scaling done the ingredients from the real room-sized portions given in the article. 

This technique is not limited to wallpaper, of course, or for any time period or style. From marble floors in a Victorian dollhouse to pop art on the walls of a modern miniature,  

If you absolutely, positively can't find what you want from the many artisans and shops online, try this method to create your own unique design.

Dollhouse Decorating - Elegant Home Office

In real life, a home office does not have to hidden behind louvered doors in an extra closet, The same is true in contemporary room boxes or dollhouses. Here is one example of how to do it in a tiny space, and still have this work area fit in with elegant surroundings.

In the picture with the butterfly print on the wall, the sofa was moved to the center of the living room, using the space behind as a home office. A glass-top desk and narrow credenza have just enough room behind the sofa. With this arrangement, if the TV is centered in front of the sofa, and the desk is too, you can have entertainment while you work.

For me, there's a big negative with this plan. I dislike seeing a big, flat-screen TV on a living room wall. The pictures with the rust-colored walls show how I handled this for a client.









I bought a stretcher at Michaels, boxed in the telly with 1X4s and stapled a piece of Marimekko fabric art to it. The stylized poppy picture is easily removed when it's time to zone-out with the tube. Why not do the same in a miniature?

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.

Minimalist

The sidewalk cafe fabric art in the dining area came from the Mairmekko 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.

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.

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.