The first step in building your own Victorian dollhouse is to do your research. There are detailed books on the subject. You can read about how to value your building, how to build your furniture, and even kitchen design. There are books on the history and development of materials, design alternatives, and furniture and accessory options. Building and furnishing your home can be as complicated as you like.

Books about shouldn’t be your only resource for your design. Because it is a miniature reflection of life-size merchandise, any information that relates to actual homes and decor will relate. When deciding on your Victorian dollhouse, look for what is included in a real Victorian house. Take a look at the example images and choose which colors, features and appearance you want to include in your tiny version. Queen Mary’s Dollhouse at Windsor Castle was developed to showcase the skills, tastes and materials of the time. Its content replicates many of the elements contained in actual royal castles in England.

Take a look to see what you like and what you would like to include in your miniature house. Then find out how to incorporate those elements into your miniature creation.

Now we have the opportunity to find our materials all over the world. There was a time when the best miniature paraphernalia was made by hand in Germany. Access was restricted to the very wealthy, and the owner was sometimes limited in geography and money to what was possible. Today there are many more places to find quality miniature products and with the internet, the world’s offerings are available to us. Online, you can find tons of options for decorating, furnishing, and customizing your dollhouse. Those options will include items to purchase and instructions for your own creations.

As important as material resources, interaction with other collectors and builders will provide valuable experience. There are groups for enthusiasts on the Internet. Finding a group of like-minded people who share a passion and are there to support, encourage and advise one another is invaluable.

One of the benefits of creating in miniature is that you have much more freedom to experiment. If you try something and it doesn’t work, throw that part away and start over. I’m not talking about dismantling an entire building, but moving things around and changing colors and styles is much easier on a smaller scale than in a full-size environment.

Working on creating a 10-square-inch floor will be less painful if you don’t like it than redoing 300 square feet. And any project that needs to be turned down comes with the learning experience intact. That translates into an easier process next time.

Look at decorating your small structure like you would your own home, except the furniture is less expensive and easier to move. You’ll need to do your research to see what will fit into the bigger picture of your design theme, and then choose what you’d like to live with.

The beauty of a Victorian dollhouse is that you can go wild with foam, colors, and furnishings that you may be hesitant to incorporate into your current living environment.