How Do I Make a Doll House Book Shelf?

When deciding which furnishings you want for your miniature home, a doll house book shelf should be among them. Maybe the inhabitants like to read, or have a collection of tiny plates, vases, or knickknacks. Book shelves can be fashioned from kits or from scratch in wood, cardboard, or polymer clay. You can also make real-size shelves that function as doll houses.

Craft wood in various finishes is available from hobby or hardwood suppliers. Whatever material you are using, measure your components carefully. You will need to use a scale that allows the doll house book shelf to fit in your house or room box. 1:12 is the standard for collectibles, where one inch equals a foot (2.54 cm equals 30.48 cm), 1:24 is a half inch to a foot (1.27 cm to 30.48 cm), and Playscale is 1:6 (2.54 cm equals 15.24 cm), which fits most fashion dolls. Ready-made kits will have all the pieces cut out in scale for you to assemble easily.

Once your doll house book shelf has been cut out, assemble it using wood or craft glue. If you plan on staining your wood shelves, you may want to do this first because any stray glue drops will block stain. Painting before gluing is a good idea, especially if you plan to paint the backs of the shelves, because it's easier than reaching into a tiny space. Hold the piece together with clamps or rubber bands until it dries.

Tiny squares can be cut out of thin magazine spines and covered with adhesive kitchen paper or other materials to look like books with pages. Miniatures stores sell books and newspapers in scale, and some can even be read. The famous Queen Mary Doll’s House, for example, has an extensive library with handwritten books penned by Thomas Hardy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling, and other famous authors.

You can also make a full-sized bookcase that looks like a dollhouse. There are plans online and in books, or you can build a stylized frame surround for an ordinary shelf. Another option is to put the doll house itself inside the piece, with each shelf a different room. You can insert dividers so both a room and some books will fit. Wallpaper stuck to card and fastened to the back of the shelves with double-sided tape is a good way to decorate each room, and is easy to remove later.