The Grand Bedroom Botch - up begins !

I have been working hard on my plans for Uncle Morts bedroom , as mentioned in my last post.
Here you can see where I have taken out the bannisters around the stairwell. This was dead space in the bedroom as the gap either side of the bannisters was too small to put anything into .
I wanted to make a built in bed with drapes to free up space in the rest of the room that would otherwise have been mostly filled with bed !


As in all the best botch ups I just got stuck right in and made a framework over the stairwell with square balsa wood strips. I then set in a small door which matches the rest of the doors in the house. I filled the gap above the door with various strips of spare wood I had in my "useful " drawer ! Then I replaced the skirting board, notice my antique cooking weights holding it in place till it dries, they have been a great help building this dolls house !

Here you can see the bed. I simply glued a frame around the wall to support the thin balsa strip I used to make the bed. Because there is hollow space under the bed and over the stairwell you are still able to look up the stairs from the lower floor without the top of the stairs looking blocked.

When you look though the new doorway in the bedroom you can just see the top stair and it looks as if you can easily walk down the stairs ! it is of course just an optical illusion but it will do for me .

The bed is now almost ready to dress. I still have to attach a piece of trim to the left hand inner side and then refit the cornice around the top. There is a space behind the upper wood strip (which I have now wallpapered ) to attach the drapes .

I wasnt able to remove the wall light as its wiring is covered in brickwork on the back of the house, but I think it works effectively where it is , lighting up the bed side beautifully.

I'm very excited now to dress the bed !

More photos soon ..........

julie xx

Inspiration in Chicago

I was in Chicago this April exhibiting my dolls at the Chicago International Show. While there I couldnt resist visiting the wonderful Thorne Rooms exhibition at the Chicago Art Institute. These photos are just some of the miniature rooms there. They are all behind glass so it wasnt easy taking good photos so please excuse the quality.
This first photo in particular really inspired me......... more of that later first here are some of the miniature rooms I liked best.

You would be forgiven for thinking this was a stately home ! The miniatures on display were really beautiful and the needlework in the rugs was amazing .

I loved this kitchen, the wood work was beautifully carved, very simple and oh so realistic.

I loved the way the rooms all had windows with light streaming through and open doors where you could peeek into imaginary rooms beyond !

Now back to Trimbles Toy Emporium .

I am a bit of a stickler for detail in a dolls house. I like to know that my dolls can actually walk up the stairs, open the doors and get about the house in a logical fashion if they so wished !

Sometimes though we have to use illusion and I am going to be doing this in Uncle Morts bedroom.

Uncle Morts room is up the stairs and there is a bannister in the room taking up a lot of space.

Belle's room is accessed by walking up the stairs and right through Uncle Morts room where there is a door to her room.

I really dont like this arrangement and have been dithering about how to overcome it.
However the first of the Thorne room photos shows a really lovely built in bed with curtains and a door leading to steps going up.

My cunning plan is to adapt this idea ( my room is much smaller than the one in the photo ) so that Uncle Mort has a built in bed over the stair well and a door next to it leading to the stairs.

he can then draw the curtains on his bed for privacy as Belle has to pass through his room to get to hers.

It also frees up tons of space in his room for all my other cunning plans !!

I hope to start work on this tonight and will post pictures as I go.................watch this space !

julie xx

The Thorne Rooms Exhibition at Chicago Art Institute