DIY Dollhouse Furniture

Do you have a little one who loves to play house?

I was wandering about a toy store last Christmas trying to decide on a gift for my daughter Sarah (2.5yrs). She is still at the wonderful age where I can take her along to the toy store and she is none the wiser.

On this particular occasion, as I picked up this and that I noticed that Sarah had spent the entire time playing with a dollhouse. As she chatted away, she put little people to bed and others took baths. Her sweet reenactments of our daily lives very quickly helped me decide on a gift.  Sarah plays with her dollhouse everyday. Taking care of ‘her kids’ is her favourite game.

Now a dollhouse just simply wouldn’t be complete without furniture. These tiny chairs and tables are beautiful in their simplicity. They take next to no time to make and are free; being made from beautifully textured branches.

How to make dollhouse furniture

You’ll need:

• some branches – at least wide enough to fit your child’s little dolls
• a saw
• a chisel
• a hammer
• some sandpaper

How to make a chair:

1. using the saw,  make a cut where you would like the top of your chair seat
2. cut about 2/3 of the way through the branch – this will be your seat
3. make a series of cuts up the branch
4. using the chisel and hammer, gently chisel out the cuts – this will be the back of your chair
5. give your little one some sandpaper and have them help you sand the chair smooth

How to make a stool:

1. simply cut your branch to the height you want for the stool
2. sand your stool

How to make a table:

1. using a thicker branch simply cut a thick slice to make a table
2. use the sandpaper to smooth

Once you’ve made your first set, your mind will be buzzing with ideas for making new additions. You could make:

• a little bed from a long thin slice
• or use some twine and some smaller branches to make a clothes line
• add a fabric scrap for a rug
• some upturned acorn caps for bowls and some little wood chips for plates

See.

Buzzing with ideas.

And if you have older children, this would be a wonderful project for them to take creative control over as they fill their dollhouse with beautiful, natural furniture.