Grandfather's Dollhouse

When I was five, my Grandfather and Grandmother gave me a dollhouse for Christmas.  Grandfather had built it and Grandmother had decorated it.  I played with it a lot.  When Keith and I came home to pack up my things after we had married, I insisted on packing up my dollhouse and bringing it with us with the dream of fixing it up for my kids to play with one day.  Well, the day finally came six years later on Carli's 4th birthday.  Keith and I did a little remodel on the dollhouse and got it fixed up for her and Ava to play with.  I was pretty excited to get to give it to her and when she asks who made it I get to tell her about my Grandmother and Grandfather.  Pretty special.  :)

After living in our hot attic for six years, the contact paper that had decorated the walls and floors pretty much had fallen off. I did not think to take a before picture until we had pulled all the paper out.  The beds were part of the original furniture I had as a child.

 

Here is a semi in progress picture before and after we added the floors and painted the outside.

 

 

 

I struggled with what to do with the outside because I wasn't sure what room the dollhouse would end up in.  We went with a gray.  With Naggy's help, we painted the base coat in a flat gray and then did a design in the same color but with glossy paint.  If you click on the picture to make it larger you may can see the designs.  It is really subtle but really neat when the light catches it.  The roof has a chevron pattern, the middle has an A on one side, a C on the other and Hays on the back and the bottom is a simple design. 

Finally, here is the after.  The top story is meant to replicate the girls room now.  We reused the beds that my Grandparents had given me with the dollhouse.  We also reused the bathroom fixtures.  Grammy made the rug for the playroom/living room or whatever the girls deem it to be.  Grammy and Pa also gave Carli some of her dolls and really neat car to go with them.  Naggy and Pappy provided the kitchen furniture.  Carli used some of her birthday money to buy a few more dolls and dog furniture.  Right now the dollhouse is in the living room by the fireplace.  The girls play with it every day.  We are very pleased with the result and the use it is getting!  I only wish that my Grandfather and Grandmother could have met Carli and Ava and been able to enjoy watching them play with the dollhouse as well.