My doll room

Fasten you seat belts...I'm about to rant.

We have been "building" our house for 15 years. Seriously. You really can't tell from the outside...just the inside. Our bedroom isn't finished yet. It's on the lower of three levels. So, we sleep in what was always supposed to be the piano room. It will, someday, still be the piano room, but also my doll room. I was really optimistic that I would get my doll room this summer. But....we still aren't done remodeling the family room and office!

My DH, bless his heart, loves to do everything himself. He's one of those people that can figure out how to do anything. But he's extremely time challenged. Most of the house is finished, and I love the rooms that are done. I'm a decorating junkie, so I do enjoy my home.

My dolls are in the living room, and to be honest, I feel like I need them to be in a more private space. I think I would enjoy them more, and feel more free to display my things. The living room is really girlie, and I love it, but I would prefer to get my stinkin' doll room!

I also find it interesting that I am more excited at the prospect of getting my doll room, than actually having my new bedroom. [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

Do any of you feel like you could enjoy your collection more, if you had a special place to display and keep it all? And those of you with doll rooms.... [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img] No...I'm just kidding....those of you with doll rooms... [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img] Please tell me what you like most about your room, and things you reccomend I do...if I ever get mine! Well, if I get it while I'm still young enough to remember where it is. [img]wink.gif[/img]

I hear your frustration loud and clear, Jenny! My dh is the same, he can do anything - from digging a foundation, doing electrical and plumbing to laying down exquisite diagonal tile in a foyer. But since he's in construction all day, that's the last thing on his mind when he gets home. He's such a sweetheart though that I've learned to live with it. And I've figured out his time schedule; when he says "I think I'll do such & such", I can plan on that such & such to take three years almost to the day. [img]wink.gif[/img] At least I don't have to wait forever.

I don't have a doll room and have mixed feelings about it. For me, I'm so active in real life, I would probably never go in a doll room. I like the way my dolls fit into my life. They come to me, I don't go to them. So sometimes they're by my computer, sometimes in the dining room or living room.

They don't all stay together either because of space restrictions so they live kinda "vignette lifestyles" by posing in little scenarious around the house. The dolls seem more real to me when they enter my world rather than me entering theirs. I don't know if that made sense. But perhaps you can think of an alternate way to enjoy your dolls instead of waiting for their room to be built.

Hmmm, that gives me an idea. What would your husband think if the dolls decided to take matters into their own hands? You wouldn't say a word to your dh but he would come home one day and see the girls in the corner seriously looking over some plans and paint chips. Then a couple days later he would come home and see the dolls rummaging around in his work shop. The day he saw the dolls with saws and hammers might let him know how anxious they are to get their own space? [img]wink.gif[/img]

Julia

Because I'm at school, I don't really have anywhere to display my girls. I would LOVE to have a doll room someday, though. I'm just a very private person, and I'm also extremely protective of my things, so I'd rather not have them out where random visitors would see them or mess with them. I see having a doll room as a sort of sanctuary. I'm also thinking by the time I have my own house I'm gonna need a separate room to store it all. [img]wink.gif[/img]

- Becca

Julia...your comment about your husband being so sweet, is exactly how I handle it. Once in a while I get a little irritated, but I always calm back down. My husband works 13-14 hours a day, so I know he needs me to cut him some slack. He's so sweet, and so willing to help everyone, so I usually just don't say anything. But, since we started our remodeling job, I am on a role. I just want to get everything done.

I think my DH would die laughing if I started posing the dolls around the house. My kids would start talking in hushed tones behind my back, too. I can just hear them, " Is there something wrong with mom?" They already think my doll habit is nuts. That's partially why I want my own little doll world. [img]wink.gif[/img] Part of what keeps me from REALLY collecting, is the fact that I don't have a special place to keep things. I have a doll closet, and the living room is a quiet retreat, but I just want more privacy. I stay on the go most days, but I really enjoy quiet, pretty spaces on the house, where I can have some quiet time.

I have big plans for this room....now if I just can make it all happen. I have this wonderful antique love seat. It's from the late 1800's, and it's at my mother's house right now. I don't have room for it here. I plan to put it in the doll room....it's got the most beautiful carving on the back of it. There is a nice sized closet in the room, and I plan to remove the doors, and make different sizes of shelves in the closet. Then I can set up different scenes in there. I also want to put some big book cases on one wall, to hold other things. I still want to put the piano in there, but we'll see if I actually have room for it! LOL!!!!!

DD has invited her friends from Norway to come this summer and spend a couple of weeks. So far, they're coming. That means we NEED to have our bedroom finished before they get here. Or at least to the point where I can put a bed in there. So hopefully that will help, but I'm not holding my breath!

Well, I've got the rooms, got them decorated, now I'm rearranging, lol. Since my business involves alot of time at the embroidery machine, my dolls are going in the room with my sewing stuff, where my My Little Ponies and Breyers are also displayed. Because of having three dogs and two cats, I like to be able to keep my dolls (ponies, etc.) in a safe place when I'm not enjoying them.

I have a six foot long table that fits into the alcove perfectly. I'm going to divide it up into three scenes eventually, I know at least one will be Kit's attic room. And then I'll add another, shorter and narrower table on the wall beside it (it'll form an L shape) to display the girls not in scenes in their chairs.

Ultimately, I want to take over most of our basement for my toy collections, since we're turning th ebiggest room into the ultimate rec room...and I think an AG sized dollhouse would be an ultimate rec room type accessory. [img]wink.gif[/img]

We have (had) a formal dinning room which is 27' x 24'. I have taken it over for my doll and sewing room. I have most of my sceens and settings all the way around the room. I love being able to keep the dolls and their things out. Unfortunately not all the settings fit in this room any longer. The Asian sceen is in the family room and Samantha's is in the Master bedroom. What am I going to do with Kirsten's when I get it. LOL

One suggestion I have is have tables to put your settings on if possible. Mine are all sitting on the floor. It's not so easy getting up from the floor these days.

I also understand your frusteration. My fiance and I bought a house 3 yeas ago this summer; we've been "remodelling" for the past 3 years without making much progress. We have a spare bedroom, which is bascially my room. There I have my crafts, sewing machine and materials and dolls. It's not a big room and it also serves as a spare bedroom at the same time.

I would love to have a large doll room with enough space for each doll to have a corner larger enough to set up furniture and scenes and settings. That way the dolls can be posed and displayed. Right now all I have is a shelf where th dolls are standing and all of the furniture is in boxes because there isn't enough room to display. I have dogs and cats as well, so I always have to keep the door closed, or put up gates. One of the problems with this room is that it does not have good ventilation so it gets really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter and I'm afraid it might take a toll on the dolls and their outfits/accessories.

One member of this board has some great pics of the doll house/room her husband has built her. Hopefully she or someone else would post the link again and you can get some ideas.

<font color="#051E50"><font size="1">[ April 24, 2005 07:48 PM: Message edited by: AnneMarie ]</font></font>

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ April 24, 2005 07:51 PM: Message edited by: AnneMarie ]</font>

The doll rooms of the members of this Board will take your breath away. Some of them are so incredibly gorgeous ..well, I feel as though I should have paid an entrance fee or something for viewing! Thank you Board members for sharing your doll rooms!

When I envision my future dream doll room, it looks like a room put together by the team of employees who do the displays at AGP, LOL! You think maybe one day I can hire them?

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One member of this board has some great pics of the doll house/room her husband has built her. Hopefully she or someone else would post the link again and you can get some ideas.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That would be Maria. I LOVE looking at her "doll house".

Yes, I thought it must be Maria too. She's at http://www.justmagicdolls.com

I have been collecting antique dolls for a very long time, but they are still in a chest of drawers, where they have lived for years.

Still, we had to have something for my dd's growing AG family and so built a three story home for them. It still has some minor details, like lighting to address. The family has already outgrown it, and it has not been done a year. Her bedroom is fairly large, but she has a full sized piano in there too. I'm thinking we take the roof off next?