When I was a child I had a beautiful doll house. It was in the style of a traditional British 1950's detached home with leaded windows which opened. It had furniture and a family made with bendy pipe-cleaner type limbs all wearing 1950's style clothes. For hundreds of years children have played with doll houses and you can see some amazing examples in museums across the world.
I loved my house and played endlessly with it. When I started my own family I hoped I would have at least one child who would love dolls houses as much as me but sadly they never seemed to have an interest.
I was not surprised to learn that some adults build and/or decorate and furnish doll houses for themselves and can see how it could become a very satisfying hobby.
(I also know of one friend who treated herself to a bargain table and chairs from eBay only to discover she had bought doll house furniture - we teased her about that for a very long time.)
Imagine being to create the home of your dreams - in miniature. From English Victorian to vintage Japanese or choose a decade with a style you admire. You could even choose to create an interior using today's contemporary style.
I spotted an architect-designed house style which was gorgeous - I'm certainly never going to live in that kind of house so it would be cool to at least have a miniature version. You can build your own house from scratch or buy one of the many kits available.
If you want to make your doll house completely authentic it's important to research the style and period of house you have chosen.
If you want to really create something spectacular pay attention to the details. If you are creating modern house you need to look for modern lamps, rugs and modern dolls house wallpaper.
If you prefer a vintage style it might be fun to hunt down original vintage dolls house furniture at online auction sites or at car boot sales and bric-a-brac/antique stores. You can even get powered items so you can light the lamps in your little house for extra realism.
Search online for "doll's house collectors clubs" to find hints, tips and like-minded people who might be able to help you create your perfect house- it might be nice to chat to people with the same hobby too.
Some people create houses for themselves while others make them for their children. I like the idea of creating a heritage piece which could be passed on to grandchildren.
Such an heirloom should not be kept on a high shelf out of reach of curious playful hands however - half the joy of a passed down toy is sharing the memories with your children of when you played with the same doll house. It would be a lovely way to spend some time, playing together with such a timeless toy.