Now that the walls are up, it's time to paint. I’m painting the dollhouse dark green. The camera flash gives the green a slight grassy tint, but in reality, it’s a deep hunter green. Photos taken without the flash show the true color. I applied one coat of paint and then lightly sanded it. After that, I filled all gaps and tabs with spackle, being careful not to cover any slots needed for the porch. Then, I added a second coat of paint. Any color on this large dollhouse can feel overwhelming until there is some contrast. Once I add doors, windows, balconies, gingerbread trim, and porch railings, the eye will settle, and the green will recede into the background.
Today, I installed some windows. It's important to be cautious during this step to avoid blocking access to certain areas by installing all the doors and windows too soon. Take a moment to reassess the room before finalizing any installations that might close it off permanently. I recommend keeping all balconies and bays open until the end. The guest bedroom balcony can be closed off since that room has good access from the back.
I wanted to install a screen door over the kitchen door, but it was too wide for the narrow opening. Narrowing the screen door would mean removing its sides completely, while widening the kitchen door would render the original kitchen door useless. It became too complicated, so I decided to use the screen door for the gazebo instead.
First, I removed the center wall from the interior of the third-floor tower, which has a small door. Since I no longer need that door, I reinstalled it in its opening. I plan to create a faux door for the screen door. The attic door is too small for it, so I'm leaving it in place and ignoring it for now. Instead, I will make a larger door above it. On the exterior side of this wall, I painted a brown square that matches the size of the screen door and surrounded it with dark green paint. On the interior side, I marked a square with the screen door and stained it brown. I added trim around this square using basswood strips and installed a doorknob. Returning to the front side, I glued the screen door over the brown square to give the appearance of a door behind it. Finally, I installed the regular kitchen door that came with the dollhouse.
