{Update - This dollhouse kit is no longer in production but may still be available on online auction sites.}
Micro dollhouses are built to a scale of 1/144 inch, making them small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Often called a "dollhouse for your dollhouse," they are also popular in railroad displays.
These dollhouses can be made from solid resin, but there are many kits available that allow for a more detailed and personalized finish. These kits are crafted from thin, laser-cut wood and assemble similarly to tab-and-slot dollhouses, with the main difference being their small size.
Due to their delicate nature, the kits require minimal sanding. You will only need to sand small areas where the parts were attached to the sheet.
Materials Needed:
- Large table
- Spotlight
- Very fine tip paint brushes
- Parchment paper
Since these dollhouses are so tiny, all interior areas must be finished during assembly, as accessing them later will be very difficult or impossible. You should decide on your interior finishes ahead of time and have them ready during assembly.
Suggested Finishes:
- Paint
- Wallpaper
- Stain
- Interior trim
If you have a keen eye and a good imagination, you might even create your own window treatments, which should also be applied during assembly. These can be made from paper, such as doilies.
Glue Application
Using the right glue and application method is crucial for successful assembly. Tacky or white glue is recommended for this scale; avoid wood glue, as it does not dry clear and most parts need finishing before installation.
The application method is just as important as the glue itself. Use a soft squeeze bottle to transfer your glue. These lightweight bottles can be fitted with metal tips for precise control over the glue flow, which is essential for such a small project. The metal tips often come with long pins to prevent clogging when not in use. If your tips do not include these pins, you can use a map pin to keep the holes clear of dried glue. A glue syringe would also work.
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| Glue squeeze bottles |
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| Precision metal tips |
Finishing Touches
The Micro Beacon Hill Dollhouse is assembled similarly to The Micro Garfield Dollhouse model. Here are some finishing tips that apply to any micro-scale dollhouse kit.
Display table kits for these tiny dollhouses are available, made from laser-cut wood, with some designed for specific models. After assembling my dollhouse, I repainted it in a color scheme similar to the original. This was quite challenging due to the tiny parts. I used fine-tip paint brushes and toothpicks for precise application.
I created a chimney to match the one-inch scale version of this dollhouse model. The kit does not include a chimney, so I made one using a square dowel, thin strips of wood, and a printed brick pattern. For smoke, I used cotton. The same brick print was applied to the bay's foundation.
To enhance the roof's detail, I used a shingle paper printout and copper paint for the dormer tops. Printing shingles, wallpaper, and flooring from your computer is a practical option for dollhouses of this scale since the small amounts required won’t significantly impact printer ink. Thin printer paper is easy to work with at this size, and small wallpaper prints always turn out clear and crisp. Shingle strips and wallpaper for this scale can be costly and hard to find. Printing your own finishes can help keep costs down, especially with the many patterns available online.
I wallpapered the dollhouse after assembly, which I wouldn’t recommend. It’s easier to do this during assembly because many interior areas become inaccessible afterward. Fortunately, the Beacon Hill model had few completely inaccessible areas, except for the attic, which was already painted. I managed to wallpaper most walls using long tweezers to reach tight spots.
Always use a glue stick for adhering wallpaper or printed items at this scale. Other types of glue can add too much moisture to thin printer paper, causing tears, wrinkles, or ink bleeding. A thin layer of glue from a glue stick works perfectly. Applying wallpaper to an assembled dollhouse is similar to larger models; the technique is the same but requires careful glue selection.
For finishing touches, I cut baseboards from white cardstock into thin strips and adhered them with a glue stick. I used thin strips of printer paper for trim around doors and windows; corrective tape could also work. For a more polished look, I added thin strip wood trim along the back wall edges.
Furniture for these small dollhouses is mostly made of metal, but you can find more detailed pieces at specialty stores. 3D-printed furniture is increasingly popular due to its intricate designs. As this scale gains popularity, more detailed wooden furniture kits are becoming available. Accessories can be harder to find, but custom artisan-made pieces are available online.
I made a tiny fruit bowl for the dining room table using air-drying clay and printed area rugs on cardstock paper. I left extra edges on the rug ends so I could snip them into fringe.
For the display table's top, I covered it with grass using Noch grass or craft store diorama grass, both suitable for this scale. I also cut small pieces from a Squeeze Me bush to create smaller bushes for the dollhouse and made a walkway from sandpaper. The little curls at the roof corners mimic those on the one-inch scale version of this dollhouse. I cut these curls from fabric tape, painted them blue, and glued them onto each roof corner.
