When I was quite young (5? maybe) I had a metal dollhouse. I don't recall anymore exactly what it looked like, but this is close. All I remember with any detail is the bathtub, which was exactly like one I found recently on eBay (and didn't buy).
We eventually "sold" the house for peanuts (literally) at a Parks & Recreation end-of-summer carnival.
When I was a bit older, I was allowed to play with some of my father's older architectural models (Dad was an architect).
I made homes for Fisher Price Little People™ out of tissue boxes.
And I collected furniture for when I would have a real dollhouse of my own.
It took a while, but, when I was 18, I spotted The House at a garage sale. It was large – a front-opening colonial saltbox style with a detachable kitchen. It was perfect.
I brought it home, painted and papered the inside, attached faux clapboard siding (made of matboard) on the outside, added a few architectural details (archways to a pair of alcoves in the living room) and moved my collection of furniture in.
When I left Pennsylvania to move to California, I packed up my furniture and accessories but left the house behind. We sold (gave?) it to the daughter of friends of my parents.
For the next three years, my furniture resided in four rooms on two shelves of a glass-fronted legal cabinet…
Leave a comment