The Best Dollhouses for Kids

I am addicted to real estate listings. Every morning I wake up and check for new ones, I check on old ones I’ve saved, I ponder why something isn’t selling. I make faces at new homes which come on the market and are clearly overpriced, as deemed by my oh so professional opinion.

I have an account at RealEstate.com. I wish they had a personals section where I could connect with other obsessives. I seek out people at parties and find the ones that will talk about real estate. They tell me what street they live on and I say, “Oh yes, there’s that overpriced colonial on the corner there, right?” Or, “Oh! Do you live near that cute brick bungalow with the apple tree in front?” Then they fear I’m stalking them, but I’m not.

For the last 8 months of my family’s life we’ve been pouring a lot of sweat equity into our house getting it ready for a brutal real estate market in a economically depressed area. I finally signed the papers yesterday to get it listed and so there is actual potential that my real estate stalking will become real estate purchasing and I can get back to doing something worthwhile with my life. Like curing cancer or watching Spongebob on the weekends.

Because of this turn of events I thought today would be a lovely time to share some dollhouses I’ve been collecting around the internet in a folder cleverly titled, “Dollhouses”. (My username at Flickr is MelissaS, this kind of creativity is not made, it’s born.)

I’m amazed at how much kids love cardboard boxes, even my 8 year old, and how quickly they become animal hospitals or car repair shops in their minds. I especially love this because my kids are avid television watchers (I know, shameful) and I often worry about their creativity. I love this cardboard house from Kids On Roof for that reason. They don’t necessarily spell out what’s supposed to happen when you play with a doll house with lights and sounds, they let your child play however they want.

I love old houses, even though my old house is trying to kill me. I can’t help it the wide mouldings and high ceilings draw me in. However, in my doll houses I am drawn to sleeker designs. Probably because I think the less fussy the design the easier it is for kids to play. Modern dollhouses can be quite expensive. So expensive that if I bought one it wouldn’t be for a kid to play with. Like this $960 Villa Sibi house, it’s high price tag and uber sleek design is ideal for the raging hipster parent.

 

The Chalet Dollhouse is a bargain at $130 but what makes it unique is that it’s made up of two independent units, your child can arrange in several different ways. Perhaps you’ll have the next Mies van rer Rohe at least until he realizes you have to take a lot of calculus to be an architect and then he’ll crush all your dreams and become an artist. Oh wait, that’s my husband’s story.

This house is a classic Waldorf toy, I think. Waldorf is the one with all the natural toys and such, right? I think it’s just really whimsical and cute. My daughter doesn’t like playing with dolls or small replicas of people. She’s always preferred playing with animal figurines. I can see a family of squirrels living in this little house and having many adventures.

Maybe your child doesn’t dream of sleek lines and open spaces. Maybe when your little one falls asleep at night she wonders if she’ll ever own her very own center entrance colonial. Fret not you little traditionalist, there’s a cute house for you too. This is a 3 story house with 6 bedrooms. A real cream puff! Must see to appreciate! (I love when realtors say that.) This is sounding remarkably like my house but the attic is accessible through stairs in a bedroom closet.

I think the Woody Click doll house is my favorite. It’s a reasonable $69.95 and when you’re ready to expand your house, you can easily add on. After living through a modest home remodel, I think our next house should be a Woody Click because I’m not cut out for anything more than clicking a room onto our house.
The final house on my list isn’t really a house, unless you live in a tree house. In which case this is just like home sweet home. The wooden tree house from Crate and Barrel is based on an actual treehouse at Camp Wandawega. I’m going to be honest– the little hammock hanging off of the tree is what won me over.

If you don’t like any of these choices, I’d be happy to sell you my house at a bargain price.