Reader Collection – Vintage Doll Houses with Anna-Maria of The Shopping Sherpa
{Click on Images to Enlarge}
How did you get started collecting doll houses?
When I was 9 or
10 I found an old dolls' house in the next door neighbours' shed which they let
me have.
What's your favorite item out of the
collection?
That's a little like asking which of your children is
your favorite, isn't it? There are many answers to this question depending on
the parameters, but probably my Kaleidoscope House as I love it to bits and it'd
probably be something I'd try to save if there was a fire. Various pieces
of furniture and accessories are favorites for different reasons: the silver
cutlery set I bought in a little dolls' house shop in Helsinki, for instance,
which always brings back memories of that trip. My Brio Jacobsen Swan
sofa, because it was the first piece of that set I managed to buy. The tulip
chair I bought off Ken Selwood at the London Dolls House Festival: he let me
take home his sample because I'd come from the other side of the world. Some
homemade pieces I made when I was young which have sentimental meaning. Various
gifts from friends…
Kaleidoscope House Bathroom
Kaleidoscope House Espresso Machine
Kaleidoscope House Dining Room
What's missing from your
collection, that you dream about
having?
If space and money
were no object and I could magic up items from my wish-list: a Triang suntrap
house, a flat roofed Lundby from the 60s, a Brio bungalow, a Jenny Home house, a
custom made apartment block that I've been thinking of making for about 20
years, and a Mark Turpin original. And that's just the
houses!
Mini Hill House
What do you think makes a great
collector or a great collection?
to say they'd be knowledgeable about their collection and willing to share that
knowledge but I suppose that's an individual choice. Some people collect things
just because they like them in a scattergun approach and others are more
disciplined and scholarly in their collecting
pursuits.
Vintage Triang Dolls House
Anna-Maria had the pleasure of sharing her collection in the exhibition "
contemporary dolls' houses 1957 – 2007"at Canberra Museum and
Gallery Be sure to click on the link to see more of her collection. Also, a special thanks to Anna-Maria for a peek into her wondrous homes. It was so hard to choose photos from her collection to show you, so be sure to check out her Flickr Sets, lastly visit her blog The Shopping Sherpa to here more in depth details of her collection.
Thanks for the mention but just to set the record straight: the Hill House actually belongs to a mini buddy who owns a fabulous Art Deco B&B in The Southern Highlands…
(More house pictures here: http://theshoppingsherpa.blogspot.com/2008/11/whats-at-bottom-of-divas-garden.html )