Shy wallflowers don’t get any attention, so insipid wallpaper in your dolls’ house will make very little impact.

There are many alternatives available to commercially produced dolls’ house wallpapers. Here are some ideas provided by fellow enthusiasts.

• Use your computer to make wallpaper patterns by printing out designs onto coloured paper. You can add more detail with felt tip pens, coloured pencils or rubber stamps from a craft shop.
• Experiment with real - scale wallpaper in your miniature scene. The clever use of mixed scales can be dramatic and unexpected.
• Stipple your walls with layers of water - based hobby paints. Achieve a two - tone look by building up layers of complementing or contrasting shades.
• Try using stencils or borders at the top of the walls.
• Vary the texture of your dolls’ house walls by including dado rails or wood panelling.
• All materials intended for floors can be used just as effectivley on walls, including tiles, bricks and even carpets.
• Large wall mirrors give the illusion of space and reflect hard - to - see miniatures, they also reflect light and will brighten up the whole room.

Why not encourage your other senses, not just sight?

Here are a few ideas to add scent, sound and touch to your 1:12th scale project.

Scent; place pot - pourri, loose aromatic tea leaves or fragrant wood chips in miniature bowls, or add to your garden scene.

Sound; create miniature wind chimes from tiny shells or miniature bells from a craft shop. Try using an old watch face as a wall clock, make a card ‘frame’ to hide the winding stem. The authentic ticking sound instantly adds a homely feel.

Touch; textures are perceived not only through your hands - eyes also notice the roughness of your bricks, the smoothness of wood, hardness of metal etc. Use a variety of textured materials to create an interesting combination.

These are just a few of our ideas, we would love to hear about how you bring scent, sound and touch to your Dolls House Emporium house.

Here are some useful tips for buying dolls’ house furniture. To start with, keep in mind the era or style you are creating while looking for your furniture. If you are styling your dolls’ house in a Victorian fashion then look for furniture with carved and mahogany finish or go in for the ready-made sets advertised as Victorian.

Make sure you plan out the room and try to keep to the furniture you planned. Miniatures are addictive and you can never finish collecting more and more but start by getting your main key pieces of furniture and then you can add further miniatures and accessories as you wish.

Always measure your dolls’ house rooms before you get the furniture you are eager to buy. Make sure that the furniture will fit your house. If you are buying furniture for children’s dolls’ houses keep the style simple and brightly coloured.

When you are buying furniture for your dolls’ house, think of it as buying furniture in your own home. There has to be a chosen style and there has to be a budget. Of course, if you are buying for a child’s dolls’ house then the style may not be as important.

Perplexed about painting?

We are often asked what kind of paint we recommend for finishing Dolls House Emporium kits.

For woodwork, including windows, doors , stairs etc, a hobby paint such as ‘Plasticote’ is ideal, it’s available in spray or brush-on form from craft and DIY stores.

Interior and exterior walls are best done in a satin-finish paint as this can be wiped clean with a damp cloth if it becomes marked by fingerprints, etc. Sample pots from DIY stores are a great way to obtain a small amount of your chosen shade.

For a textured stone effect paint ‘Santex’ is a great spray, also available from DIY stores. Alternatively, try mixing a small amount of sand into your paint to create your own textured finish.

To avoid all exterior decorating, choose a house from our Quickstyle range, where all the hard work is done for you!

You can also visit the Discussion Forum for help and advice from other enthusiasts, or view the Masterclass for further inspiration!

Whether you’re looking for inspiration for your own dolls’ house, a gift for an enthusiast or just an interesting and informative read, we now have a wide selection of dolls’ house reference books available on our website.

Books covering the historical, decorative and fantasy aspects of the fascinating dolls’ house hobby are all offered at very affordable prices through our partnership with Amazon, the online bookstore.