Painting the Dollhouse + viii Elementary Color Scheme Ideas for Crafting

It's been a month since I first shared the dollhouse I'g renovating for my daughter, and information technology's already looking a lot unlike! In that commencement post, I shared some "before" photos, my color palette and plans. Now the dollhouse has been painted, I accept some progress shots and tips to share! Read on for my tips for how to pigment a 1:12 inch scale dollhouse plus a collection of fresh, modern colour scheme ideas for crafting miniatures, or really anything else!

How to paint a dollhouse | progress photo of a classic dollhouse 1:12 inch scale with the best creamy white paint color

How to paint a dollhouse | 1:12 inch scale dollhouse painted in shades of cream, green and rust with a vintage cottage look

To see what the dollhouse looked like earlier, click here.

I'm going for a vintage, earthy, cottage-y kind of vibe with my dollhouse renovation. I chose a pared back color scheme of cream, olive, terra cotta and rust. I took this photos later painting but before adding wallpaper or flooring. Here'due south a look at my pigment color scheme aslope the materials I chose to become with information technology.

Dollhouse paint color palette, wallpaper, flooring and roofing ideas for a vintage cottage-inspired design scheme

Why a pared back color scheme is best

Dollhouses are small and if you choose as well many dissimilar colors, it can starting time to look chaotic. Plus, because you tin can see all of the rooms in your dollhouse at once, you lot want the rooms to all look and feel cohesive. The easiest way to create a beautiful dollhouse color scheme is to continue information technology simple. I recommend choosing just four-5 colors for paint that you will utilize for the entire dollhouse. Why only 4-5? Considering repeating the same colors in different areas of the firm you can create rest, harmony and visual flow. I recommend the aforementioned thing for full-size houses too! With a little inventiveness, you lot'd exist surprised at how much diversity you can attain using a minimal color palette.

How to decide what color to paint where

Once you have selected your pared down color scheme, the next step is deciding what goes where. Start with your favorite color of the bunch and requite it a prime spot within the house. I honey the dark olive light-green in my color scheme, so I chose information technology for the kitchen cabinets (which I haven't congenital however) and the walls of the study. By repeating the same colour on reverse sides of the first floor of my dollhouse, I'k creating visual balance and cohesion. From there, I chose where my boldest color (the terra cotta) would go, settling on an upstairs chamber. As I decided what colors to paint the residual of my dollhouse interior, I kept visual balance in mind. Neither side of the firm should be too night or as well colorful - the goal is a balanced mix of values (calorie-free, medium and night), neutrals, and colors throughout.

Dollhouse paint color palette, wallpaper, flooring and roofing ideas for a vintage cottage-inspired design scheme mock up

How to create variety in a limited color palette

Think beyond wall paint when information technology comes to your color scheme! I found a beautiful 1:12 scale wallpaper that featured the cream, sage and terra cotta in my palette for the plant nursery. The wallpaper also features a golden tan, navy and heaven blue that I may use in accents and accessories when I furnish the dollhouse. In the bathroom, I'1000 leaving the walls white but found a colorful mosaic tile newspaper that pulls in the sage and terracotta likewise. In the main bedroom, I painted a unproblematic wainscoting wall treatment with cream on the top half of the walls and sage on the bottom half and trim. There are a lot of ways to mix up your paint treatments and materials to make the most of a limited color scheme! Just like in existent interior design - the wall color doesn't always have to be the well-nigh interesting part of the room. A limited color palette makes a slap-up base for layering on dissimilar finishes, textures, materials and accent colors with your dollhouse furnishings.

My Tips for Painting a Dollhouse

  1. Prep your surfaces first. Thoroughly clean your dollhouse before painting and lightly sand any rough areas until smooth. Fill up in whatever cracks with paintable caulk and allow to dry. Make sure your dollhouse is completely make clean, dry and free of dust earlier you beginning painting.

  2. Utilise the correct tools. For large areas, similar the outside, floors and ceilings I used a 2" angled castor For smaller areas, like interior walls I used a ane" flat creative person pigment brush. For item work similar trim and cutting in, I used a small-scale 1/iv" flat creative person paintbrush. (Add photo)

  3. Pigment 1 color at a time. I started with cream, painting the entire exterior, all the interior floors and ceilings and the kitchen, bath and playroom walls. Cull a color and start in that location, thoroughly cleaning and drying your brushes in between colors. Keep in listen most colors will need 2-iii coats.

  4. Work slowly. You can always touch up later, just working in such a tight space requires a steady paw. I chose not to employ painters tape and kept a damp rag on hand for drips. But the best results come from advisedly painting multiple low-cal coats.

What kind of paint to use

Yous can apply acrylic or craft paint, or yous could apply regular interior latex pigment. I chose to utilize a mix of leftover interior latex paint I had in our basement and interior paint samples I purchased from Sherwin Williams and then I could choose the exact shades I wanted. If you are painting over stained woods or dark colors, information technology would be practiced to buy a primer to use first to become the all-time coverage.

More simple color scheme ideas

I put out a poll on Instagram for different styles of dollhouses you'd dear to see me create color schemes for and yous all had a bunch of fun ideas! Feel gratis to use these combinations for inspiration on your side by side miniatures projection, or really any kind of arts and crafts project! These modern, minimal palettes would be cracking for all kinds of arts and crafts - ceramics, embroidery, knitting/crochet, sewing, painting, jewelry, wreath making, etc.

Simple Color Schemes for Crafting | 8 modern minimal color palettes perfect for painting, embroidery, knitting, crochet, sewing, miniatures, dollhouse, wreath making, jewelry making, ceramics, home decor and more!

Ok, I had way too much fun putting those color palettes together! Quick sidebar -for the few years my DIY and crafting hobbies have fallen by the wayside a picayune bit. Work got crazy and I became a mom so I just felt like I had less time and energy for projects like this. Prioritizing fourth dimension to make things by mitt again has been so wonderful and therapeutic for me during this crazy year. Whether you lot are renovating a dollhouse likewise or just post-obit along for fun, I actually hope these ideas inspire yous to go make something and go creative!

Side by side up, wallpaper and flooring installation!