(Kristine Hanna - The Belmont Dollhouse)
Modern and Marvelous

by Pam North  

Never  hesitate to try something new. Kristine Hanna’s recent project, The Belmont Dollhouse, was her very first dollhouse, and it won 3rd place in the 2017 Hobby Builders Supply 24th Creatin Contest. “Their Craftsman Cabin kit was the first dollhouse kit that really gave me the confidence to make a full-sized dollhouse,” she explained. “I had been wanting to do a from-scratch build, but it seemed too overwhelming. The kit was the perfect way to start creating, plus the one-year contest deadline gave me leeway to complete it.”
The Ontario, Canada resident described her process: “I immediately fell in love with the kit’s blend of modern and traditional design. The little windows in the loft space made me think of modern homes with glass fronts, and I envisioned having a long window at the top that invited the outdoors in; the large skylight also was a huge plus. I named the house after the lake where I cottage during the summer.”
She made almost everything in the house from scratch, designing the custom kitchen, vanity, and most of the furniture in a vector-based drawing program, and cutting it out on a laser cutter at her local library. She also designed all the faucets, shower fittings, toilet, and exterior lights in 3D, and had them printed in different plastics, then painted them. “I have used both laser cutting and 3D printing before in my miniatures, but I think I really pushed myself with this build to make my pieces more detailed and lifelike. The hardest part was learning to keep the integrity of the material when scaling things down so small. I was so pleased that the faucets could be printed with such small diameters, yet still be durable to paint and use.”
“One of the newer materials and techniques for me was using mirrored acrylic.” she continued. “The mirror in the bathroom is a laser-cut piece of mirrored acrylic, with a laser-cut piece of basswood for the frame. I was able to customize the size and shape of the piece to make it fit perfectly in proportion to the vanity. Going modern meant that I had to custom-make many of the finishes for the house. I love stone siding in real-life, and was able to replicate that look with cork and paint for the exterior and fireplace. The tiles in the bathroom and kitchen were laser-etched, painted, then grouted. I love the way they shine in the light, and by making them myself, I was able to mix together shapes and patterns. For the wood siding and floor, I milled down roasted maple into planks to get a natural-looking grain. Most of the windows in the main house are made with real glass. The folding doors on the front of the house took me three months to make because the measurements had to be exact; they were very tedious but worth it! I used pins on the bottom corners to make them run along a small track. In retrospect, after finishing all the windows in the main house, I’ve decided that clear, thick, good-quality Plexiglass is much preferable to glass; it gives the same effect, but is much lighter, cheaper, and easier to cut! The lights in the build are mostly LED, with a few traditional dollhouse lights and bulbs. My favorite find was a dimmer remote from Evan Designs Model Train Software; it’s great for dimming the lights when photographing or adjusting the brightness of the interior kitchen cabinets. The double oven is a kit I modified by Elf Miniatures. The folding windows at the front ended up being my favorite part of the house. Not only do they offer a lot of light and visibility into the interior, but they also open, allowing hands in to decorate, a great option when the dollhouse is on display with its back against a wall. Pieces by other miniature artisans include the dining chairs by Modern Mini Houses on Shapeways, and the candles and soap from Handmade Miniatures by Alma.”
“For  a while I was afraid the project would look too much like a ‘rustic cabin’ for my taste, but as soon as I put the white stone siding up on the exterior, it magically transformed the house into that modern style I was aiming for. Things started falling into place after that, making it much easier to really narrow down the design and decor elements. It would have been better to plan more at the beginning, and for my next dollhouse I’ve spent more time and effort visualizing what I want to happen before I start. That said, I learned so much with this build. One thing I confirmed while making this house is that I like large miniature spaces to work with! It seemed the kit kept getting bigger and bigger in order to fit in all my ideas, and I’m learning how difficult it is to find space to keep large miniature pieces! For now, though, I’m enjoying having a permanent dollhouse to display and show people what I do. As a blogger and part of the online miniature community, I loved getting to talk with other entrants about the build. Seeing everyone do their own take on the same kit was not only a lot of fun but really inspiring.”
It’s on to the next horizon for her. “I’m currently working on my next dollhouse,” she confirmed. It’s going to be a scratch-build in a transitional style, a little mix of modern and traditional. I like the way the style stays warm and elegant in a timeless kind of way. I’m blogging about my progress and the things I’m learning along the way!”

Contact Information:
Email: paperdollminis@gmail.com
Phone:1-613-831-6229
Address: 27 Crantham Cres., Stittsville, ON, K2S1R2, Canada
Website: www.paperdollminiatures.com
Instagram? @paperdollminis