Crafting a dollhouse is a labor of love. Whether you are building the dollhouse for a special person or simply for the love of the process, many factors must be considered for a cohesive and beautiful dollhouse to come together. The obvious factors include the actual building and furniture. A less often considered but very important part of the whole is the dollhouse lighting.
Fortunately, dollhouse wiring is relatively simple and can be easily accomplished by anyone with a reasonable level of craftsmanship. It is highly recommended that you begin with a wiring kit, which includes everything you need to wire your dollhouse along with a step-by-step instruction set. Be sure to purchase the correct size for your dollhouse, but remember that you can always combine multiple kits if necessary.
Your dollhouse lighting kit will contain a transformer that allows household current to be converted to DC power for lighting the miniature fixtures. You have the option of hardwiring the fixtures, so that lighting for the entire dollhouse will be accomplished through the household plug. You can purchase a kit with one or more on/off switches, allowing the dollhouse to remain connected to power and the lights turned on and off by switch. You can even get miniature switch covers, installing the switches on the walls and adding another level of realism to your dollhouse. A third option, possibly not appropriate for all lighting fixtures but certainly fun and realistic in moderation, is the installation of miniature power outlets. These outlets function just like normal household outlets in miniature, allowing you to plug dollhouse fixtures into the outlets or unplug them when not in use.
Your dollhouse should be pre-wired for electricity before your interior design comes together. It will be much easier to have the wires in place, able to be wallpapered or painted over, than to try to retrofit an already completed dollhouse. The only exception is when building a dollhouse for a small child. In that case, you may want to leave the electricity out altogether until the child is older.
After the wiring is installed, your dollhouse vision can truly begin to come together. When designing your interior, do not forget about lighting options. Miniature lighting fixtures are available in an overwhelming array of designs and styles. Virtually any light style that you can imagine has at some time been replicated in miniature.
Unlike most dollhouse furnishings, such as furniture and decorative items, it is highly recommended that you only purchase pre-made lighting fixtures. While dollhouse wiring is fairly simple, the possibilities of electric shock and fire must always be considered. Pre-made dollhouse lighting fixtures are reasonably inexpensive and the investment is definitely worthwhile for safety reasons.
Dollhouse lighting is an important part of the overall interior design of your dollhouse. Lighting can be used to evoke a specific mood or feeling, and the fixtures can enhance the beauty and harmony of a well-designed room. Just remember that you are designing lighting that looks good from the outside perspective looking in, not from the perspective of inside the room. Lighting should be kept to a minimum, used to draw the eye to certain sections and features of each room and the dollhouse as a whole. Bright light is not necessary or recommended. Keep the lighting subdued and elegant and your entire dollhouse will be awash with a welcoming glow.