KIDS : Little Things Mean a Lot

THERE’S NOTHING MORE intriguing than losing oneself in the detailed and tiny world of a dollhouse. Shops that specialize in miniatures carry dollhouses and furnishings tailored to both children and serious collectors. Houses, which come in a variety of architectural styles--including Colonial, Tudor and Victorian (the most popular)--can be purchased already assembled or as kits. Prices for kits suitable for children (including the basic exterior shell) begin at about $75. Most shops that sell kits will assemble them for a fee. Dollhouses are typically about 24 by 18 inches by 30 inches high and are all built to the same conventional scale of 1 inch equals 1 foot.

Dollhouse interiors are purposely unfinished--much of the fun is in decorating. “Even the youngest children have definite taste about the basics,” says Wally Hage of The Dollhouse Lady in San Gabriel. “By the time kids are 9 or 10 they can be quite sophisticated in their selection of furnishings.” If elegant trappings such as a Lilliputian Persian carpet or a truly baby grand piano are avoided, an average six room dollhouse can be completed for about $200.

Dollhouses and miniatures are available at The Dollhouse Lady, 8964 Huntington Drive, San Gabriel; Doll & Miniature Shoppe, 661 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles; Accent on Miniatures, 23011 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills; Mini-Casas, Inc., 1255 Coast Blvd., La Jolla; Lilliputs, 2814 W. Sepulveda Blvd., Torrance; Casey’s Wee Littles, 1215 S. Beach Blvd., Anaheim; Angeles Miniature World, 2237 E. Ventura, Camarillo; and Sylvia’s Memories in Miniature, 1909 State St., Santa Barbara.