The Iyla Dollhouse

I thought it would be fun to include full dollhouse tours on the blog with tips and tricks on how I completed them. Eventually, I'll add all my former custom dollhouses, but for now, I'll start with my current project. I love to name the dollhouses for the child who receives it so this one is The Iyla Dollhouse. I created it for my childhood friend Monica who just had her first daughter named Iyla (pronounced eye-la).

I used Iyla's nursery as inspiration for this dollhouse, and I love the sweet color palette. Iyla's nursery has mint walls with a beautiful floral wallpaper on the ceiling. I enjoyed the variation of having plain walls with a detailed ceiling. You can download the watercolor floral wallpaper in my shop by clicking here.

While mint and pink were the primary colors of the dollhouse, I incorporated natural wood tones, gray, and a few pops of mustard yellow to tie in with the wallpaper I chose for the living room. I also wanted the dollhouse to be very kid friendly since a newborn is the recipient. Obviously, Iyla won't be playing with this any time soon, but I want her to be able to play with the dollhouse sooner rather than later.

Let's check out the heart of the home first. I purchased this kitchen ages ago, but I had never used it because the countertops were this awful green and yellow splatter paint. Nothing a little spray paint can't fix. I taped off the white cabinets, the cooktop, and the sink and then spray painted the countertops gray.

The backsplash is a pink hex tile that I printed on glossy sticker paper to make it look more realistic. You can download the backsplash (comes in other colors, too) by clicking here. I made a vent hood by cutting the curved frame with my Glowforge and then topping it with flexible wood veneer. I painted the vent hood gray to match the countertops.

I added natural wood open shelving to display accessories, including a mustard yellow geometric potted plant, some canisters, wood cutting boards, and dishes.

I wanted to spruce up the dining area instead of just having a plain white bistro set. I taped off the bottom portion of the white metal bistro chairs (you can purchase them by clicking here) and spray painted the top metallic champagne pink.

I love this vintage looking rug that has mint, pink, mustard yellow, and gray. I used pink marble contact paper to make the tabletop, and a little wood succulent bowl completes the look.

In keeping with the modern vibe of the dollhouse, I used a couple baskets as wall decor. You can purchase the wall baskets here or the basket tray here.

I made a mini monstera plant, which took a ton of effort, but I am obsessed with how it turned out. You can make one yourself by reading my tutorial here.

Let's move this party upstairs. I used my Glowforge to etch the wood flooring planks throughout the house. This was definitely a lot faster than laying wood veneer, and it was a great solution for the natural wood floors of this IKEA dollhouse. I didn't have any mustard yellow in the rest of the bedroom so I found a rug that added in that accent color.

The furniture and decor in the bedroom were mostly sourced from a couple of my favorite miniature shops. Jen at Whimsy Woods makes this incredible peacock bed, and I saved it specially for this project. You can check out here gorgeous shop here. The macrame rainbow also comes from Jen.

I love this modern white cradle, and I refinished the mattress with a gold floral fabric that I also used on the mattress of the bed. The bedding incorporates the colors of the dollhouse and ties in with the wallpaper on the ceiling.

The cane side table and potted plant are both from Kendy at Mini Home Co. You can shop her modern coastal designs here.

The rattan pendant is from Kendy at Mini Home Co., and I think it's so perfect for this modern dollhouse. I love the contrast of the natural rattan against the mint walls.

Let's move this tour to the bathroom. I used my Glowforge to cut a floral frame for the mirror. The vanity is just a white console table with an added natural wood shelf to hold the towels. I cut up a pink baby washcloth that I already had on hand to make the towels.

The flowers have a mustard yellow pot, and I spray painted the faucets gold to match the hardware in the kitchen. The bathtub is actually just a ramekin from Home Goods. I love the modern design, and the porcelain makes it look like a real bathtub.

The gorgeous macrame wall hanging is from Kendy at Mini Home Co., and it adds great texture to the bathroom.

All the spaces utilize the same elements: natural wood, pink, mint, mustard yellow, and natural fibers.

My favorite feature of the bathroom is definite the mirror, and I love this peek into the bathroom from the bedroom since the room divider is only partial on the upper level of the IKEA dollhouse.

The last stop in our dollhouse tour is the living room. I rarely use the bottom room divider in this dollhouse, but I decided to change it up this time. I have had this scrapbook paper for ages, but I could never find the right project for it. My friend Monica is very well-traveled, and this design reminded me of her travels to Paris. Because the wallpaper is so busy, I only used it for the top portion of the room.

Because it's a smaller room, I kept it simple. The gray couch and geometric rug tie in with the other gray accents. The coffee table is just natural wood blocks that you can buy at a craft store.

I hope you enjoyed this house tour, and I cannot wait for Iyla to enjoy this dollhouse for years to come.