I was surprised by how many questions I received about the little dollhouse sneak peeks I shared on Instagram Stories while fixing this up with the kids. I polled you all about whether you wanted a full post, and 91% said yes—so here you go.
Short version: the kids wanted detailed dollhouses to renovate, and we picked up two secondhand finds on Facebook Marketplace to revive together. The project was a family affair: the kids chose colors, helped paint, glued, and arranged furniture. Although this house technically lives in our son’s room, both kids were involved. We have another one in our daughter’s room that we’re working on too. Lesson learned: even tiny houses take a village to renovate.
I managed to snap a quick “before” picture after we’d already started (hence the dash of white paint on the facade). Our son insisted on white siding, light blue shutters, and gold trim along the peak. He was unwavering, so we made his vision happen with lots of coats of paint.
We used basic craft paint from Michael’s and split the work. The kids handled large areas—floors, walls, and the exterior—while I took care of delicate details like trim with a small brush. We even made up a paint safety song, which mostly kept paint off the roof. If you prefer, tape and plastic can protect areas more thoroughly.
The decorative trim around the peak came with the dollhouse but had broken off. I re-glued it with wood glue and taped the pieces in place while they dried—much easier than holding them the whole time.
We were able to reuse small items we’d kept for years, like the topiary porch plants I found in the wedding aisle at Michael’s ages ago; they were actually place-card holders. Tiny decorative pieces show up in unexpected places if you look closely.
For the window-box greenery I bought a small faux-plant mat from the craft store and cut it to fit. Coupons came in handy for paint, glue, and the faux grass piece.
Also for scale: our dog, Burger, was very keen to help but dogs aren’t great painters. We later fixed the front steps by slicing thin craft wood with an X-Acto knife, gluing them in place, and painting to match—simple and much easier than a full-size staircase.
The dollhouse sits in the corner of our son’s room. I’d initially thought it was much smaller; it turned out to be almost as tall as his extra-high dresser. The second house we picked up for our daughter is even larger. The kids adore them, so the space and effort have been worth it.
Inside, the houses came with a lot of furniture acquired in two bulk Facebook Marketplace purchases—around $30 total for enough pieces to fill both houses. The original floors were wood-toned, walls cream, and much of the furniture was dark wood, red, green, or cream. Our tiny homeowner wanted white walls and light blue floors to match the exterior shutters, so we painted those next.
After the base coats dried we painted furniture accents—gold beds, a pink table top, a couple of chairs, and matching pink sink and fridge at the kids’ request. They loved choosing color combos, and letting them steer design decisions made the process more fun.
Small soft items like pillows were things our daughter already owned. Bedding came from cloth gift bags we’d saved—useful upcycling for scale-appropriate linens.
We let the kids spend a little gift money on tiny accessories. They chose two plates of pancakes, a gingerbread kit, and a set of pots and pans. Those small deliveries delighted them—checking the mail turned into a daily thrill.
One of the secondhand furniture sets even included a tiny candlestick with real wax candles. A few pieces, like round wire chairs, originally started life as shelf decor years ago but found new purpose here.
I made small houseplants from clippings of the faux-green mat: glue tiny lengths into small pots, wood beads, or clear beads stacked on buttons to mimic a vase on a coaster. These tiny DIYs are quick and add charm.
Another fun detail is “fake water” in the tub and sink using colorful beads or oversized sequins. The kids loved bathing dolls in them—much safer and less messy than real water.
Interactive elements are big winners: rocking horses, rocking chairs, drawers that open, chests that slide out, and a toilet lid that lifts all spark imaginative play. Our daughter’s house even has a tiny Christmas tree with miniature wrapped presents at the base.
That’s the tour of House #1. Someday we’ll tackle a more involved renovation of the larger dollhouse in our daughter’s room—she wants working lights and other upgrades—so that project may take a while. Dollhouse renovations can be slow, but the kids’ enthusiasm makes it worthwhile.
Also, dollhouses aren’t just for girls—plenty of little boys who come to play gravitate right to them and love it.
*This post includes product mentions for items we used during our project.*