Three Houses, Three Stories

Every restoration begins with a house, but no two houses ever ask for the same thing.

As we prepared for the Seattle Miniature Show, three very different projects shared space in the Maple & Moss workshop. Each arrived with its own history, its own challenges, and its own personality. Together, they reminded me that restoration isn't about making every dollhouse look new—it's about helping each one become the best version of itself.

The Artply Tennyson

The Artply Tennyson was, without question, the most demanding of the three. Years of age had taken their toll on the wood, and the windows presented one of the biggest challenges. We spent countless hours cleaning, repairing, and refining them, but time leaves its mark. In the end, we couldn't make every surface perfectly smooth—and that's okay.

Restoration isn't about erasing a house's past. It's about respecting it. While the Tennyson still carries a few reminders of its long life, it also carries a renewed sense of warmth and character that made every hour worthwhile.

The Expanded Dura-Craft TD-200 Tudor

For weeks, I believed this house was a Greenleaf Glencroft Tudor. A little more research revealed something far more interesting—it was actually an expanded Dura-Craft TD-200 Tudor.

The dollhouse world of the 1980s was wonderfully inventive, and this house is a perfect example of that creativity.

Rather than restoring it as a traditional half-timber Tudor, I decided to take it in a different direction. Inspired by the Pacific Northwest, the exterior evolved into something that felt more like a Seattle Craftsman home. Mossy greens, warm creams, natural textures, and weathered finishes transformed the house into something that felt both timeless and uniquely its own.

Sometimes restoration means honoring the original design. Other times, it means allowing a house to become something new while still respecting its history.

The 1988 Houseworks Victorian

The third project was perhaps the quietest story of all.

Built from plans published in Three Dollhouses in One Book by Houseworks in 1988, this Victorian had been started in 1989 but never completed. For decades, it waited.

When it finally arrived in our workshop, we saw an opportunity to finish what someone else had begun so many years before.

Rather than emphasizing every traditional Victorian embellishment, we chose a more restrained approach, allowing the proportions, craftsmanship, and materials to take center stage. The result would become a house that honored its origins while feeling fresh and inviting.

Every House Has a Story

Looking back, these three houses couldn't have been more different.

One fought us nearly every step of the way. One surprised us with its true identity. One simply waited, patiently, for someone to finish what had been started decades before.

That's one of the reasons I never tire of this work. Every dollhouse carries a history that deserves to be preserved, and every restoration becomes another chapter in its story. I simply have the privilege of helping tell it.

With the Seattle Miniature Show just days away, these houses are nearly ready to leave the workshop and meet the people who will see them for the first time. There are still a few final details to finish, but that's always the way with restoration. The work is never rushed, and every thoughtful detail brings each house one step closer to being ready.