Friday, January 13, 2017

Dora Kuhn 1/10 Scale German Dollhouse Furniture-Chistmas Cabinet Dollhouse

The holidays have come and gone, but 
it's still Christmas here in the cabin..........
The hubs was busy in the workshop during 
December building a cabinet for the last of the 
 Dora Kuhn furniture waiting for a home.  Originally,
I had hoped to have the proper Kuhn dollhouse,  
the hubs even offered to build a similar one, but in
 truth, there is simply no room in the cabin for a 
 large dollhouse.  The hubs suggested a tall cabinet.
Many European museums have beautiful cabinet  
dollhouses so, I thought it was a great idea.  I told
him I have 4 rooms of furniture and the rooms
needed to be at least 11 by 18 inches.  Just a simple
country cabinet.  I had no clue what he would come
up with, but he never disappoints.          
 He made the cabinet from old Missouri walnut
 he bought at a farm sale years ago.  I love the 
dentil trim around the top of the cabinet and 
 the hand turned door handle
 
He even installed lighting.
(I was secretly hoping for this.)
The interior trim work is just as 
beautiful as the outside.  Although,
most dollhouse cabinets have painted
or wallpapered walls, I wouldn't dream
of covering up the hubs detail work.
 The accessories packed away with the
furniture had a Christmas theme, so a year
round Christmas cabinet it is.  An eclectic 
mix of odd scaled collected whimsies, with
 touches of American and German traditions.
A "make do" dollhouse cabinet.    
The sisters that live in the cabinet are
vintage hard plastic German Edi dolls from
 the 1950'sThey are wearing beautifully crocheted 
holiday dresses.  Holly, in green, is named for the 
 traditional Christmas holly.  Ginger in pink, gets 
her name from my favorite Christmas delight,
 gingerbreadSuch sweet faces! 

With the exception of 2 older cabinets, 
the Dora Kuhn furniture in the cabinet is from
 the 1980's.  The furniture is in 1/10 scale.  Larger
 than the traditional American dollhouse 1/12 scale 
or 1 inch to 1 foot.  It is sturdily hand crafted and 
colorfully hand painted in the Bavarian folk art 
style called Bauernmalerei.
(pronounced  bow-urn-maler-rye)
This 1930's Kuhn cabinet finally has a 
permanent home in the dining room. 

I decorated several trees and
made tree skirts.  The hubs cut the 
top off a larger tree and made a new
base for the 9 inch dining room tree.
The German angel topper is a gift from
 my German friend Sigi. 

 Holly is putting the last ornament
on the Christmas tree, a ballerina from
 the Christmas ballet "The Nutcracker",
her favorite.  Prancer, the girls Fox Terrier,
is actually a German flocked Wagner
 Kunstlerschutz ornament.
 
 Years ago I attended a historic arts fair selling
hand made dolls.  The weaver's 12 year old 
 daughter visited often during the weekend and
admired one of my dolls.  She was learning to weave 
on a small loom.  I let her take the dolly home, 
with the promise she would weave several dollhouse
 rugs and mail them to me.  A few weeks later they
 arrived in the mail.  She did a beautiful job, I love 
the colors she chose and I'm delighted to have
 them in the cabinet.
The little poinsettias belonged to
my mother, she kept a small basket
of different flowers in her window sill.
In Germany it's called the Christmas Star.
I painted some small pots gold and 
added the flowers, a very special 
memory for me.
My pride and joy is the Seiffener German miniature 
Christmas matchbox that sits atop the buffet.
I made ornaments for the wreaths and smaller trees
from artificial floral berries dipped in glue then glittered. 
 I cut narrow ribbon in half to make the tiny bows.
Some of the tree toppers are gold glittered star 
shaped buttons from my button box.  In Germany,
it is not the custom to have wreaths inside the home,
 but wreaths on the front door are becoming more
common.  A borrowed custom from America.    
Ginger is the chef in the family.
She's been busy in the kitchen baking
breads, sweets, a gingerbread house
 and the Christmas turkey.
Can't you smell the wonderful aroma?
The reindeer is a wooden cut work ornament. 
  
This older large red cabinet from the
 50's has become the kitchen pantry.
Oh my......the cupboard is bare,
but inside it's beautifully painted.
When Ginger cooks, there is always 
lots of "washing up" to do.  A woman's 
work is never done.
Ginger is ready to decorate the gingerbread
house with the teeny, tiny candies.
(The hubs made the little house,
a future project for me to finish)  
The traditional American gingerbread 
house originated in Germany and comes
 from the story of Hansel and Gretel.  The
old witch lived in a Knusperhaus, literal 
English translation is "crispy house".

New bedding for the beds, in the traditional
red and white checked Dora Kuhn style.
I think one of the elves has been naughty!
Santa brought lots of toys this year!
Holly and Ginger's favorite gift,
are the tiniest Edi dolls dressed
in traditional German outfits.

The girls love to play with paper dolls and 
watch the Christmas movies that play non stop on 
the Hallmark channel during the holiday season.
(I admit I watch them too and keep a box of Kleenex handy.)

  The hubs made a movable room 
divider for the bottom floor.
Another wooden cut work ornament hangs
over the bathtub.  Surely the pretend bubbles 
in this house are shaped like snowflakes.

The remaining room has become an entrance
for the Christmas "little people" who visit in the 
dark of night.  Perhaps the visitors are tiny German 
Christmas elves that fly about with their delicate 
butterfly shaped wings.  Maybe they are the "Wichtel",
 creatures that live in the cellars of German homes.
They are joking and sometimes naughty.  I think
the visitors are called "Heinzelmanner".  They live
 in German homes year round.  They are helpful and kind.
They come at night to do the cleaning, sewing and tidying
up.  It must be them, the cabinet dollhouse is always 
in perfect order.
It's so pretty with the lights on.
 
Thank you Steve, for a wonderful Christmas
gift.  I'm so proud of this beautiful cabinet.
You've made a family heirloom that will be
enjoyed for generations to come.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stop by Sigi Ulbrich's site to learn more about
the original Dora Kuhn 1/10 scale dollhouse.

  Dora Kuhn 1/10 Scale Dollhouse-Tortula
Photo courtesy of Tortula
Photo courtesy of Tortula
  
 Also, take a peek at Sigi's beautiful German 
dollhouse Christmas decorations.
  Christmas In The Dollhouse-Tortula  

  If you would like to learn more about the German
Edi Dolls, Sigi publishes and online compendium.
   
Edi Doll Compendium-Sigi Ulbrich at Tortula
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Sigi for your valuable information,
 enthusiasm and lovely dollhouse gifts. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Best Wishes for a wonderful New Year! 

16 comments:

  1. What a gift of a lifetime you have with the wonderful cabinet Steve made for you and the added lights make it even better. I can imagine that you were having a lot of fun placing all the doll furniture inside and arranging the rooms. Adding the dolls and decorations. Sherri what a treasure to be able to have this and have it all set up to look at and enjoy whenever you want all throughout the year. You did an amazing job on placing all the furniture and the Christmas decorations throughout the house. I love how the lights on the tree light up too. There is so much to look at I could see hours just peeking inside and trying to capture all there is to see.

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    1. Thanks, I have to admit the cabinet really make the furniture look great! Steve did such a nice job, I didn't expect such a beautiful cabinet. I hope it all stays together forever!

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  2. Oh my goodness........how stunning is the cabinet and the little dolls and furniture you placed into it. Your husband is quite the craftsman!..........and you are quite the decorator! Both of your imaginations make a lovely creation! So very pretty!

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    1. Thank you, I am so proud of the cabinet. Steve did such a nice job. We can't wait for our great niece to come and play. I'm glad to finally get the furniture out of the box and give it a home.

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  3. Oh Sherri! What a beautiful cabinet, filled with wonderful, fun things! If this were mine I'd be spending hour after hour "playing" with the things. The cabinet is so pretty; you'd never know what enchantment lies inside. Can you still find the furniture and dolls online or in stores? There's another pleasure in having this hobby: the hunt for the objects. I'll thank Steve also!!

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    1. I must admit I have been "playing" in the cabinet for days! You can find Dora Kuhn on E-bay, Etsy and probably some online vintage dollhouse shops. It's gotten very expensive. Dora Kuhn furniture is still made in Germany, but they no longer make the painted styles. You can find Edi dolls too at the same places. Luckily, most of my furniture was purchased before it became so collectible. I'm glad you enjoyed the post and I wish you could come and play!

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  4. Wow! What a magnificent cabinet. Your husband, Steve, is very talented with his woodworking. What a wonderful heirloom indeed! Every little story, every little detail is amazing in these adorable rooms. Even the bathroom had a Christmas tree. Love it, thanks so much for sharing your lovely treasures.

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    1. Thank you, I must say, the hubs is amazing. I am astonished at how wonderful the cabinet is. I peeked in the shop a couple times to see what he he was doing and would just smile at him and give a thumbs up. The cabinet make the furniture looks special. I wish all my blogger friends could come for tea and play time!

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  5. Wow! This is amazing, Sherri! ~ Your husband's fine workmanship, and your talents and imagination working overtime, have resulted in a wonderful heirloom to treasure forever. I am still shaking my head, so will now go take a long slow look, once again. I think we would all like to come and play!

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  6. I think the hubs was in the mood to make a cabinet. When we were discussing it, I did ask if he'd rather make a dollhouse or a cabinet....he chose a cabinet. I think he rather enjoyed making it, he really got into the project. When I peeked in the workshop I'd just smile and give him a thumbs up. I was so excited to see electrical stuff on the work bench and realized he was working on lighting. The cabinet totally makes the whole thing special. Can't wait for our great niece to come and discover it and I sure wish all the ladies that blog could come and play!

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  7. A beautiful cabinet for your tiny dolls and furniture. all the little things in the rooms to complete them are just perfect. Your husband did a wonderful job making this for you, and with lights too. I know you are happy to finally have these treasures out of storage and into a permanent place. Easy to get to and easy to see night or day. I love doll houses and doll rooms too. Beautiful work from you and your husband.

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  8. You are so right Martha, it is such a good feeling to have all the dollhouse furniture out of boxes. It's been a huge accomplishment that I've been working on since I started the first fairy house!! Thank goodness the hubs doesn't mind working his his workshop!

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  9. Of course Steve would make a beautiful cabinet! His work is also fantastic. LOVE how you decorated it, the detail! It takes several looks to take it all in. And Ginger looks like a wonderful cook. Sign me up for the time. Do you think she would make us some scones? I can't wait to come see it in person.

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  10. Oh, how magical is that cabinet? Enjoy, Sherri. :~)

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  11. Dear Sherri
    I’ve been searching through the internet trying to get some info on Dora Kuhn furniture, but without any luck.
    Then I came across Sigi and then your name and here I am, taking a chance.

    Is there a way to check if the furniture (mine) is Dora Kuhn or if it is a copy or just something else ?
    I have only seen 2-3 photos of the exact furniture I have, they came up in some pins regarding Kuhn.

    I hope you are able to help me. Thanks in advance šŸ˜šŸ™
    All the best
    Susannah

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  12. Susannah,
    Email me photos at sherrifarley@gmail.com and I will be glad to look at them. I am not an expert but I can email Sigi if I don't recognize it.

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