Can You Spot the Iconic Chairs in This Dollhouse?
Good news, miniature lovers! Dollhouse Beautiful is back for Season 2. This time, House Beautiful gave six California designers the same midcentury modern dollhouse and $500 to decorate it any way they wanted. A whole lot of Krazy Glue, DIY accents, and miniature accessories later, we present Dollhouse Beautiful. Tune in every Tuesday for a new episode and to see how each designer created their miniature masterpiece.
Los Angeles designer Breegan Jane is an expert at conjuring luxe, modern interiors that are at once elegant and livable (just look at her own LA home!). And, as a seasoned TV designer (she starred on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and just announced a new show coming this fall), Jane is no stranger to decorating under pressure. So, she approached House Beautiful’s Dollhouse Beautiful challenge like any other project: With a strong design plan —but the flexibility for innovation on the fly.
“Because this is a miniature dollhouse, I think the color tonality selection is what makes it really impactful and sets the mood,” says Jane of her jumping-off point. “I kind of did a nice pop in the corner with a bright, sunny dining area, but the rest of the space really is serene and muted. That allowed these little fun details to really stand out and not get lost.”
Many of the little details were sourced online—a process that quickly turned into a bit of an obsession, says Jane. “There's a lot of handcrafted items you can find online that are just made with love in miniatures,” she explains.
That’s not to say the task was without its hurdles, though: “I was going to go for this really cool wood floor stain and it didn't really happen, so we leaned into the textured wallpaper to really give me that wood grain field that I was going for,” recalls Jane. But, like any good designer, she kept her cool: “The nice thing about creativity and design is whenever there's a problem, there's always a solution.”
Tour the miniature space—and all those fun details—below!
Kitchen
“My beautiful cabinetry is made out of cardboard,” says the designer. “Sometimes you have to readjust your cabinetry for your appliances, but you should have measured perfectly to begin with. Everything needed to fit, and so I found cardboard and turned it into custom cabinetry.”
The island was the perfect central point: “To me, a big oversized island just says that kitchen at home. So that for me is the anchor in this space, but then the gold details bring it to life, especially with the gold hood, which is modeled after my own hood at home.”
“Black, white, and a touch of gold—you cannot go wrong,” she says.
Dining Room
The dining room served as Jane’s pop of color, with its canary yellow walls. An understated table and miniature Ghost Chairs keep the focus on the hue.
Living Room
“I really went for a Hilton Carter potted plants moment in the living room,” says Jane. “That's something that I cannot master at home because I am not great with plants, but here in the dollhouse, I can make a perfect green living room with every plant I want!”
Bedroom
The bedroom, on the other hand, was modeled after Jane’s own—her handmade mini bed is a spin on the designer’s own four poster. The addition of a fireplace gives a special touch.
“I think a warm cozy fireplace in the bedroom—as opposed to where you would traditionally see it, the living room—is a fun challenge,” she says.
Bathroom
“I planned to do a tub in the main bathroom and that piece is somewhere—not here with me today,” says the designer. But she improvised: “So I did a full wall shower, which is very Breegan Jane and I love the way it turned out.”
Music Room
“I really like that the music room is attached to the bathroom,” says Jane. “For me, that's almost a personal space I created for myself. I like to DJ just for fun, but music is where I connect and often in the bathroom, it's where I unwind. So I think that was an unusual way to use those two rooms to speak together in a personalized fashion.”
To give this room some “added sparkle,” Jane created a DIY chandelier using old jewelry. The miniature turntable was an Etsy find.
Yard
No California dream house is complete without an outdoor space, and Jane’s doesn’t disappoint. The astroturf gives the feel of lush grass, and two Acapulco chairs provide the perfect seating—”these are everywhere in LA,” says Jane. Only fitting that they get the miniature treatment!
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
You Might Also Like
