Dolls House Scale Guide
Author: The Dolls House Boutique
When buying a dolls house and furniture or dolls to go in it, it’s important to consider the scale of the house and accessories to ensure it will all work nicely together. We often get asked the same 3 questions about dolls house scales. Firstly, what the scale itself means. Secondly, can you mix and match furniture sizes, and, thirdly, which is the best scale for my child? We hope this guide gives you the information you need to feel confident when purchasing a dolls house:
What is a doll’s house scale?
Dolls houses are typically designed to replicate a real house and to add an element of realism their proportions tend to follow similar dimension ratios, too. Each product on our website includes a scale icon which helps to show its size and the proportions to which it's been designed. Dolls House scales are measured in imperial measures, and, in simplest terms can be broken down by the following formula:
1 inch on the dolls house = x inches on a real item
We explain each scale further below:
1:6 Scale
The 1:6 dolls house scale is sometimes called the Fashion Doll scale. They are suited to Barbie or similar 30cm tall dolls. KidKraft dolls houses are made in this scale. These dolls houses are the largest ones available and consideration needs to be given to whether they will fit into the space available.
1:12 Scale
1:12 scale is sometimes called one-inch scale and means 1 foot (or 12 inches) on a real item that has been scaled down to 1 inch. If you measure the ceiling in your house and it’s 10ft, it would be 10in in the dolls house. This is the most common scale for children’s dolls houses and our Le Toy Van and Hape houses and furniture are designed according to this size.
1:16 Scale
The 1:16 dolls house scale is sometimes called the 3/4 scale. One inch in this scale equals 16 inches on a real item, or 3/4 inch equals 1 foot. Djeco and Sylvanian Families (excluding the animal figures) are made in this scale.
1:18 Scale
Lundby dolls houses are made in the scale of 1:18 (sometimes called 2/3 scale). The same scaling rules apply as above: 1 inch in this scale equals 18 inches on a real item.
Why are scales in imperial measurements?
Simply put, the British were the pioneers of commercialising dolls houses following the popularity of dolls houses amongst the monarchy. Many iconic antique dolls houses were once owned by queens and princesses and since the British used the imperial system, this became the global standard for miniature scaling.
Converting inches to centimetres
Advertising scales using imperial measurements is used to ensure globally we are all working to the same system - 1:12 using centimetres is NOT the same scale as 1:12 in inches! The correct conversion for the same 1:12in item would be approximately 1:30cm. Just think of a ruler with it's dual measurements on each side.
Which furniture scales work together?
Not all furniture will fit into all dolls houses and large furniture may clutter the rooms of a smaller scaled house or simply not fit at all. Smaller scaled furniture can sometimes work nicely in a larger dolls house as it can give the rooms a grand feeling as the ceilings will look taller. We do recommend selecting items from the same scale though, as your dolls house could end up looking mismatched otherwise. It’s completely up to you what furniture you put into your dolls house but this table may help narrow the items you consider:
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SCALE |
Furniture Scale |
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1:6 |
1:12 |
1:16 |
1.18 |
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Dolls House Scale |
1:6 |
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1:12 |
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1:16 |
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1.18 |
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Which scale is best for my child?
This completely depends on the age of your child, their fine motor skills and how gentle they are in their play. You may find a larger dolls house (e.g. 1:12 scale) is better for younger children as the pieces are bigger and typically easier to handle by little hands while a smaller house will often have more detailed features which could be better suited to a slightly older child who can interact with it more easily. This isn’t always the case though, so each product has a recommended age icon to help you decide.
Many furniture sets come with miniature accessories like cups and books and if you have a child under 3, we recommend putting these aside until they are older as they could pose a choking hazard. Any products that don’t meet the Australian standard for under 3 year olds have this symbol on them.
Comments (48)
Playmobile house
By: Jean Quinn on 14 June 2021Will 1/12 furniture fit in a Playmobile Victorian Grande house?? I just bought one not knowing the scale.
The Dolls House Boutique Response
Unfortunately, Playmobil is only 1/24 scale and 1/12 scale furniture will be much to big for it.
Sylvanian Families
By: Marnie on 12 June 2021Hi, Could you pls let me know which of your brands has dolls house most compatable with Sylvanians. I had read elsewhere that Sylvania furniture is 1:12 scale. Thank you so much!
The Dolls House Boutique Response
Sylvanian Families furniture and houses are considered 1:16 scale but they are a little unique in that they have shorter legs on furniture so that they suit the height of the families. The families themselves, however, can be used in 1:12, 1:16 or 1:18 scale houses quite successfully as they aren't really true to any scale so its more about where they can fit and look good!
Maileg
By: Halima on 1 February 2021Hi, do you know if maileg mice and furniture is compatible with Le toy van houses? Can I mix and match? What would the scale be for maileg furniture?
The Dolls House Boutique Response
Maileg isn't strictly 1:12 scale and some of their furniture sizes are unique to the brand and vary between releases. Many wouldn't fit into a Le Toy Van house largely due to the ceiling height or they could look quite large. But the animals are fairly similar to 1:12 and you could use Maileg Mice with Le Toy Van furniture without any issues. If you have a specific furniture piece in mind, please contact us on 1300 015 110 and we would be happy to share exact measurements.
1:24 Dollhouse with Furniture
By: Kayden on 2 January 2021Hello, I have a 1:24 scale dollhouse and was looking at 1:12 furniture (easier to find, often better-made) - would it still fit into the 1:24 dollhouse? Thank you!
The Dolls House Boutique Response
Unfortunately, it's unlikely 1:12 furniture would fit into a 1:24 scale dolls house unless the house has very high ceilings in the design. 1:12 scale pieces are rough double the size of 1:24 so if they fit into the 1:24 house, they will likely look massively oversized.
Sylvanian and lundby
By: Tanja on 27 November 2020Can you use sylvanian family figures with lundby House and lundby furniture? Would a sylvanian rabbit be able to sit in a lundby chair f x?
The Dolls House Boutique Response
Yes, Sylvanian Families figures work nicely with Lundby houses and furniture and these two brands are regularly mixed. That said, from a styling perspective, we don't recommend mixing Lundby and Sylvanian Families furniture in the same house as the modern vs classic styles clash, but it can be done.
