What little girl doesn't like a bedroom where she can pretend it's real life? Like being a princess in a castle? I decided that my dollhouse needed a bedroom like this because I wanted to make a bedroom for my friend so that when we play dollhouse we both have our own rooms... she told me this is the theme she would have wanted as a child...
I found an empty plastic wrap roll that was perfect for the towers and would hold its shape.
I split it in half...
Here I made marks where I want the windows and the floor of the top part to be...
Freshly cut out windows...
Checking the shape and size... I drew out the base plan on a piece of cardboard to make sure I get it to the scale I want that looks okay in the room. At first I wanted to make a separate closet but it seemed the room was too small for how I wanted to do it so I added it into the castle structure...
Here you can see the finished base. I did not add the stairs as I thought it would be easier to do later after I finished the main structure...
I wanted the doors to have a bit of a uniqueness to them so I used a scotch tape roll to add the curve to the openings. I saved the cutout piece from the closet opening for a door later on...
For the top floor I wanted to add a bit of a balcony for which a duct tape roll worked perfectly. Then it took some trimming to get the towers to fit smoothly.
Next I added carpet to the base which is just a piece of a placemats. I will add a different color for the closet floor as I wanted to leave a bit of a groove to help hold the wall in place.
It wasn't as hard as I expected to paper the towers. I just had to make sure all the surfaces were pressed together on the inside. I let it dry a bit before cutting out the windows so it wouldn't tear the paper. For the outside, I wrapped some wire pieces around the tower to hold the paper in place until it dries enough to not come loose once I unwrapped the wire. In the end, little bits of trim were perfect for tiny curtains...
I added a piece of white corduroy-like fabric for the closet floor leaving a little space for the wall.
Hopefully the photos are large enough where you can see the process of putting the castle structure together. I tried to take photos of each step in case someone wants to try it for themselves and needs some help figuring out how to put it together. If you do try and still have questions you can always ask in the comments below... I just used a hot glue gun to put it together...
I had some scrap dollhouse flooring paper I had printed for another project and decided it wouldn't look too bad. It took a bit to figure out how to get the shape I want...
The curtain is just a piece of wide trim that I had. I used a popsicle stickle to glue it on to to make it easier to adhere as well as making it easier to handle. I used some rose trim to cover the raw edge at the top and some gold and white string for the tiebacks. Since it unraveled easily I put a knot close to the bottom and unravelled the end to make it look like a tassel. Since the string didn't hang nicely I glued it to the curtain so it looks more realistic...
The curtain added to the interior...
For the bed I cut 2 pieces of foam packaging as one wasn't quite high enough. For the bottom "boxspring" I first added a sheer pink ribbon to hinder the foam from being seen through the ruffled lace I wanted to add on top as a bed skirt...
For the top "mattress" I used a piece of fabric and hot glued it to the foam. Since the ends would be hidden by the walls and covers I didn't bother making them too tidy...
Now it was time to glue both pieces together...
I find the covers to always be a bit of a pain, especially on the corners. Eventually I was able to get everything to lay just right with plenty of hot glue. The thought just occurred to me that it might look pretty with some legs and if I go that route I would just use some beads to give the bed a bit of a lift.
It was a snug fit to get the bed in but for anyone who struggles with things falling down behind the bed that might just be a good thing ..
Here is a look at the front...
The railings were fine to do. I had a lot of large red beads that I didn't know what I would ever use for but they were a perfect fit for this part of the project...
The curved banister rail was a bit of a struggle as I was using balsa wood which is very soft but I managed to get it to work...
The railing matches the roof quite well...
From the side... where the stairs will be added...
I had fun with the closet. I had some wooden hearts that came in handy for this part of creating a place to hang pretty dresses...
From a little girl's point of view I thought a little shelf would be neat. I had a triangle of wood that fit perfectly so I trimmed the one top off and added 3 braces because I wasn't sure how well the glue would hold such a thin piece of wood if I put any weight on it as little girls like pretty shoes and bags for dress up...
Here's a picture from the other side.
For the little seat in the tower I cut a piece of balsa wood to fit them added a piece of fluffy white sock for the cushion and added some trim... perfect for a little girl getting dressed and putting on some pretty shoes.
I glued some more wooden hearts together as braces for a little table. A popsicle stick was perfect for the tabletop... now waiting for some accessories...
A small round mirror and a 3d sticker added a finishing touch...
Can't forget a little stool to sit on... it is a fake foam marshmallow with the bottom chopped off to make it the right height and some trim added. I would have been so delighted with this cute space as a little girl...
For the closet door, I covered the cutout piece with more dollhouse flooring from another project to give it a wooden look. A doorknob from a broken door was perfect.
The hinges took a bit to figure out. I thought I had mini hinges somewhere but couldn't find any so instead I cut some wide black ribbon to look like old fashioned hinges. I stapled them to the door and was going to staple them to the wall but realized I couldn't because of the shelf and clothes rail I had added inside the closet so I just glued it on...
Using some brown craft paper I made trim and glued it on top thinking it probably help the hinges stay on better...
Another piece of cardboard and some paper and chains made the perfect entrance to the castle bed for a little princess.
Now all trim is added and in the windows I added tiny pieces of wood for windowsills perfect for a vase or flowers...
Finally I'm ready for the stairs. It took a bit to plan the steps...
After cutting it out and covering the outer side with paper to match the rest of the outside, I used some leftover wood scraps for braces to keep it the right distance apart so it looks realistic when I add the steps...
I had collected a number of these pieces over the years that I didn't know what I'd ever use for but they were perfect for the steps. If I remember correctly they are the pieces that come with canvas frames that you can use to tighten it after you paint on it or something like that...
The first few steps... I was quite delighted at this point with how realistic it was looking...
Progress...
I had enough beads left to make the railing nearly identical to the rest of it.... except for the last few at the top...
From the side... my xacto knife for reference...
The only thing I could think of to make it easy for the railing was using an ivy vine. Since I wanted to add some anyway I decided I might as well use it for the railing. It was a bit of a mess to get it to lay just right...
I also added one on the inside of the stairs to cover up the hot glue and mistakes and to give it a more finished and mystical appearance...
Adding more vines...
And more vines...
And more...
And done... if I was a little girl I would have so much fun in this space...
This is what it looks like in the room.
From the doorway...
Now I want to work on accessories. I will have so much fun making and adding accessories that will turn it even more into a little girl's paradise... I did get a few pillows done which you can see below...
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. And if you have any questions please don't hesitate to leave a comment and I will try to help as best I can. Thank you for taking the time to read and look at all the pictures. I hope you were able to let your imagination play too... 🤍💃
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