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Doris Tyrell

Doris Tyrell 's Artwork


Artist Statement

Why did I build my dollhouse?  Because I didn’t know any better, what’s why!!  If I’d had any idea what I was getting myself into, I never would have had the courage to start.  And, imagine!  I had the temerity to want to build a grand staircase which would have given even an experienced carpenter reason to have second thoughts!

          It all started when my son, Jeffrey, gave me a Victorian dollhouse kit for Christmas.  After I finished putting it together, I decided I wanted something bigger and more spacious.  I drew up the plans and my husband cut out all the pieces on his table saw and voila!, nearly all of my spare time for the next nine  years was gone.

          It was a labor of love, albeit, at times a most frustrating one.  Building the stairway, expect for the volute and easement for the lower bannisters which were made for me by a master craftsman, was the most difficult part.  I made all the furniture, either from scratch or modified kits, upholstered all the couches and chairs, made the rugs and drapes, laid the parquet floors and stained all the wood in the kitchen and build the fireplace.  All the floors, except the kitchen, were laid with strips of real mahogany.

          The house is built of ½” AC plywood and measures five feet wide x 2½ feet high x 30” deep.  There are 2,900 cedar shingles on the roof, each one individually glued on by me.  I used real mortar on the bricks, so the dollhouse weighs a ton!  (Not really, of course.)

          I love my dollhouse dearly but I will never build another one!  Now I do room boxes – I can finish one of those in a week or two!