Dolls' House
1970s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This unusual house was built by Dr Christopher Cole. Designed as a townhouse the rooms are spread over several floors linked together with several staircases. From the outside the house has a very distinctive appearance with large vertical windows which span three floors. The interior walls can be moved around to create new spaces and the front and side of the house can be opened allowing children (and adults) to play imaginatively with the dolls and furniture inside.
The house reflects aspects of changing lifestyles at the time, with modern appliances and spacious family rooms. It is furnished with Scandinavian style furniture including a number of pieces by Lundby, Brio and Hanse of Denmark. Lundby started producing dolls’ houses and furniture in 1947 and continue to do so today. The houses and furniture they produced are notable because they reflect the period in which they were made. It was always Lundby’s ambition to keep up with the times, producing houses with electric lighting, and following trends with interior decoration and design.
The house reflects aspects of changing lifestyles at the time, with modern appliances and spacious family rooms. It is furnished with Scandinavian style furniture including a number of pieces by Lundby, Brio and Hanse of Denmark. Lundby started producing dolls’ houses and furniture in 1947 and continue to do so today. The houses and furniture they produced are notable because they reflect the period in which they were made. It was always Lundby’s ambition to keep up with the times, producing houses with electric lighting, and following trends with interior decoration and design.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Varnished plywood and perspex |
| Brief description | Modern dolls' house built in a late twentieth century urban style, made in England by Christopher Cole in the 1970s. |
| Physical description | Modern style dolls' house made from varnished plywood. There is a carport with a small glazed entrance lobby and three further floors which can be accessed by opening the front and the right-hand side of the building. The house has five windows made from perspex which run vertically. Inside, the house is divided into several rooms by 8 removable wall panels some of which have opening doors. It is furnished with Scandinavian style furniture. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Object history | This house would have been sold in kit form and assembled by the owner. |
| Summary | This unusual house was built by Dr Christopher Cole. Designed as a townhouse the rooms are spread over several floors linked together with several staircases. From the outside the house has a very distinctive appearance with large vertical windows which span three floors. The interior walls can be moved around to create new spaces and the front and side of the house can be opened allowing children (and adults) to play imaginatively with the dolls and furniture inside. The house reflects aspects of changing lifestyles at the time, with modern appliances and spacious family rooms. It is furnished with Scandinavian style furniture including a number of pieces by Lundby, Brio and Hanse of Denmark. Lundby started producing dolls’ houses and furniture in 1947 and continue to do so today. The houses and furniture they produced are notable because they reflect the period in which they were made. It was always Lundby’s ambition to keep up with the times, producing houses with electric lighting, and following trends with interior decoration and design. |
| Bibliographic reference | Pasierbska, Halina. Dolls' Houses: From the V&A Museum of Childhood. London: V&A Publishing, 2008, p.56, 75, 96, 133. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.16-2005 |
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| Record created | March 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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