You have a few things you want to display, you have a theme and story line and you've got a sense of your story, the feel and overall look you want for the display, a setting, and any secondary themes. What's next in the steps to planning a miniature scene or dolls house display? This is where you decide the size, scope and shape of the display.
Most people don't plan too far ahead, but depending on the number of collectibles in your miniature range, or how broad a collection you want, you should have some sort of idea about how much your collection can grow, and roughly how many items you will collect. Now plan!
Here's How:
Planning for Viewing
What will the viewing angle be? Does this collectible or doll house need to be viewed from a particular angle or using magnification? Will people stand in front of the display and view it at eye height, stand beside items arranged in a case, look down on it, view it while sitting, or view it as part of an existing scene which has particular height and size restrictions (model railway for example)? Does the display need to be seen from more than one angle?
How many people will be viewing this display at once? Will they need to be walking past it, standing in front of it, arranged around it?
Planned Expansion
Do all items of the collection need to be grouped together, or can it be broken into sections? Examples of this might be Italian cars in one case, North American models in another. Or three Christmas village pieces on the mantle, two by the entry way, three on a console behind a couch.
Some displays will stand alone but end up as a group because of their theme or size. Several similar sized dollhouse window or shop displays can be grouped to make a street. A collection of doll house dolls might make a family in a dolls'house, or part of a Christmas shopping scene.Location Requirements
Will your display have particular requirements? Does it need to be placed on a table, placed close to electrical outlets, needs wall support, needs natural light, needs to be kept away from natural light? In a dust free location under lock and key? Housed only in your grandmother's cabinet?
Will the answers to the above questions change as the display gets larger? Will you have space to install more display cabinets or will the display have to move? Can you add future pieces which are taller, wider, or need to be viewed from front and back?
Display Size
The size of each section of your overall collection will need to be determined for some collections. To work out the sizes you will need for an individual section:
- What size are the objects you intend to display
- How are they displayed, as part of a scene, as individual items.
- What Space do they need between items to allow them to be viewed at their best?
- Do you need to display things vertically as well as horizontally? (an example of this would be designing a display to use a floor level, staging or table tops, upper cabinets or shelves, ceilings and walls all to showcase items at different heights.
Summary of Steps
- Plan the View - thinking of the viewing angle, and the number of people who will view the display at one time.
- Plan Expansion- will your display expand in sections, sub displays or piece by piece
- Plan Location Requirements- outlets, light, closed or open space.
- Plan For Size and Scope- Will you collect larger items or more of them?
Proper planning will allow your collection to be displayed to its best advantage, making it easier to care for and more interesting to view. Themes, story lines, and a plan for expanding, grouping or collecting selectively will save you from impulsive buys as well.
Sample Plan - The Cabin Front Porch
Existing information from planning the theme:
- Theme A Child's Unfettered Summer Explorations
- Storyline A child's memories of a busy summer day
- Feeling to Create Activity momentarily displaced by something new.
- Overall Look Rustic items built by caring adults from local materials
- Location The front porch of a rustic cabin with a door and window to the inside, and links to outdoors.
- Secondary Themes Security, adventure.
Working Plan - Viewing Angle for the Cabin Front Porch
- Want a small display
- One main viewing angle, from the front.
- Will be seen by single visitors, so the depth of the display will be limited to the size of the porch and enough wall to suggest a cabin.
- The porch has to be big enough to showcase all the materials I want to include, a table, chair or chairs, daily life, features of the cabin, some suggestion of the people who are using it.
Working Plan - Planned Expansion for the Cabin Front Porch
The porch and the basic items will begin the display and start the story, the collection will only grow by as many items as will highlight the story, no expansion needed.
Working Plan - Location Requirements for the Cabin Front Porch
A wall hung display at eye level will work for something which will only be about eight inches deep. This size could go on a small table if it can’t fit on the wall. If it goes on a wall, it will be hung in natural light. No illumination will be necessary during the day, but it might be nice to be able to turn it into a feature at night so it will be placed on a wall near an outlet.
Working Plan - Size Requirements for the Cabin Front Porch
Display needs a means to imply people moving through the scene. A door and stairs will allow movement possibilities.Stairs will lead towards the viewer to draw them in to the action leaving the cabin front to display plants, birdhouses,on a lower level than the porch. The stairs will be on the side leaving the porch free to locate display items.
Windows will allow a scene above the porch as well as a night scene. A canoe will hang from rafters. To accommodate this I need a display 18 inches wide by 8 inches deep. (Windows + door + walls+ stairs + frame space.)
