Creating a Quarter Scale Display for the Miniature Victorian Parlour : Tutorial

Hello Everyone,

It’s been a wonderful week, and I’m so pleased to share this easy, cute tutorial just before the weekend!

As part of my ongoing project The Miniature Victorian Parlour, I’ve been working with various small scales such as 1:144 and 1:48. While the micro scales are perfect for tiny dollhouses, I find that for small displays, the 1:48 scale (also known as quarter scale) is just ideal. It works beautifully with 1:12 scale dolls and adds such charm to miniature scenes.

This week, I completed my very first quarter scale display for the shop — and I have to say, I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

🛠️ What You’ll Need:

• Thin plywood (for base and back wall)

• Stanley knife

• Acrylic paints (white and gold)

• Mini wallpaper and flooring printouts

• Wood glue

• Miniature cabinet kit (from Melissa’s Miniworld)

• 3D printed busts, frames, and pedestals

• Patience and a steady hand!

🎨 Step-by-Step Tutorial:

1. Preparing the Base & Back Panel

I began by cutting and designing the base and back of the display using thin plywood.

2. Scoring & Folding

Using a Stanley knife, I carefully scored both sides of the back panel, folding them in to create angled side walls. Then I gave the entire piece an undercoat with acrylic paint.

3. Wallpaper & Flooring

I resized some lovely wallpaper and flooring designs to fit the quarter scale, and applied them to the interior walls and floor using glue.

4. Assembly

I glued the base to the back wall and let it set completely, then painted the outer edges with gold acrylic for a lovely finish.

5. Printing & Painting Minis

While waiting for the glue to dry, I printed out and painted some tiny accessories: busts, pedestals, and frames.

6. The Cabinet

The star of the display — a miniature cabinet kit from Melissa’s Miniworld — was fun to build and turned out so cute after painting.

🪄 Final Touches

Once everything was dry, I began arranging the pieces. 

The busts looked adorable, and although placing such small items can be fiddly, it was absolutely worth it.

And here is the end result.

Here is a short clip step by step how it was made. 

It now sits beautifully as part of the Victorian Parlour project — I couldn’t be more delighted with the result!

That’s all for today! I hope this inspires you to try a quarter scale scene of your own. Stay tuned for more updates and tiny adventures in my miniature world.

Take care and see you soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

Progress on the Work Shop at The Victorian Miniature Parlour

 Hello Everyone,

I hope you're all doing well and having a lovely week. I made some great progress on my ongoing project, The Victorian Miniature Parlour, over the Easter break and wanted to share the latest with you.

I've been focusing on the first floor, which will serve as the workshop and private quarters of Miss Julie Montague. This charming little space sits just above the shop. While it’s not a large area, it offers so much potential for creativity and storytelling. I'm still deciding on all the details, but I know for sure it will feature a sturdy worktable and a cosy stove to give the room warmth and character.

To begin, I wallpapered the room using a simple yet fitting pattern that complements its utilitarian purpose. I also built a small corner wall to house the stove – it’s a subtle touch that really helps define the space. The addition of skirting boards and a cornice helped bring the walls to life and added a lovely finished look. I also installed railings for the stairwell, which added a nice architectural touch.

At the moment, I’m still experimenting with furniture placements to see what works best. I also have a few micro-scale dollhouses planned for the back wall, which I’m excited to build. They’ll bring a fun layer of detail and depth to the space.

The wall lighting has now been installed along the back wall, and I must say – it’s already giving the room such an inviting and lived-in feel. The glow adds just the right touch of atmosphere.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been working on the shop downstairs. I focused on the counter area, adding a few miniature furniture pieces and, one of my favorite additions so far – a beautifully built miniature National Cash Register. It’s such a charming detail and really brings the shop scene to life.

And this is how the interior of The Victorian Miniature Parlour looks like so far. 

That’s all for today’s update! I hope you enjoyed this little peek into the progress. There’s still much more to come, so stay tuned for more updates and the latest news from The Victorian Miniature Parlour.

Thanks for following along!

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

The Miniature Dutch Baby House Cabinet

 Hello Everyone,

How are you? I hope you are all way. I am very excited to share with you my latest works. I have been working on my latest project which is the The Victorian Miniature Parlour. This is a small shop that sells dolls houses, furniture, accessories and dolls. 

On my previous post I shared that I would be adding a Dutch Baby House Cabinet which I consider it to be the Wow Factor of the room. I have to say it took me a few weeks to complete but the end results are spectacular. 

After completing the exterior of the cabinet it was time to decorate in the interior.

The Exterior of the Dutch Baby House Cabinet

It took me several days to down scale wall paper and flooring for each room. I added interior doors to the side wall wall papers inline with the central hallway as there were no openings to the rooms. I also added decorative papers to the interior of the cabinet doors. I made it a point that the wallpapers are in pastel colour scheme but match.

The interior of the Dutch Baby House Cabinet

Then the tricky part came. Electricity! It was not a joke wiring the tiny thing with led lights and  jewellery for chandeliers.  Every ceiling was wired and lit and I have to say I wasn't expecting it to work or turn out even better than what I hoped for.

Adding lighting to the Cabinet

I made the tiny furniture pieces and painted them. The furniture is 1:144 scale.  Printed tiny painting to decorate the rooms and made tiny flower pots with tiny beads.

The Complete Miniature Dutch Baby House Cabinet

Furnished rooms

Every room was decorated individually. Apart of the hallways, you will find a sitting room, a dining room, a study room, the main bedroom, a little girl's bedroom and the bathroom. 

The Sitting room

The Dinning Room 

The Study

The Main Bedroom 

The Little Girl's Bedroom

The Bathroom

The Hallways

Adding the Dutch Baby House Cabinet to the Shop was a very special moment. Even if the shop is not even close to completion, it made me fell very happy and excited.

Here is also a short video that I took of the Dutch Baby House Cabinet.

Today I also wanted to introduce you to the lovely lady who will be running the Shop. Meet Ms. Julie Motague. A prodigy to the Miniaturist Lady Adelaide. By now you all know The Miniaturist in my Regent Street however I will be sharing their story line some other time. 

Miss Julie Motague

I hope you like what I have done so far. I can't wait to share with you more of my progress on this lovely project that I have really close to my heart. So this is all for today, make sure to keep tuned for the next updates and latest news.

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

The Start of the Interior of The Victorian Miniature Parlour

Hello Everyone,

How are you? I hope you are all well. I have started working on the interior of the first room which will be the shop itself.

I started by painting the staircase. Once that was done, I papered the walls, ceiling and flooring of the room.

I think the shop will eventually look lovely once all the dollshouses and accessories are in place. I wanted something to give the shop the wow factor. I just couldn't figure out what to do considering that the room is quite small and not spacious. 

I remembered that a few years ago I had purchased this miniature Dutch Baby Cabinet. I really didn't know what to do with it or I never had any purpose for it, but now I know that this would be a statement piece in the shop. 

I started off by decorating the exterior of the cabinet and adding pieces to make it more unique. As for the interior, I still have lots to do considering that I have six micro scale rooms to do.

This is all for today. I hope you like what I have done so far. Make sure to keep tuned for the next updates and latest news.

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx

Completing the Exterior of the Victorian Miniature Parlour.

 Hello Everyone,

I hope you are doing well and having a great start to your week. A new week brings fresh opportunities, new challenges, and the chance to share the progress on my project the Victorian Miniature Parlour.

Working on the roof can be challenging, but I truly enjoy the process. I start by tiling both the roof and the dormer window, carefully ensuring everything is aligned. Though cutting the wood can sometimes become tedious, the satisfaction of seeing it all come together makes it worthwhile.

Once the tiles are set and fully dried, I paint them in a grey slate colour to achieve a natural, weathered look. To enhance the realism, I add strips of aluminium foil along the edges to mimic the appearance of lead flashing.

Next, I moved on to the roof, installing the battens and securing the aluminium around the edges for the lead flashing. I made sure to leave enough space between the roof battens to accommodate the chimney stack, ensuring a precise and seamless fit.

Once the battens were in place, I weathered the entire roof using earthy tones, adding depth and a natural, aged appearance.

As soon as I determine the placement of the fireplace inside the building, I will install the chimney stack. I always ensure that my chimneys align perfectly with the fireplaces below for a realistic and cohesive design.

Here’s how my Victorian Miniature Parlour project is coming along so far. Every detail is starting to take shape, and I’m excited to see it all come together as I add the final touches.

To wrap things up, this is where my project stands at the moment. There's still more work to be done, but I’m excited about it's progress. I hope you like what I’ve done so far. Stay tuned for the next update as I continue bringing this miniature world to life!

Take Care and See You Soon.

Hugs,

Rebecca xxx