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