Some toy photographers and collectors are so specific about what scales they’ll purchase, but I can’t settle for the life of me. I choose what I feel illustrates my ideas best and that switches between 2cm tall HO scale, to 1:12 scale dollhouses to 1:18 scale action figures and everything in between.
My boyfriend recently bought me the most stunning 1:18 scale RV and I plan to take so many more photos with it. Inside, the chairs move and cabinets open and it even comes with little detachable bikes.
And while there’s so much more I can talk about in this scale, I’m here to talk about the magic of Lundy. I don’t own any, but I’ve often admired it, and for some reason it just feels so genuine and pure.
Lundy is a Swedish company, so just think Ikea, but tiny. They’ve been in the dollhouse business since 1945 and really know their stuff. In 1967 they won the Best Toy award from the Swedish Toy Merchants Association. They were also the very first dollhouses to have electricity.
While I could talk about how terrible the dolls look, with poorly formed neck attachments and eyes that are too far apart, I really just want to talk about how beautiful the design, furniture and accessories are, and how I often wonder if I could fit a fully armored Acid Rain action figure (like those pictured above) in those little chairs.
My absolute favorite accessory sets, just from online perusing are this armchair, bathroom and aquarium. The fabric selection for that chair is just perfect, and truly no where can you find a modern dollhouse shower. The shower being one of my favorite places in my home, always seems like an important thing to portray in miniature. And well, a miniature aquarium with tiny little fish is good enough on it’s own, but I love how many of the accessory sets come with tiny paintings that are miniaturized versions by Lisa Rinnevuo.
Lundby has remained true to its scale throughout the years, meaning it’s vintage stuff, which is just as cute, can fit in with all the new if you’d like.
I also think, in coming off of my Kid’s Dollhouse Trends post, that lundby houses, while smaller than the traditional 1:12 scale are a good balance of aesthetic. They’re made for children and have a clean modern design, but don’t insist on minimalism and pastel colors. They’re homey without clutter.
Lundby still does make some very nice furniture and likewise, it should fit and look OK in vintage 1:18 or 1:16 dolls houses. I think that the ones made for children in the past they were not as fussy about the scale.
I have some old Barton wooden furniture which reminds me of what I had as a child. I liked it then because it looked more real to me than the plastic furniture. I had some Marx furniture too and while I liked it I knew that tables and record players were not red, blue or yellow.
Yes! Obvious they were a bit looser with realism with all those bright single color furniture accessories like your record player. But the whimsy can be fun. I recently got some vintage tomy pieces that are surprisingly realistic but the chair is way too large in comparison with the kitchen counter.