A Matchbox House

I was inspired by the tiny houses Dolls Houses Past and Present members have been making. I found an old matchbox, with the shell and the sides of the box made of wood. I cut down one side of the shell so I could turn it inside out ....


I really like the unstained, golden wood the matchbox shell is made of. I think I will paint the door and windows on, and perhaps add a pediment or parapet to the roof, but otherwise keep the bare wood of the outer walls.


The colour of the other sides of the matchbox reminded me a lot of some of the houses in Liza Antrim's book Family Dolls' Houses of the 18th & 19th Centuries, and I've kept it on what are now the inside walls of the house as the wallpaper. I made the base out of balsa, and the dresser is balsa and another strip of matchbox.
It does still needs some decorating! I'll look for some old wallpaper to put over the matchbox label.


The striking sides of the matchbox are perfect for fireplaces. I cut fireplace shapes out of the long, papered, side of the matchbox drawer, and stuck that over the black side.



So, now to add some more details - and some furnishings!

In Keystoneville

In Keystoneville, in Keystone Square, there are four houses.


The Jacksons step out of the house at the same time as Mr Weisman.


"Good morning," they say. "How are you today?"

On the other side of the square, Miss Marks and Mr Rimmer have also appeared.



"Good morning," says Miss Marks. "You're as regular as clockwork, Mr Rimmer!"

"Good morning, Miss Marks. You're an early bird today!"

Off they all go, to the centre of Keystoneville.


Mr Rimmer works at the Keystone Garage.


Mr Weisman needs to buy a new chamois leather for his car.



Mr Jackson is the pharmacist, and Mrs Jackson works at the bakery.


I wonder what Miss Marks is buying at the hardware store?


All is quiet at the fire station, and the cinema doesn't open until the evening.



Oh dear, it looks like someone else is at work too!


Better call the Keystone cops!

These model buildings are probably made by Keystone - Keystone made toy garages and dolls houses similar to these. The two-storey houses here are about 2" high, and the garage is 1 1/4" high. They are made of solid blocks of wood, with the cardboard and paper litho wrapped around them. The little figures are by Preiser in 1:160 scale (N scale, in model railway terms).

UPDATE: Jennifer McKendry shows the box which these came in, labelled Keystone Wood Block Village. So yes, definitely Keystone! (Scroll down her 1940s page past the real houses and past Rich to get to Keystone.) And Callsmall has a complete boxed set, with labelled slots for each building, plus trees, walls and squares of grass to sit the houses on!