4 Inspirational Dolls House Magazines for Miniaturists
A dolls house magazine is one of the best sources of inspiration for designing and creating your own dolls houses and miniatures. Since it’s been curated, the content is top quality, tried and tested. I especially look forward to seasonal editions, where a lot of the content focuses on a holiday, like Halloween. And I don’t think I’m the only creator who enjoys making holiday-themed miniatures and decorations. One of the most impressive things for me is the diversity of projects and how invested people are in creating beautiful, quirky, and unique miniatures.
Reasons to Read Dolls House Magazines
There are tons of reasons why I genuinely look forward to another month of my miniature magazine. They’re basically a treasure trove of ideas, inspiration, and DIY magic. Inside, there are articles on everything from crafting 1:12 furniture to painting the tiniest of details.
One of the best things about these magazines is that they cater to all skill levels. Whether you’re a newbie with dreams of building your first dolls house or a seasoned pro looking for advanced tips and tricks, there’s something for everyone.
Dolls house magazines also introduce you to a whole community of fellow enthusiasts. You’ll find profiles of passionate collectors, sneak peeks into their incredible miniature worlds, and maybe even discover local clubs or events to join.
4 Miniature Magazine Options
Each of the dolls house magazines I discuss below is available as a digital and print subscription. If you visit their branded websites, you can also see and access their additional content. Dolls House and Miniature Scene offer a combo deal so you can receive both digital and print magazines, while American Miniaturist has a ‘TV channel’ with dolls house tutorials.
Dolls House and Miniature Scene
DHMS is my go-to miniature magazine, which I’ve been reading consistently for about 2 years. The features are excellent and varied, showcasing a myriad of different themes, specializations, and crafting techniques. One of my favourite features is the polymer clay miniature food-making ‘lessons’ and seeing the progress of long-term projects of …miniaturists. Dolls House and Miniature Scene includes a wide range of topics, it’s not just about dolls houses, so you get a bit of everything with this magazine.
Dolls House and Miniature Scene has its own app and digital subscription named DigitalPlus. Plus, you can buy joint print and digital subscriptions with discounts on back issues.
Dollhouse Miniatures
Dollhouse Miniatures magazine has a clean, easy-to-read layout with huge, clear, well-taken photos. This is perfect since the majority of the magazine showcases incredibly detailed projects and miniatures. As the name suggests, it’s very heavy on showcasing all things dolls houses, from creating houses from scratch to designing furniture and tiny accessories.
Dollhouse Miniatures is the American counterpart to its UK sister magazine, Dolls House World. While the magazine is somewhat more focused on an American audience, there are still lots of international content, especially miniaturist showcases.
You can check out the Dollhouse Miniature site and browse the many features they offer.
Dolls House World
Dolls House World is very similar to Dollhouse Miniatures in its layout and types of articles. This mag is packed with tips and tricks for creating and decorating miniature dollhouses. You’ll find articles on crafting mini furniture, designing tiny interiors, and even interviews with talented miniature artists.
Get an overview of Dolls House World here.
American Miniaturist
American Miniaturist has more projects than the other magazines, and the general spread is more glossy and high-spec, with larger photos and copy that’s a bit easier to read. This is much more American-themed, but personally, this doesn’t bother me, as many of the tools and materials mentioned are still available in the UK and elsewhere.
See American Miniaturist features in more detail, view special offers and read a free edition.
Quick Miniature Magazine Overview
| Magazine | Location | Content Focus | Style | Target Audience | Perspective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolls House and Miniature Scene | UK | Articles, tutorials, and features | Broad range, traditional, modern | Beginners and experienced enthusiasts | UK with international content |
| Dollhouse Miniatures | US | Tutorials, DIY projects, showcases | Detailed, intricate | Dollhouse collectors and miniaturists | Primarily US with international content |
| Dolls House World | UK | Articles, showcases, reader submissions | Wide variety, historical, modern | Beginners and advanced enthusiasts | Global with UK origin |
| American Miniaturist | US | Features, profiles, step-by-step guides | American-style, artisan profiles | Miniature collectors and enthusiasts | Primarily US |
Magazine Differences
As the name suggests, American Miniaturist focuses mostly on an American readership. Does this matter? Along with Dollhouse Miniatures, it contains ads, product suggestions, and localized fairs and events that set it apart from the others, but the mini projects and features are almost all relevant to a non-American audience.
Occasionally, there are some culturally specific events, such as Dolls House and Miniature Scene’s focus on the King’s Coronation, while American Miniaturist and Dollhouse Miniatures are a little more heavy on the July 4 and that kind of thing.
I quite like seeing what’s trending in the US as far as miniatures go, and I enjoy the articles looking at vintage dolls and brands that didn’t become popular in the UK.
All four of these magazines actually incorporate content from all over the world, so no matter which one you choose, you’ll get a global showcase of miniaturists.
Choosing a Miniature Magazine
I know we’ve only got so many hours in the day, so if you can’t choose between them, here’s my suggestion:
Go Digital
Dolls House and Miniature Scene, Dollhouse Miniatures, Dolls House World, and American Miniaturist are ALL available at Pocketmags.
I’m not an affiliate of Pocketmags, but it’s what I’ve used to read digital mags for a while now, and so far, so good.
Reasons to choose Pocketmags
- Read on your computer, tablet, and smartphone
- Sync between platforms to the last page you read
- Pocketmags offers individual subscriptions or Pocketmags Plus, which gives you unlimited access to their entire catalog of digital magazines. Even if you only subscribe to two magazines, you’re probably better off trying Plus+
- You can get free miniature dollhouse magazine samples to check out
- Back issues and special offers
- Not guilting anyone, but kinda better for the environment too..
- Some magazines (DHMS for sure) include ‘Digital Exclusives’ with each issue. Most of the time, they add more feature images to enjoy or an extra project.
Ashdown Magazines make Dollhouse Miniatures, Dolls House World and American Miniaturist have their own digital platform, i-mag.co.uk and app.
Printed Dolls House Magazines
As I mentioned before, all 4 of these magazines are available in print. Since I live overseas, getting printed magazines isn’t really an option. I love all the advantages of digital versions, but sometimes, I’d really love to spend an afternoon enthusiastically flicking through pages instead of zooming in on my iPhone.
Printed mag subscriptions sometimes come with freebies, too (see digital mags for details), so check out their websites to see what interests you.
Where to Buy, Subscribe to and Read Miniature Magazines
| Magazine | Website | App Links | Pocketmags Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolls House and Miniature Scene | hobbies-and-crafts.co.uk | iOS App Store Android | /dolls-house-and-miniature-scene-magazine |
| Dollhouse Miniatures | dhminiatures.com | iOS App Store Android | /dollhouse-miniatures-magazine |
| Dolls House World | dollshouseworld.com | iOS App Store Android | /dolls-house-world-magazine |
| American Miniaturist | americanminiaturist.com | iOS App Store Android | /american-miniaturist-magazine |
