Dolls' Houses

Unable to find a suitably interesting dollhouse for his daughter, the editor of Architectural Design magazine launched a worldwide design contest. The results are depicted in this book, which still fascinates me after 22 years. Each completed entry is shown in a black and white or color photograph, along with the original sketches and plans, and architect's statement of intent. It's absorbing on several levels - the creativity put into the design, the modeling techniques, and the dollhouses themselves - what would they be like to play with? How much did children enjoy them? The winning entry was one I have never forgotten since purchasing the book in the 80s: a golden tower which children could actually enter and climb up the stairs. While the drawings are not meant to provide building instructions for hobbyists, they might inspire at-home construction efforts. The designs themselves surprisingly don't look dated, even though 22 years have passed. It's too bad that such a competition hasn't been held since, though.