20 September 2011
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Georgian Kitchen
Carol Clarke furnishes a Georgian Dolls House kitchen with DIY instructions to produce the fireplace, oven, sink and goes on to show how to accessorise this period setting with Georgian style miniatures. ...
This kitchen fits into the basement of a Georgian town house. In the early part of the 18th Century the walls would just be plain plaster, but towards the end of the century, walls would have been painted blue, as it was thought that this colour detered flies! Floors were stone or brick.
Firstly I removed any cornice or wall furniture before painting the walls a soft blue/grey colour called Stepping Stone from Crown. A sample pot is adequate for this.
An addition to the original room is a large chimney situated at the back with a fitted range and side oven. The oven would have been used for baking and as it had no direct contact with the fire, hot embers would be placed inside. Above the fire is a chimney crane which is used for accurate positioning of pans and kettles over the fire. The kitchen sink which fits to the side of the range, was normally wooden, lined with lead, but some houses may have had a stone trough instead. The water cistern with a tap sits above the sink.
Making the fireplace and chimney breast
Materials Required
- 6mm MDF
- PVA Wood Glue
- Brick Effect Paper
- Brown & Black Acrylic Paint
Tools Required
- Fret Saw
- Scissors
- Craft Knife
Step 1
- Cut a piece of 6mm MDF 7-1/2" wide for the front wall.
- Cut 3 pieces of 6mm MDF 1-1/2" wide for the end and 2 inner walls.
- These pieces should be fractionally shorter than the height of your room.
- Draw on the openings for the range and small oven onto the larger piece of MDF
- Cut these out carefully with a fret saw. First photo below
- Glue the three wall pieces to the back of the front wall. Middle photo above
- Allow the glue to dry.
- Cut 2 cross pieces (see 3rd photo above) to fit the spaces between the uprights
- One will line with the base of the little side oven.
- One will fit above the range area.
Step 2
- Paint the outside area with a contrasting cream colour.
- Add brickwork around the edges of both openings and the side walls of the large opening. See the 1st photo below
- Put the chimney in position and mark the area to be bricked on the back wall.
- Glue the brick sheet to the back wall. Second photo above.
- The bricks are from an embossed brick sheet by Paul Wells of Vernacular Minatures..
- Use brown acrylic paint to finish any raw edges and gaps in the paper.
- Paint the inside of the small oven with black acrylic paint.
Making the Cooking Range
Materials Required
- Wooden strip 1-12" x 3/4"
- 2mm MDF or equivalent
- 6mm dowel
- Wood 12mm x 12 mm or fancy bead
- Bamboo Skewers
- PVA wood glue
- Black acrylic paint
- Tin foil
- Two orange grain of wheat light bulbs
Tools Required
- Wood Saw
- Hobby driill
- Craft Knife
- Paint Brush
Step 3
- Cut 2 pieces of the wooden strip 2" high. See 1st photo below
- On the inside of each block measure a line 1/4" in from the front edge
- Mark 4 x 1/4" intervals as shown in the 2nd photo below.
- Drill small holes at these points.
- Put the blocks inside the fireplace and measure the distance between them.
- Cut 4 skewers to fit and fix in place. Last photo below
Step 4
- Cut a piece of 2mm MDF to fit the base between the pillars and piece across the back. 1st photo below
- Cut another two upright pieces to fit behind the skewers for the fire area.
- Make these pieces full height at the back and sloping down to meet the skewers at the front. Middle photo below.
- To light the coal area, drill a hole at the back for the bulb wire.
- Cut 2 pieces of 2mm MDF to cover the tops of the pillars.
- Round the corners at the front and glue in place. 3rd photo below.
- You can add 2 pieces of wood to the front pillars for extra detail. See 1st photo below
- Paint black all over - spray paint is easiest for this task.
- Paint 2 pre-cut wooden discs black
- Secure with a small brass nail each side to resemble a trivit. 2nd photo below
The Fires
Step 5
- Scrunch up some tin foil and fix in the base of the main fire opening.
- Feed the bulb through the rear hole.
- Scrunch up another piece of foil into an arched shape.
- Glue in place around the bulb.
- Paint most of the foil black leaving some silver showing.
- A similar fire has been created in the small oven too.
- The oven door is made from balsa wood cut to shape.
- Paint black and embellish with brass details as required.
- Fix in place slightly open so the embers inside are just visible. See 1st photo below
The Chimney Crane
Step 6
- Use a piece of 12mm square wood or a decorative bead for the base.
- Drill a hole in the square if you've used that, and fix a skewer into it, or in the hole in the bead.
- Put in position, and mark the position where it goes through the top shelf.
- Drill a hole through the shelf to correspond with the position. See 2nd photo above
- Make a cross bar from 6mm dowel approximately 3" long.
- Drill a central hole 1/4" from one end.
- Cut some grooves along the top edge as resting points for pots & pans. 1st photo below
- On the upright, fix a small metal ring at the point where the cross bar will rest. 2nd photo below
- Paint the crane black
- Fix in place and hang a pot or kettle with S hooks or a chain. 3rd photo below
The Cistern and Sink
Materials Required
- Wooden strip 21mm x 6mm
- 2mm MDF or plywood
- PVA wood glue
- Hammerite paints or similar
- Metal findings
- Fancy braid
- Miniature Tap
Tools Required
- Wood Saw
- Scissors
- Craft Knife
Step 7
- The sink with cistern above will fit into the remaining space between the chimney and the wall.
- Cut one piece of 21 mm strip the width of the opening for the base of the cistern.
- Cut 2 side pieces 1-3/4" high.
- Mitre the joints and glue together. See 1st photo below
- Cut 2 panels from 2mm MDF or plywood for the front and back the size of the frame.
- Use fancy braid and metal jewellery findings to decorate the front. Glue in place.
- Drill a small hole for the tap centre bottom of the decorated front. See 2nd photo below.
- Glue the cistern together and paint with silver & black mixed to resemble lead.
- Glue the tap in place. Final photo below.
Sink
Step 8
- Use more of the 21mm wooden strip to make a smaller frame the width of the opening.
- The sink should be 2" deep.
- Cut a base to fit from 2mm MDF or plywood. 1st photo below.
- Finish the sink with a woodstain to give an aged look.
- Using the same paint as for the cistern, paint the inside and over the top edge.
- The uneven manner of the front gives a more real effect.
- Add more paint for a thicker look to the lead lining. Middle photo below.
- Cut 2 x 2" pieces of 21mm strip for the legs.
- Stain to match the sink.
- Add Solid Water from Deluxe Materials to the sink if desired.
- Add Making Waves from Deluxe Materials to create a dripping or pouring tap if desired.
- Tile paper has been added to the wall at the back of the sink. 3rd photo below
Additional Items
Step 9
- Internal bell system above the door. Made from a row of brass bells mounted on a strip of wood.
- Food Safe hanging from the ceiling and reached by a rope system. This was made from a miniature magazine rack with the top removed and ropes added.
- A solid wooden table has been sanded, stained and waxed to make a work table.
- This is filled with vegetables ready for preparation.
- The dresser was aged the same way as the table and filled with suitable items.
- Finally, a spit rack and measuring jugs have been added to the rear wall.
This feature was originally published in Dolls House & Miniature Scene magazine. If you like reading about miniatures and making miniature projects why not buy yourself a copy of the magazine, better still why not take out a subscription so you never miss an exciting issue. For fans of Facebook and Twitter, please use the buttons at the top of the feature to share it with your miniature loving friends.
Carol Clarke used a Sid Cooke dolls house, and wood from Wood Supplies. Deluxe Materials provided all the glues and water. Other items were supplied by Streets Ahead, Barbara's Mouldings and Hobby's. For suppliers details please visit our Marketplace.
