Triang Restoration and Other Projects

Hi my name is Lee, my main passion is collecting and restoring Vintage Triang Dolls Houses. Many of these dolls houses are well past there play by date. Some just looking for a lick of paint and a freshen up, others had problems with wood worm and water damage, sometimes just a wooden shell. Each was a challenge and I have learnt a few new skills and techniques along the way, like filling a gap made by woodworm with kitchen roll and glue, doing a bit of beam [brass] rubbing with pencil and paper. It was a bit like, make it up as I went along. Making a new roof, tested my mathematical skills. The windows on Triang Houses are a particular challenge. Made of metal many suffer from rust, the internal opening windows often have damaged brittle perspex, a result of aging.

I have a reasonable collection of Triang furniture that I have collected over the years. The Triang furniture is 1/16 scale so fits nicely into my smaller Triang houses. I am always on the lookout for pieces I don’t have in my collection. There are quite a few Jenny’s Home items of furniture I have yet to find. As this is a newer part of the Triang range, it is surprising how hard they are to find.

Barton is another range of vintage furniture I am interested in, especially the Caroline’s Home range. I have a 1976 catalogue, and I am determined to find every piece listed in it. This collection seems to have been started by accident, when buying mixed lots of furniture. It is still quite cheap to buy, and there is a lot of it around. [Especially bedroom furniture.]

On a visit to a local car boot sale a few years ago, I spotted a Lundby Dolls house [2004]. It was on a garden base complete with fence and covered with a plastic case. This was once a shop display unit. Each item had been glued in place so very little was missing.

I love all things miniature, and admire the talented people who make them. I have had a go at most things, it is amazing how much you can learn when decorating a dolls house. From wallpapering to electrics, from fimo food to making wooden flooring out of ice lolly sticks, I’ve tried them all. The electrics I’ve masters, the fimo food, well I tried, wallpapering not bad, and miniature hats, the mad hatter would be impressed!

Over the years, I have collected odd pieces of dolls house furniture, they were just stored in a draw. The thought as usual, they might come in useful one day.  After distressing some full size furniture of my own, and having some chalk paint left over, I thought I would have a go at distressing some of my unused dolls house furniture, I was very pleased with the result. You can see some of my work at ~ ‘ A Miniature Slice of Time.‘

I have had an Etsy Shop for a few years now, selling a few pieces of Distressed Furniture, Hats, Cake Stands and Vintage Miniature Furniture last year. It all helps with additional funding for my miniature collection. I would really like some of the Triang Period Furniture, so will have to start saving my pennies. It’s now time for a sort out once again, downsizing my Triang Furniture collection, there are only so many dining room chairs and televisions you can put into a house. I am also selling odd pieces from the Triang Stockbroker I bought earlier on last year and made smaller, I was going to keep them but fast running out of space.

I have something for sale which maybe of interest to some of you. Brass Barometer Covers, these can be used as a replacement Fire Grate on a Lines Triang Fireplace. They are 17mm high and 33mm wide. The nail holes are in exactly the same place as the originals, the only difference between the two covers that I can see, is that on the flat edges the curves are a slightly sharper shape.

I also have some Reproduction Triang Floral Decals printed on to transparent adhesive backed vinyl. They are easy to apply, but cutting carefully around the edge of each piece, remove from the backing paper and place in position. They are made to fit the metal fronted Triang Houses No.50 and No.65.

 

 

 

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