I have been looking forward to writing about a DIY dollhouse bookcase, as I have seen so many amazing creations online, sometimes even too beautiful to play with 🙂
While there are many other ways to create a dollhouse from an existing object, like a simple (antique) cabinet, for example, creating one from a bookcase is terrific because it is already divided into "rooms", as a matter of speaking.
But, you can also make one from scratch, as explained further in this article.
Updated 24/07/26
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But first: how to make a DIY miniature dollhouse bookshelf?
I have found a few different ways online for you on how to make a bookshelf that looks like a dollhouse, so let's dive straight into things!
1. You can make a wooden dollhouse bookcase from scratch
In the video below, made by Charleston Crafted, you can see how you can create a DIY dollhouse bookcase from scratch.
And their plans are available in a PDF file.
In this order:
- Cut out all the bords along the sizes of the DIY building plans, this is best done with a power tool like a circular saw aka miter saw.
- Assemble the pieces with the help of a nail gun (which should make the process easier) and wood glue. You could also use regular nails and a hammer.
Don't forget to cut out the dividers as well, so that you can clearly see the right size as a whole when you insert the dividers, and you can see that you haven't made a mistake.
Adding wood filler to the holes and sanding the project, makes it easier to paint everything well afterward.
- Start with the framework, attaching the shelves to the sides. Followed by the dividers, starting with the bottom.
After the bottom dividers, you can add the roof, using wood glue and clamps to put them at an angle with the correct degree (30 degrees in this case), and then you can drill a nail right through the top.
Doing all this will make it super secure. You can now attach the roof to the base, again with wood glue and nails.
- You can now add 4 little feet to the bottom if you like.
The next thing to do is to cut out the backboard from plywood with a jigsaw and again sand everything before painting it; using a paint spray is the easiest and best way to get an even result.
- Paint the dollhouse in a bookcase further, meaning that you can add a contrasting color at the back, for example.
If you would like the dollhouse bookcase in different colors, however, it would be better to paint the pieces separately before assembling the dollhouse.
2. Create a dollhouse bookcase from an existing bookcase.
While the first method isn't that hard, especially if you have DIY dollhouse plans, you can make it even easier on yourself by starting from an existing bookcase.
For this, I am referring to another video on Youtube, so you can have a look at the transformation step by step.
How to proceed?
- Well: find a bookcase, big or small, that you think you can definitely turn into a dollhouse bookcase;-)
In the case of the video, it is suitable for barbie dolls, but of course, other scales are doable as well.
- Cut out the doors and windows with a jigsaw.
- Sand the pieces, and apply a primer, followed by painting or/and wallpapering.
- Use craft sticks aka popsicle sticks for the frames of the windows and doors.
- Cut out room dividers from 3mm MDF wood and any extra floors
- The balcony rail can also be made from popsicle sticks.
- Make roof tiles and glue them on top. Continue by decorating the house and interior to your taste.
3. Make a DIY dollhouse bookcase from an IKEA Billy bookcase.
This is very similar to the second method above, but the "Billy" bookcases from IKEA are very popular to turn into dollhouse bookcases, so I thought I'd mention this!
People turn this IKEA bookcase into amazing dollhouses, and you basically only need to leave out some shelves and cut those into divider walls.
To be honest: I'm not quite sure if the Ikea bookcase called Billy exists in different measurements, but it does seem like it.
What that means though, is that you can choose any size bookcase from which you can create any size dollhouse.
It seems that for now, you can only buy this bookcase second-hand, BUT the good news is that this iconic BILLY bookcase will be back on the market in January 2024!
Furthermore, I can't really show you a picture of a finished "hacked" dollhouse bookcase by Ikea because of copyright issues, but definitely check out this website for a fantastic result!