I've always loved those elegant little velvet armchairs you see in vintage interiors, so why not make one in miniature? This DIY dollhouse armchair is made from simple cardboard, a little padding, and burgundy velvet fabric to give it that soft, upholstered look.
The rounded armrests and curved backrest make it look surprisingly luxurious, even though it's made with inexpensive materials. I'll show you how to put it all together, step by step!
Materials Needed
- Cardboard corrugated
- Burgundy velvet fabric (or another fabric of your choice)
- Paper towels for soft padding
- Craft glue
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Cutting mat
Approximate Measurements
The finished miniature armchair measures approximately:
- Width: 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 inches), including the armrests
- Depth: 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 inches)
- Height: 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 inches)
- Seat cushion: approximately 5 × 5 cm (2 × 2 inches)
You can adjust the cardboard pieces to fit your desired chair size by using my free scale converter here. The most important thing is that the seat cushion fits snugly between the armrests.
Step-by-step tutorial
Just take it one step at a time again, here we go!
Step 1: Cut Out the Cardboard Pieces for the Sofa Arms
Let's start by making the rounded armrests for our miniature sofa.
Take a piece of cardboard and draw the shape shown in the first picture. It has a rounded, curled top and a narrower straight section underneath. This shape will form the side profile of the sofa's rolled armrests.
Using a sharp craft knife, carefully cut along the outline, taking your time around the curved edges.
Repeat the process until you have eight identical cardboard pieces, as shown in the last picture. These will be layered together to give the armrests their thickness and strength in the next steps.
Step 2: Build the Rounded Sofa Armrests
Glue the cardboard pieces together, stacking them one by one and aligning their edges.
Continue until you've created two thick, rounded armrests for your miniature loveseat.
Don't worry about the rough cardboard edges. We'll cover them with fabric later.