Doll's house hobby has mental health benefits even if prices make it far from child's play
It is all straight out of a glossy magazine, and yet every carefully crafted item in the room could fit into the palm of one hand.
'I love Victorian (19th century) houses and always wanted to live in one but it never happened,' laughs doll's house enthusiast Michele Simmons, admiring the cosy miniature scene by historical specialists Mulvany and Rogers.
The 57-year-old corporate recruiter revived her childhood passion for doll's houses during the Covid-19 pandemic and has since 'flipped' about 10, buying them, doing them up and selling them on.
Collectors say their hobby is about escapism, and that it is good for mental health. Photo: AFP
She and her daughter thought nothing of flying all night from Boston in the United States to hunt for tiny curtains and a child's cot at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival in London.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
What to do in Hong Kong, July 27 to August 2
Hear this Jyoty Asia Tour London-based DJ Jyoty. Photo: Handout London-based selector and Boiler Room regular Jyoty is set to bring her brand of globally sourced dance music to Soho House Hong Kong on August 2, as her Asia tour rolls into town. She'll be joined by local favourites Arthur Yeti and 0159 as part of a five-hour set, so expect a night of eclectic beats and high-energy vibes, with plenty of interaction between the global DJ scene and Hong Kong's own distinctive sounds. Soho House Hong Kong, 33 Des Voeux Road West, Sheung Wan. Tickets from HK$288, visit Megatix Eat this Mosu Mosu's Hanwoo strip loin with geoduck and mustard-green stems. Photo: courtesy Mosu Changes are afoot at celebrity chef Sung Anh 's Hong Kong restaurant in M+, as the kitchen welcomes sous chef Han Wool Kim to the team, whose résumé includes stints at The French Laundry, in California's Napa Valley , and Mosu Seoul. The tasting menu has also been refreshed with seasonal creations such as butterfish with pine-bud butter, and Hanwoo strip loin with geoduck and mustard-green stems. 3/F, M+ Tower, 38 Museum Drive, West Kowloon Drink this The St Regis Bar The St Regis Bar's Belcher Point cocktail. Photo: courtesy The St. Regis Bar Inspired by the railway board game Ticket to Ride, the St Regis Bar 's latest cocktail menu pits drinkers against each other to be the first to reach their destination either by train or tram, with the 16 cocktails serving as playing cards. Highlights include Ritual Fizz, a twist on the Ramos Gin Fizz, and Belcher Point, featuring local gin, osmanthus vermouth and fennel cordial. 2/F, The St Regis Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Drive, Wan Chai See this Chiikawa Days These limited-edition plushies will be available at the 'Chiikawa Days' exhibition. Photo: Handout
South China Morning Post
20-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Scuffle on stage at London's Royal Opera House as performer unfurls Palestinian flag
London's Royal Opera House on Sunday condemned as 'wholly inappropriate' the actions of a performer who held up a Palestinian flag onstage at the end of a performance. Video footage posted online shows a brief scuffle at the edge of the stage as a figure dressed in a shirt and tie unsuccessfully attempts to stop the performer. The incident in the British capital on Saturday during the curtain call came on the closing night of an 11-night run of Il Trovatore, a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi. 'Extraordinary scenes at the Royal Opera House tonight,' a person who claimed to have been in the audience posted on social media. 'During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone offstage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible.' A spokesperson for the Royal Ballet and Opera in London's Covent Garden said the 'display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist'.
South China Morning Post
20-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Big, showstopping jewels anchor new high jewellery collections of Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Bulgari, while auctioneers have sold especially momentous stones for record sums
In 1937, the rather sharp-tongued British politician Sir Henry 'Chips' Channon wrote in his diary of Lady Granard, one of the so-called 'dollar princesses' – American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy – that she 'could scarcely walk for jewels'. One such jewel, a frankly enormous emerald set into a diamond-studded collar necklace, is a highlight of the Cartier exhibition currently showing at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Cartier Collection diamond and platinum necklace with a 143.23-carat emerald, made to special order in 1932. Photo: Handout Advertisement Because yes, huge gemstones have never lost their appeal. One only needs to look at Anne Hathaway and Priyanka Chopra Jonas at this year's Met Gala for glittering proof. Both wore necklaces from Bulgari's high jewellery collection Polychroma, with Hathaway's – the Cosmic Vault – featuring a 123.35-carat sugarloaf sapphire, and Chopra Jonas' – the Magnus Emerald – featuring an emerald of 241.06 carats. The latter is the largest stone the Roman jeweller has ever set, no less. The necklaces are among 60 'millionaire pieces' included in the 600-piece range – launched in Sicily in May – with such pieces only available to the brand's top clients. Anne Hathaway wears Bulgari's Cosmic Vault necklace with its 123.35-carat sapphire, from the Polychroma collection. Exceptional gemstones were of course at the centre of the Magnificent Jewels auction at Christie's, which set records in New York in June with pieces such as the Blue Belle sapphire necklace, which sold for US$11.3 million, and the Marie-Thérèse pink diamond, which sold for US$14 million. Clearly this points to certain categories of clients unperturbed by the vagaries of the global economy. New research from Bain also found fine jewellery – and especially high jewellery – to be more resilient than categories such as fashion. Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the Magnus Emerald necklace, featuring a 241.06-carat stone, from Bulgari's Polychroma collection. Photo: Handout Vintage jewellery buyer Emrys Cousins – who sources antique and estate pieces for clients around the world through her business Love Well Sourced – says the move towards 'more is more' is not only down to economic uncertainty but other factors too. 'Post pandemic, we are craving opulence and personality … My clients want to invest in pieces that are fun, joyful and uniquely personal,' she says. 'The conversation has moved from 'quiet luxury' to maximalism in the context of personal style, which gives anyone who needs it the permission to layer their precious pieces and wear whatever brings joy.'
