Incredible Thrift Store Dollhouse Makeover | Holiday Gift Idea

Last Updated on May 12, 2023 by lindseymahoney

The dollhouse makeover is complete!

Budget friendly dollhouse makeover that any little girl is sure to love! Furniture sources & DIY tips to decorate each room. #dollhouseminiature #diy #dollhousemakeover

In the words of Pinkalicious (my daughter’s favorite show), “it’s pinkatastic!” This was such a fun project for me. I loved designing this house with my daughter in mind, you will quickly realize that she LOVES the color pink and everything girly. I can’t wait to give it to her on Christmas morning.

Let me take you through the full makeover of this sweet little dollhouse!

Dollhouse Makeover on a Budget

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Dollhouse Exterior Makeover

Old and weathered dollhouse I found at a local thrift store

I found this old dollhouse at a thrift store and knew it would be the perfect Christmas gift for my daughter.

I snagged this beauty for $50 and wanted to be as thrifty as possible while renovating the house.

When I found the house, the exterior was blue with chipping paint.

Mixing leftover paint to make pink for the exterior

I used leftover white paint from our home and mixed in red craft paint to find the pink tone I wanted for the dollhouse.

Dollhouse transformation with Christmas lights

And here it is with a fresh coat of paint.

Dollhouse Interior Makeover

The interior of the dollhouse was covered in old wallpaper that needed to be removed. I have been removing wallpaper in our new house so I had all of the tools required on hand. Easy peasy!

First, I removed the old wallpaper using a scraper and DIF spray.

Renovated dollhouse interior with girly designs

Next, I applied new wallpaper using decorative craft paper found at a local craft store.

Budget-Friendly Dollhouse Decor

New dollhouse decor purchased from Hobby Lobby & DIY'ed

When I started looking for decor to furnish this house, I quickly learned that lots of people share this hobby and there are some seriously cool accessories you can buy.

I looked to Young House Love and At Home With Ashley for inspiration and tips on saving money, but man, it is REALLY easy to get carried away transforming these little houses!

You can legit design an entire dollhouse the way you would design your own living room. There are so many modern accessories, it was hard to resist not buying them all!

As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to keep this makeover as cost-effective as possible, so I really limited myself to what I bought for the house.

I focused on the shell of each room and limited my purchases to a few staple pieces for the main rooms. If my daughter loves playing with it, we can buy the rest of the furniture together to decorate the remaining rooms.

Dollhouse Dining Room

My daughter has Frozen collectors cards that I used as the artwork in the dollhouse. In the dining room, I applied wallpaper on the ceiling to add a little statement design to her dollhouse.

Wallpapered ceiling and Frozen artwork in the dollhouse

I cut some faux flowers I had in my craft bin and tucked them into the cap of my travel hairspray to make a potted plant. I love how it turned out and love that it was free!

DIY'ed house plant - faux flowers in a hairspray cap

Dollhouse Living Room

I added floral wallpaper and baby blue furniture to create a feminine aesthetic. Using leftover burlap from one of my projects in my art bin, I cut out a square to create an area rug for the living room.

Evelyn's school photo in the living room of the dollhouse

I couldn’t resist adding Evelyn’s sweet school photo to the frame in the living room.

DIY'ed flower arrangement with faux flowers in a napkin ring

The flower arrangement in the living room is another bunch of faux flowers in my storage room that I placed in a napkin ring.

Dollhouse Bedroom

Evelyn and I will furnish this room together. I painted the room white and installed a cute accent wall with little birds on it. I used another hairspray cap and tree trimmings to add some greenery to the space.