This Couple Spent 3 Years Building a Mid-Century Dollhouse Inspired by Their Childhood Homes

When couples build homes together, it’s often to make new memories. But one couple did just the opposite: they built their home to bring back old memories.

Annie Kampfe and Cliff Donnelly from Leewood, Kansas, recently finished building a perfectly-scaled, three-story dollhouse that’s based on their childhood memories. The project, which they started in 2017 and finished over the lockdown, features 10 rooms —including a living room, kitchen, a basement, and a primary bedroom — all in the mid-century modern style.

If you look closely, you’ll notice small, intricate details that give each room its own personality. For instance, there’s a teenager’s room in the attic with an electric guitar and a pinball machine. The lounge has a Charles Eames armchair and a rattan rocker, while the master bedroom features a Hudson’s Bay blanket, a Calder mobile, and a cork wall.

Equally impressive is the soft, warm lighting throughout the house. It makes you want to move into the cozy looking space.

According to Kampfe and Donnelly, they didn’t have prior experience in building dollhouses. So, they started with a kit they bought online, then slowly but surely customized the rest themselves.

“The idea of being able to build something that resembled the style of my childhood home intrigued me,” Kampfe told My Modern Met. “I spent so much time finding the right pieces to put in the house.”

They also explained that the structure was halfway complete when the pandemic happened. Stuck indoors, that’s when they finally finished their project.

“It was just nice spending a lot of quality time with each other and building something from nothing,” Donnelly told GMA.

Kampfe added, “Like that sense of fruition that we both have and that we did it together… There’s just no way this house would be built without him and he would say there’s no way the aesthetics would be what it is without me. We are such a good team.”

You can see updates from the lovely couple over on their Instagram page.