This Incredible Teen Dollhouse Maker Even Recreated Chip and Jo’s Waco Bakery

It’s official: Ella, the 13-year-old creative genius behind the Life In A Dollhouse Instagram account, is doing big things with (really) small spaces. Since 2018, Ella, with help from her grandfather, has been meticulously designing and crafting dollhouses that are worlds away from the Barbie Dreamhouse we all grew up with.

Using a mixture of different mediums, including a 3D printer and SketchUp design software, Ella is taking over Instagram with her museum-quality miniatures. In fact, her pieces are so lifelike, it’s hard to discern what’s life sized and what’s dollhouse decor.

“When I was 11, I started watching tiny kitchen videos,” Ella told House Beautiful. “And I thought it was the coolest thing. So I started making miniature boxes.”

From there, her projects got bigger and more detailed. In October 2018, Ella showed the process of building her first dollhouse: 821 Ellagreen Knolls. “My name is Ella so I named this house Ellagreen like “Evergreen” and 821 because I finished building on August 21st!!” she captioned the Instagram post.

Since finishing the build, Ella has been decorating each room of Ellagreen (and her brand new miniature Life In A Dollhouse storefront) with handmade and 3D-printed furniture, knick knacks, and furnishings. And she is currently selling her miniatures, which you can include in your own dollhouse project, on her website.

However, more recently, Ella took a break from working on Ellagreen to dive into a new project: recreating Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Market at the Silos.

And yes, Chip and Jo did see Ella’s incredible work. Jo shared the Magnolia mini on her Instagram, which Ella said was beyond exciting. “I could barely even make it downstairs to tell my mom when I saw!” she told House Beautiful.

You can follow along with Ella’s latest dollhouse projects via her Instagram account, @life.in.a.dollhouse, and via her website.