Projects Revisited: Dolls House and 3D Printed Furniture 2025

 

One of our most popular projects from last year was the 'skip' Dolls House - which we tried to rebuild for use in our junior classrooms.

While we used the laser cutter for the building and 3D Printed all of the furniture the project didn't exactly end up like we had anticipated.

You can follow the entire project, which includes links to each of the different stages, the descriptions and information can be viewed below - or you can view a powerpoint version of this slideshow and locate the downloadable file on our Facebook page.

If you require additional information on this project please drop us a line.

2025: Year in Review - Dolls House Project

 

In February 2025 we started with one of our long term projects for the year, when we attempted to use our technology to repurpose a Dolls House.

This item was scheduled scheduled to be sent to landfill and we set about using the schools technology, the 3D Printers and the Laser Cutter to see if we could revive the item and make it into a useable item.   While the seniors concentrated on using the laser cutter to replace the panels and the wood base for the item the juniors from our class spent time designing 3D Printed furniture that could be placed inside the Dolls House.

This proved to be an excellent hands on task for the students from our classroom.  They were able to use their iPads and the Tinkercad App to design and create a range of items that could fit into the dolls house and be used as furniture.

The students used various figures to complete some basic proto-typing (shown left) and then created furniture that fitted in with these figures, which was then applied to the Dolls House.

We used Tinkercads AR/VR feature extensively as we were creating the designs and then projecting them into place in the house to see how they would fit, what adjustments needed to be made and how we could develop the designs further.

Further designs and creations followed including some practical problem solving from the students (for instance in the early examples the base of the 3D prints tended to have stump bases as the students found in regular examples however this meant the designs would be weak at this point so they opted to instead produce block finishes to the designs.

Students spent several months refining each design, testing its viability and ensuring that they were challenging themselves by more complex designs and features for the build.

We eventually developed a range of exemplars for furniture that met the brief, that had an element of size that would work with the house and the figures that we had been using.

At the same time the seniors had opted for a complete rebuild of the Dolls House when structural concerns were raised about the MDF base.   This involved extensive laser cut work as the project was started again from scratch.

This also meant that the furniture that our juniors had designed was in turn placed into a different location than had been replaced and some adjustments were required to ensure that they met the purpose they were intended for.  We also investigated using the Roland Versa Sign Maker to produce potential decals for both the walls and the floors of the design.

By October the project was reaching its conclusion - at this point we had the Dolls House fully completed, and the furniture had also been completed and detailed.  We had our major fundraising event for the school year, our 2025 Market Day where the Dolls House became one of the major auction items which was auctioned to raise money for the school.

This was done safe in the knowledge that the files for the production of another Dolls House were on file and easily accessible at the point that we wanted to print another one.

It ended up being a practical task that combined two different levels of work at our school and combined the use of two significant technologies.   We used our iPads and the Tinkercad App for the furniture design and AR/VR and our Mac Books and Sketch-up for the Laser Cutting design and creation.

The slideshow below details the entire process.   Thank you for your visit - this site has now closed for the year, we are rebuilding it in the background and we will be moving onto new projects in February 2026.

Dolls House Project: 2025 Summary

 

3D Printed Furniture Designs: VR/AR Progressions

We are continuing to refine, improve and redesign the furniture that we are printing for the Dolls House project that has been featured on this blog.

We have seniors laser cutting the wood and are now redesigning our furniture.  As we have explained on this blog, the first designs have been AR/VR using the iPad App for Tinkercard.    We allowed students to design basic shapes using the main interface and also use pre-made shapes such as the television which is mounted on the chest of draws shown left.   This photograph includes a 3D Printed bed from the first run of prints, but the other details in the room, as taken via the window of the Dolls House are projected.

We have pushed our seven and eight year olds to look out how they can use Tinkercad to improve their designs.   We have asked them to add features to the furniture that they are planning and using their details and creations to inspire the other students in the classroom.    Instead of getting somewhat basic designs 

An example of this is shown left - you can see the progression from the initial bed design from a Y4 student, they have added the head board to the bed, the design on the bed spread, etc - then wanting to add something else an original bedside table with the oversized clock.

The student has been able to produce this and make it independently.  They have AR/VR the design to check its viability and we will then move forward with the 3D Printing of the prototype.   Of course as we are producing a scale model for a dolls house we would anticipate the design will be in the two hour or so range for printing time.

You can see another example of the progression here.  This is another idea for a design, a couch based around three basic Tinkercad shapes.   The seven year old student has manipulated the designs and then used Tinkercad on the iPad to AR/VR the design into place - the dolls house to ensure that the size is correct.   You can see one of the 3D Printed designs in the background.

The next stage is the challenge of how to extend students who have completed the initial designs? The answer has come from the students themselves.   One of the students had the idea to create a counter where they could have a sink and a series of typical counter

features.

The design shown next is the second stage.  A student has built a kitchen top and used the features of removing a sink from part of the design.   They have also started to consider the cabinets that might be present and the kitchen space and the bench space.

This has been printed and measures 70mm long to the join and is a further 50mm across.  It is 20mm across and took just over two hours to print.   This will undergo significant changing and development moving forward as students work out how to create different aspects of the design.

3D Printed Furniture - First Student Examples

Challenge: To make furniture for a Dolls House.

Background: We have been posting about the process of using our technology to combine juniors and seniors looking at the process of re-establishing a dolls house, including all the furniture.

There are a number of reasons that this task is proving popular.   Firstly the students are basing the furniture on their own knowledge and designs, including those who have had experiences with toy furniture.

Secondly the size of the designs as we are building for a smaller size dolls house has meant that the prints shown, including the chest of draws and the bed are both under two hours to complete which is achievable if we are intending to complete a number of prints.

The junior school students have completed the design for this independently using Tinkercad, they have then in turn conducted tests on the viability of the designs by using the Tinkercad 

The design shown left has come from a seven year old student, and was modelled on working in conjunction with the figure above, the bedside table was created by another student.

Size: The bed shown left measured 40mm across and was 60mm long.   The legs were 10mm from the floor and the entire bed was an additional 15mm.  The chest of drawers measures 30mm high was 40mm across and had feet of 10mm.

These were designed to work in conjunction with the figure shown in the first photograph.  The student will need to scale them when the two are put together (ie can the figure realistically lie down in the bed or would that be unrealistic - is the pillow the right size etc.

Timeframe: the bed took slight under two hours and the chest of draws was ninety minutes, the student needs to have the objects to work in conjunction with both the dolls house and the dolls themselves to ensure that they are to some kind of scale (although as has been pointed out sometimes dolls houses are not). 

What we would do differently/next steps for the students: 

When you place the figure with the bed as shown left it doesn't look to scale, but it also has to be considered that the figure itself is not to scale.

The chest of draw has a top draw, however the second draw was too close to the design and therefore the detail there did not print, the student needs to ensure that it is able to be recognised and printed.