Dolls' House Fair held at the same time with Finnish Craft and Design – a shared passion brings people together
News 15.09.2017
Simultaneously with the Finnish Craft & Design Fair, the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre will also host the Dolls’ House Fair from Friday to Sunday and the XXXV Railway Modelling Event on Saturday and Sunday. These two events will take over Hall D, while the Finnish Craft and Design Fair will fill Halls A, C and E. Last year the Finnish Craft & Design Fair and the Antique Autumn event attracted over 44,000 visitors.
“At this event, dolls’ house enthusiasts can find both materials and ready-made products. This year it will be even easier than before as basically everything one might need will be in the same hall. For someone who is not yet familiar with this hobby, an event like this can ignite a spark and purchases can lead to catching the dolls’ house bug. We are happy to tell more about this wonderful hobby at our stand,” says Aila Jeskanen from the Finnish Doll’s House Association.
Last year the association celebrated its 25th anniversary by hosting two large dolls’ house exhibitions. A picture book will be published this autumn as part of the official Finland 100 programme, featuring all the houses in the exhibitions. The exhibition at the fair will display, for example, houses, lanterns and so-called room boxes, rooms with a specific theme, like a cellar with food and drinks.
Hundreds of ideas and methods
“Some people spend years building their dream house where they make all their dreams and fantasies come true. Others have houses that represent a certain era, for example the Victorian era or the 1950s. The residents also determine the contents of a house as they may be anything from a regular person to an animal or Harry Potter,” Jeskanen explains.
“I myself don’t have a complete home, but instead I have an extensive village of stores with, for example, a flower shop, a bakery, a dressmaker’s shop, a general store, a toy store, a fire station and a post office. I also know people who have multi-storey houses that include, for example, a complete daycare centre with rooms for children of different ages. There must be hundreds of ideas and ways to implement them,” Jeskanen says.
The hobby is also linked to reality and so-called “real life”.
“Dolls’ house enthusiasts are often interested in interior decoration and of course decorating a dolls’ house is less expensive and easier than working on one’s own home. Dolls’ houses also often live with seasons, just like real homes. Springtime is when people start pottering around in their gardens and bring out their barbecues and in the autumn they begin to get ready for Christmas,” says Taava Ahonniska whose company imports dolls’ house accessories.
Craft skills at their best – handmade dolls’ houses show true creativity
The Dolls’ House Fair offers all enthusiasts an excellent opportunity to buy ready-made products as well as materials. If you are not familiar with dolls’ houses, at the event you can find out what this hobby can be like.
“There are three types of enthusiasts: those who make everything by themselves, those who paint half-finished furniture and glue knobs and handles in place and then there are those who buy everything ready-made,” Ahonniska explains.
The hobby allows one to use a wide range of materials from wood, glass and plastic to modelling clays, yarns and threads, fabrics and even real plants. Working on and finishing a dolls’ house, developing and implementing ideas often requires a great deal of creativity and craft skills.
“Handmade houses show people’s inventiveness and especially their varied skills. The small size of the items adds an extra challenge to the hobby,” Ahonniska says.
“Many people build their houses from scratch or revamp old Lundby houses by replacing the wallpaper, floor materials and often the entire exterior. Some even make their own furniture but perhaps buy the most complicated pieces. Small items and food products are made using trash, clays and so on. Those who have the skills knit rugs, bedclothes and even clothes for the dolls. The most skilful individuals also make the residents for their houses,” Jeskanen says.
The fair is a place where people come to buy ready-made kits and accessories, find ideas and of course meet like-minded people.
“A shared passion brings people together and at the fair you can meet acquaintances from all over the country,” Ahonniska says.
Dolls’ House Fair in Hall D of the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre and Finnish Craft & Design Fair in Halls A, C and E from Friday to Sunday 17–19 November 2017. XXXV Railway Modelling Event in Hall D from Saturday to Sunday 18–19 November.
More information about the hobby and materials:
Finnish Doll’s House Association
TaavaNainen