About

Established in 1985, Kensington Dollshouse Festival is an event that brings together top dollshouse makers and miniature artists from around the world with dollshouse collectors and aficionados. Over 40 years, the festival has become the top international show for quality dollshouses, baby houses, miniatures and models.

In 2005, Charlotte Stokoe took over the organisation of the festival, adding workshops, children’s activities and the PIMA (Perfection in Miniature Awards). The Christmas Festival was added in 2008, then, during lockdown, the Online Showcase, taking place every autumn.

The world of miniatures is unique, where crafts of all disciplines are used on a tiny scale — everything from metalwork, ceramics, needlepoint, furniture making, glassware and wickerwork. It also encompasses skills in creating replica food from Fimo clay, tiny designer handbags and shoes, and plants made from paper or clay, alongside the dolls and animals that inhabit this micro world.

All of the 120+ exhibitors taking part in the event are vetted to make sure their work is of the highest standard. KDF recruits the very best miniaturists from around the globe and are proud to have thousands of customers travel to London from Asia, USA, Australia and Europe to visit the festival every year.

The Kensington Dollshouse Festival is a great place to see all the different facets of this incredible secret world: realism, fantasy, perfectionism, creativity or just having a go yourself. After all, making and collecting miniatures is proven to be good for your mental health (Crafting Small, Grasping Big 2022–24: research project carried out by Dr Dalia Iskander, Associate Professor in Medical Anthropology at University College London exploring the nature and effects of miniature craft in the UK).

Miniaturism is an unexpected art form, but once discovered it’s easy to become addicted to the way our world can be recreated to the highest level in the palm of your hand. This really is craft on a minuscule scale, where skill levels are heightened and detail is everything. Prepare to be blown away by the perfection of all the work you see.