Passing by a local crafts shop, I saw these miniature furnitures that look like collectors' items at first sight. I then asked a sales representative what the furnitures were for and I was told that they are accessories for, well, miniature model homes. Curious.
Indeed, when a child outgrows playing those little dollhouses, there may be this tendency to move up a notch and create a more realistic dollhouse instead. There is something in these physical model houses (I thought these model houses can also be a good project for architecture students), something tangible that you cannot find by merely playing simulation games like The Sims. The joy of actually decorating the rooms with your own hands without preset designs is something that these model houses take advantage of.
I don't think I saw an actual model house sold in the shop, though I cannot be sure since I didn't really look around that much. I only thought that it was cute to have little chairs, little tables, little stoves, and the such. I'm a Sims addict, and I would love to have my Sims home recreated in tangible miniature life, but I doubt if I will ever go up that level.
For the others who think that this is a hobby worth pursuing, just get ready to have your wallets emptied, because it's a really expensive project. The cost of each miniature furniture is no joke, so I doubt if the cost of an empty home will be forgiving.
Nevertheless, if you think that it is a hobby worth pursuing, then there's nobody preventing you to do so. I suggest you go out and look inside a number of arts and crafts shop. It was the first time I saw those little furnitures, so I do not think they are that common. You could even try to make your own house, actually.
