item details
Overview
The ‘Little Princess’ dolls' house and dolls' house furniture was produced by New Zealand company Jomax in the 1960s, offering a miniature representation of a modern home.
At the time the dolls' house was produced, modernism had become mainstream in New Zealand. Modernist homes were designed with functionality in mind, and with an emphasis on informality. Open plan kitchen and living areas, large windows, patios and terraces were common features, connecting the house to the garden and allowing for easy entertaining. By the 1960s, the austerity of the early modernist period had been abandoned in favour of bold patterns and bright colours.
The furniture and appliance sets designed to furnish the Little Princess house are consistent with what would have been available in New Zealand in the 1960s. The furniture evokes the Scandinavian-style furniture available through outlets such as Danske Møbler, and the appliance set includes items that were becoming increasingly popular in the 1950s and 1960s, such as televisions and refrigerators.
References:
Swarbrick, Nancy. 2013. ‘Home décor and furnishings.' Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
Vale, Brenda and Robert. 2022. ‘Interiors of the 1960s in miniature’. AHA: Architectural History Aotearoa 19: 28-37.
Veart, David. 2014. Hello Girls & Boys! A New Zealand Toy Story. Auckland: Auckland University Press.