Danish house

 

Last month I went to a miniature fair in Denmark, as an exhibitor. The fair wasn't very successful in terms of sales, not just for me but for everyone - nobody could explain why. I hadn't plan to buy anything, but I kept looking at a house because it looked old and interesting. I don't typically work in 1:18 scale, and I already have one house that needs renovation. However, for the past couple of years I have been collecting Danish dollhouse furniture by Arne Jacobsen that I display in a bookshelf. I have been telling myself that one day I would buy an old 1:18 house exclusively to display my Jacobsen collection. And here was this old house, and ten minutes before the fair closed I bought it at a ridiculously low price. I am still surprised that no one had bought it earlier - maybe because it was in such poor condition. I wonder whether the seller was aware what they was selling. Later I checked the current prices for this type of house so I know it was a bargain. My daughter who was there with me thought I was crazy, but it wasn't big news to her. 

Now, I don't know enough about vintage dollhouses but fortunately there are communities with expertise. I thought it was an early Lundby, but my facebook group immediately recognised it as a Danish Hanse house which certainly makes sense as I found it in Denmark. As I researched it back home, it became apparent. Symmetrical roof - and evebody knows that Lundby houses are not symmetrical. Also several features were conspicuous, such as the stairs. 

I have been busy with all kinds of things recently so it's not until now I have some time to take a closer look. 

To begin with, the partition on the upper floor is a late addition - original Hanse houses didn't have it. At closer look, the partition had a very odd sized door, just 8 cm high. The walls on the ground floor have no doors, but they don't go all the way to the front, so a kind of pretence doors. Another typical Hanse feature. 

The wallpaper on the ground floor seems authentic, but on the upper floor the walls have been painted, and not very carefully. Floors in one room were badly damaged. 

From the pictures I have found on the web, floors are original. I have also been told that the house didn't have window frames and glazing. 

Somebody repaired the wall in a most horrendous manner - just look at the glue!

The bottom was water damaged. Not much I can do about it, maybe just give it a protective coat of paint.

I am not sure what the round things in the corners are. Maybe the house stood on legs. 

I took a deep breath and started. 

The first thing was to remove the partition which was easy because it had also been fixed quite carelessly. With the partition removed, you can see original wallpaper. 

I won't restore the original wallpaper because I intend, as already mentioned, to use the house to display Jacobsen furniture. I will have Jacobsen wallpaper, and I will research what kind of floors and ceilings would go with Jacobsen design. 

Just to cheer myself up, after realising the scope of necessary work, I put some Jacobsen items into the upper-floor room. With the partition, it wouldn't look half as nice. 

I am not sure where to start, but probably I need to make all the major repairs before I can go on. Mend the hole in the floor. Remove the glue. Sand away old paint. I am sure I will discover more faults as I go. I believe this will take me the whole summer, particularly if it rains. I will report regularly so please come back. 

To be continued.