Welcome to Kirsten’s Cabin! I loved the Kirsten books as a child and always wanted to live in that cabin. The series describes it as a one room cabin on Uncle Olav’s farm. This is the first home the Larson’s had in America after immigrating from Sweden in 1854. With much help from my husband, I created my interpretation of that cabin.
The cabinet or shell is an IKEA Pax closet system. After running numbers on different options at the hardware store, we decided this was the best and most affordable option for us. The unit I chose is 78” tall and 39” wide and cost $90. I added on 2 adjustable shelves at $15 each. This created three separate “rooms” stacked on top of each other for displays. Kirsten’s cabin is 25” tall and 22.5” deep. There are two identical sized “rooms” above her. This size is just enough room to hold all of her furniture pieces, except the trunk.
As I grew my Kirsten collection over the years, I stored all of the accessories in her Pleasant Company Trunk and her furniture in storage tubs. I tried displaying her pieces on bookshelves and would switch them out from time to time. Now everything is neatly displayed and visible, with the exception of her clothes that are still stored in the trunk.
I chose peel-and-stick vinyl flooring to cover the walls and floor. My husband used a nail gun to secure the vinyl to the walls. Using historic photos for reference, I wanted as many things hanging on the walls as possible. My husband cut pieces of trim and molding to the sizes I specified to make the shelves. He drilled holes in the two large ones and cut dowel rods to be the pegs. I rubbed brown craft paint on them and wiped it off immediately to create a stained appearance. The windows are pieces of molding and the outdoor scenes are pictures I printed off on to copy paper. I used two different place mats as rugs, to separate the bed and table.
Most of the items are from Kirsten’s Pleasant Company Collection. I added little pieces that are size appropriate to the shelves to fill them in. The arrowhead, Blue Willow China and the grinder (a pencil sharpener) were all purchased at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home gift shop. The windmill and trinket box are from Kirsten’s trip to Holland, MI during Tulip Time to see DeZwaan Windmill. She also got personalized wooden shoes! The red lantern is a Christmas ornament.
I love that I get to see my collection everyday. My husband and I really enjoyed creating the little cabin and have went on to create more rooms. To see other historical rooms in my doll house, take a peek at these: Addy in Mrs. Ford’s Dress Shop, Kit’s Kitchen, Maryellen’s 1950s Diner and Addy’s Parlor! 😊
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