Sweet Samantha finally has her own room in the dollhouse! This room is very special for me because Sam was the very first doll I owned. This space was created to display my childhood girl and her pieces.
Samantha’s room was one of the earlier rooms I started creating. I went back and forth on it a few times. I started with pink and white striped wallpaper with white painted trim. It was cute, but I decided I liked it better for a different doll. I wanted something more bold and Victorian for Sam. I moved her out and started her room again. I found white and pink floral vinyl paper and thought it was definitely bold enough to represent Samantha.
Hubs and I picked out very ornate trim for the crown molding. In the beginning, I didn’t know if we should stain or paint the trim because both were historically accurate. I ended up choosing bubblegum pink paint and … HATED it! I felt like the room was yelling at me. 😉 I assumed pink was the problem. We removed the trim to start over and then inspiration struck. We visited a historic Victorian hotel on one of our travels. It was fully restored but still originally decorated. One of the bedrooms blew me away, floral wallpaper and pink trim! The pink trim wasn’t the problem, it was the shade of pink I had used. Once I got the shade right, I loved it!
Samantha’s Bedroom is the top floor of a 78″ tall IKEA PAX cabinet. The room is 39″ wide, 22.5″ deep and 25″ tall. There are two identical sized “rooms” below Sam for Rebecca. This isn’t the only Samantha space in the doll room. I am currently working on another room for her that I hope to reveal soon.
The flooring is a faux, dark hardwood peel-and-stick vinyl. I placed two simple white picture frames on each side of the room as windows. I printed off a Victorian house and Victorian gazebo to be Samantha’s views. Using large lace that I glued to a dowel rod, I created parlor style curtains. I placed hooks on each side of the windows to hang the rods on. I hung two of Samantha’s hats on one of the window walls. On the back wall, I added a 10″ pine shelf that the hubs made and I painted cream. On it are pieces from Sam’s collection and a small vase I found at Goodwill for 50 cents. I don’t own the Mohair Teddy that was a part of the original collection, so Bitty Bear will do for now. He and Clara share Sam’s pram.
I love Samantha’s original furniture. The newer version of her bed is gorgeous but it isn’t the one I dreamed of as a child. After placing her brass bed and commode in the room, it still needed more furniture. I tried a jewelry box as a dresser but it was too bulky and wide. So I bought a couple of the craft boxes I used as nightstands in Emma’s and Ella’s Bedrooms , and wood glued them together. Hubs cut a top, front panel and legs and I painted it cream like the commode. I bought a third craft box to use its drawers because I wanted six large drawers instead of the little drawers at the top. I removed the wooden knobs and replaced them with little pulls I painted gold.
The white and gold rug is a placemat. On Sam’s commode is the mirror from her trunk, hair brush and pitcher with basin. I copied pictures of Grandmary and Uncle Gard from the Samantha books and framed them for wall art. I found a little sugar dish at Goodwill that was missing its lid and thought it made a great chamber pot. 😂 It fits perfectly inside the cabinet. (Hey, we all gotta go!😉)
My absolute favorite thing in the room is the picture above the bed. In Samantha Saves the Day, the family takes a trip to Piney Point. There Samantha discovers a sketchbook that her mother painted before she and Samantha’s father passed away. Samantha loves looking at her mother’s art and it helps her remember things about her family she had forgotten. I copied the picture of Samantha’s family, enlarged it and framed it.
Samantha’s room will get new items here and there as I continue to add to my collection. I’m very happy with the room and my childhood Sam is settling in nicely!
Check the other historical dollhouse rooms I’ve created for Julie, Addy, Maryellen, Kirsten and Kit.
Your Sam is a very lucky girl; you have created a precious room for her! I think adding to each historical girl’s bedroom is part of the charm of creating rooms for them. I’m very impressed with yours! Thank you for sharing! Vicki (@agdollipops on Instagram)
Aw! Thank you Vicki! Yes, there are still so many items I’d like to own but it takes time. Thanks for being here! ❤️
Samantha’s room is lovely. Everything works so nicely together.
I love seeing your rooms come alive. Thanks for taking us on the journey by sharing why you chose the items you did.
Thank you! It’s my pleasure. Each room is a process of trial and error before I am satisfied. 🤗
I try to research the era before beginning so I can be as historically accurate as one can when working on a small scale. 😉 Thank you for your encouraging words!
I think the wallpaper was a great choice!
Thank you! ❤️ It’s pretty bold so I doubted it for awhile. It has grown on me. 😉
I absolutely love this! Everything works so well together! Samantha and Nellie are the two American Girl dolls I own, so they have a special spot for me.
Thank you so much! ❤️ That’s great that you have them! 😀
I am completely in awe of your dollhouse. I wish I had your space and talent! My Samantha has half an IKEA PAX shelf – roughly 22″ X 22″. She shares with her friend Ruth who floats between 1904-1914. They currently have one blank wall and one English Country Manor/Arts and Crafts bedroom (a photo I took at a local historic house museum). I’m still working on their half of the house. The other half is a tenement. If you come to New England to learn about history, let us know and come help me decorate the dollhouse LOL!
Come join AG Playthings at agplaythings.proboards.com and you can see what I’ve done so far. (not much).
Thank you so much for the kind words! Sounds like Samantha and Ruth have a wonderful space and I would very much like to see it! Also, I would absolutely love to come see your doll space. I know I would LOVE New England! Thanks for being here!
I just found this! When you dreamed of Samantha’s bed as a child, was it the pink one? I still dream of that even though I don’t have Samantha or any place to put it! You have done an incredible amount of work on this and it shows in the details. It feels so authentic when I think of historical homes I have toured.💗😊💐
Hi! No, it was the brass one in the PC catalogs that I drooled over. The pink one came out when I was an adult. Thanks for the kind words!
I found this post from the link on your Kit’s attic post, and Oh My!! Sam was my childhood doll as well, and I was so lucky to get a few of her pieces, including her bed. I created a little nook for her in a half closet in my room (slanted ceilings) using things I found at yard sales, etc. This hits home! But I must say, the photo above the bed had me tearing up! I related to Sam’s character in the books because my mother had passed suddenly when I was three and she felt like a friend who could understand how I felt. I am now adding to my collection as an adult, and I think creating the family painting for her is just the piece I was missing. Thank you for sharing your heart and creativity!
Thank you so much for your kind words Lindsay! I’m so glad you enjoyed Samantha’s bedroom and that you have some of her collection. Samantha was my childhood friend as well and I’m glad you were able to have and connect with her story. I’m sure a copy of the painting would look wonderful with your display. Thanks for reaching out! Happy collecting!
Hello, May I ask where did find the drawer pulls for the 6 drawer dresser?
They are jewelry box pulls. The pack I bought had 3 different styles so I had to purchase multiple packs but buying an old, used jewelry box would probably be more cost efficient.