How to Give Your Maileg Mouse House the Interiors-Magazine Treatment
You might say I take styling my Maileg mouse house a little too seriously, but for me it’s much like styling a real home. Furniture is only the starting point; it’s the colour, textiles, things on the walls and all those little personal objects that really bring it to life. Here are a few of my favourite styling ideas to give your mouse house a makeover worthy of a interiors magazine.
Think about colour
I like to change up my mouse house from time to time (this one is an IKEA Flisat, by the way) trying different layouts, wallpapers and moving things around between rooms. But I always think about colour and how the different pieces look together. Maileg makes this pretty easy because so many of its furniture pieces come in alternative colours - often shades of pink such as powder or rose, or soft shades of mint and blue. It means you can create a colour scheme that feels quite harmonious without everything having to be matchy-matchy.
2. Add interest to the walls with art and decorative pieces
The next thing I think is really important when styling a mouse house is adding some interest to the walls. This is where your imagination can run a little wild. I like to add wallpaper (either gift wrap or Maileg wallpaper stickers), as well as making tiny artwork from pictures cut out of magazines and displaying little decorative bits and pieces. I’ve even created a plate wall using some of the tiny plates from the various Maileg tea sets I’ve collected over the years. Just as in a real room, adding things to the walls somehow makes everything feel much more finished. I have a complete blog post on using Maileg wallpaper stickers in your mouse house.
3. Layer textiles to create softness and texture in your mouse house
I like to use textiles to add softness and texture, layering knitted fabrics with floral bedlinen, cushions and little blankets. Maileg’s attention to detail when it comes to fabric is always on point. The tiny prints, ginghams, knits and embroidered details are one of the things that make the furniture feel so much more like miniature versions of things you might actually have in your own home. And, just like in a real room, adding a few different textures makes everything feel cosier.
4. Add the little things that make it feel lived in
I like to imagine that my mouse house is a real tiny home where my Maileg mice actually live, and the best way to create that feeling is to fill it with little everyday details, such as books, cups, flowers, perfume bottles, baskets or things left out on tables. These are the sorts of things that make a real house feel lived in. Furniture gives the room its purpose, but it’s the little things that make it feel like someone actually lives there.
5. Mix bought, handmade and found pieces
Your mouse house doesn’t have to be filled with just Maileg pieces. In fact, I think adding homemade and found miniature accessories makes it much more charming and personal. I actually like to look at ordinary things and wonder whether they could work in miniature! I’ve made little baskets using bottle tops and garden twine, for example, and used them as plant pots or as baskets for blankets and throws. Craft shops are also brilliant for finding tiny things that were never intended for a mouse house but somehow work perfectly in one, like pom-poms for making garlands or tiny paper flowers.
6. Let the house build up over time
A real home isn’t bought in one afternoon; a mouse house doesn’t need to be either. I like mixing pieces from old Maileg collections with new ones, things I’ve picked up at dolls house fairs, bits and bobs from craft shops that I’ve repurposed, along with homemade pieces I’ve created over the years. For me, that slightly collected-over-time look is much more interesting than having everything perfectly matched. And it means your mouse house can keep changing as you find new little things to add to it.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading a few of my mouse house styling tips. In some ways, styling a mouse house is much more fun than styling a real house. There’s something quite magical about imagining yourself shrinking down and stepping inside, climbing into that comfy bed and pulling the lovely crochet blanket over you. I love positioning a tiny cup on a bedside table just so, adding a little book or vase of flowers, or spotting something completely ordinary in a craft shop and immediately thinking, that would be perfect for my mouse house. For me, those tiny details are what really bring it to life.
If this has made you want to start moving a few tiny chairs around yourself, you can browse our Maileg mouse furniture and accessories here.
And if you’re just getting started, have a look at our Maileg guides for more help and inspiration.