Fellow site-user Bunny asked a bit ago about people’s storage, so I thought I’d make a post here showcasing how I store and display my dolls! I’ve gone through a lot of iterations over the past several years, but I think I’m finally happy with my system.
The “display” part of my “storage and display” is kinda messy right now; I’m deep in the trenches of Funguary, taking a fungus-inspired picture every day! So the dolls are coming in and out of bins, getting re-dressed, shoes and accessories scattered around as I look for just the right pieces for a given look. But once Feb is over, I’ll set up a nice, coordinated display again XD
This IKEA Trofast unit and rainbow drawer cart are the heart of my storage and display. I have a few dolls elsewhere in the house, but this is where most of the action is.
In the Trofast (left to right)–
1 bin: Fabric (for making clothes and backgrounds)
2 bins: Stuff for hair rescue and restyling, plus random craft things and props.
3 bins: Dolls! Top bin is Monster High, then Barbie & OMG, then Rainbow High. I know best practice is to store them de-clothed and wrapped in tissue, but I cycle my dolls around so much that I’m not really worried.
On the Trofast (L->R)–
Funguary dolls! They will get less messy when the month is over!
Random dolls I had out before Feb, that I haven’t bothered to put away.
Hardware box holds shoes.
Rainbow drawers–
Clothes, little accessories, and stands. Top three drawers are RH, then MH, then Barbie, then OMG. I’m realizing in writing this blog post that I should make the order of the clothing drawers match the doll bin order.
Here’s some closeups of the bins and drawers!
Hi, Miss Edith! Sorry I stole your dress for Funguary.
Shoes. So many shoes.
Barbie accessories, plus stands overflow.
OMG clothes — this is basically what all the clothes drawers look like. I may try binders with vinyl sleeves/cd sleeves for clothes at some point. The idea of being able to flip through the pieces (instead of dig through a drawer) really appeals to me.
I also use one of the under-bed drawers for project dolls/doll parts, and half my dresser is for craft supplies, larger dolls (like American Girl), and some larger props (bathtub, barbie bike, etc.).
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I also wanted to show you my main photo spots, also in my bedroom.
Apple crate + the end of my dresser. Various backgrounds are stashed beside and usually I have my extra LED lights stored in the crate.
Pink coffee table + white wall + west window.
And hopefully the image of Sunny attaches — just to show what photos come out of my small and unglamorous “studio”.
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You don’t have to buy anything fancy; I use these furniture pieces because I had them already or found them cheap. The Trofast was a hand-me-down from a friend. I only recently bought the matching pink bins; for a long time I just used random plastic tubs in it. The rainbow drawers I found at a thrift store several years ago for $12. The apple crate came with my spouse. My backgrounds are either the wall, or pictures I cut out of a thrifted nature book, or a random gift bag.
This setup works well for me for several reasons: there’s good lighting during the day for pictures, I have some display space but not too much (visual “noise” quickly overwhelms me), there’s storage for props and dolls not currently on display. I hope that my hodgepodge-but-very-functional dolly space inspires you to work with what you have (or can get for free or cheap!) and create a space that serves you and your collection!
xo,
Rose
I like your system – thanks for posting it
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed
Oh man sorry it took me so long to comment! I got eaten by uni, but I really love this system! It’s so organized, and the rainbow drawers + craft bins that the shoes are stored in are honestly very satisfying to look at.
A couple people on my post recommended cd cases to flip through clothes and I definitely like that idea too- the digging through clothes thing is definitely one of the things that’ll bug me more and more as my collection grows and I start making doll clothes myself too.
(oops, sorry for the double comment!)
Also thank you for showing your photo setup! I’ve been struggling with taking pictures of my dolls that actually… Look Nice and it’s given me a couple thoughts on how to improve that a bit!
I’m glad you like my setup 🙂 I used to take pictures solely at night, and having a couple of bright lights helped that. Now I’m able to take pictures more during the day and nothing beats that natural light! I’d love to see your space/photo setup, if you want to share sometime!
Ahaha I’m actually going to be redoing my whole room in a few weeks, so I’ll probably be overhauling my setup then, too, but I’ll share some pictures once that’s done! So far it’s just been on my work desk with some faux walls put up to hide all my supplies in the background, so definitely not ideal.
Sadly with where my window is located, I don’t really get much light from it, but I did recently (accidentally) discover that the light board I use to transfer my sketches for work is probably better than any ring light, so I’ll be trying that out!