A children’s dream house for their dolls and cars
Discover Benelux & France
Designer Liliane Limpens says: “In the words of the Dutch consul-general Guido Tielman in Chongqing, China, the Dolls Villa is ‘the Bentley among the world’s dolls houses!’”
The LILIANE Dolls Villa is much more than a normal doll house. The Villa is specially designed for dolls that are one foot tall — children’s favourite dolls — making it unique in the world and pop-ular among children.
“Children prefer dolls this size, think about Barbie and other 30 centimetre tall stuffed animals and toys. There wasn’t a sustainable home for these size dolls,” says Liliane Limpens, designer. “That’s why I created the Villa.”
The Dolls Villa at child-height is made from sturdy, quality materials such as birch plywood, solid beech wood and stainless steel. She explains: “Using these materials sends the message that children are worth a lot and they deserve a good, quality home. This gives the relationship between adult and child a kind of equivalence. And when the children’s children — that’s how they see their dolls — have a nice home, this will also help the child to feel more secure.”
The open design of the Villa encourages interaction and free play: up to six children can use it at the same time. Apart from families, the Villa is also a much-loved item at day care centres and primary schools not just in the Netherlands, but across Europe. “The Dolls Villa is now on several standard inventory lists, such as in England and I get a lot of interest from Canada, Australia and the United States. I hope to find the right distributors,” she says and adds: “Having this business is very rewarding. I would hereby like to encourage female entrepreneurs to consider developing physical products, and not just think about providing a service.”
Apart from play, there are other interesting applications. Currently universities in the Netherlands and Poland are researching how play therapists, child psychiatrists and psychologists can use the Villa to help children who suffer from trauma. “Children often don’t possess the right words to express complex feelings. It is much easier to explain things in their own language: through play,” Limpens explains.
The LILIANE Dolls Villa comes in two models, each complete with designer furniture (including a car ramp, beds, storage drawers and kitchen and bathroom appliances) and wheels for mobility.
Discover Benelux & France | Issue 16 | April 2015 | 9 | Design feature | LILIANE
TEXT: MYRIAM GWYNNED DIJCK | PHOTOS: LILIANE
Discover Benelux & France is the business inflight magazine of the members of British Airways | Swiss Air | Brussels Airlines | KLM Business Lounges. The distinctiveness of the magazine is in the variety of important network and trip points focused on Corporate Netherlands and the upper classes. Discover Benelux & France is also the members magazine of the Dutch Embassies in Europe.
