Jordan GeibelCountry Living editors select each product featured. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Why Trust Us?At Country Living, we have long had a soft spot for small spaces of all sorts. Whether it's a grain silo guesthouse, a tiny converted NYC tugboat, or an adorably outfitted chicken coop, we love any space that manages to maximize its charm per square foot. (For the record, we were championing the cottagecore aesthetic far before it took over TikTok.) We've even embraced dollhouse makeovers a time or two, but the latest dollhouse transformation out of Houston, Texas, by shop owner and textile designer Courtney Barton, may just be the greatest dollhouse project of all timeespecially if you have a soft spot for color, pattern, weathered antiques, and whimsical details. Wynn MyersCourtney Barton, dollhouse designer extraordinaireThe tiny housenicknamed Tiny Tassel Castleis so richly layered and life-like that we're still doing double takes and studying every detail. The antique-style cooker! The tiny Delft tiles! The collection of hanging baskets! The project, which is part of a fundraiser for Family Houston, was "truly a labor of love," says Courtney, one of eight designers/creatives tapped to turn bare-bones plywood shells into mini showhouses that will later be sold at auction. (More on that below.)Sarah Lawrence PhotographyBut seriously: Wait until you see inside Despite the structure's diminutive scale, it was an overwhelming undertaking for the shop owner and mother of two boys. "I've never done anything like this," says Courtney, who says she wasn't especially into dollhouses growing up. "When the structure got dropped off, I did an ugly cry on what I had gotten myself into," says Courtney, who was intimidated by both the amount of rooms (12!) and the two-month timeline that overlapped with the popular Round Top Antiques Show. (Courtney owns a retail shop in Round Top in addition to her store in Houston.) After taking a breath and rolling up her sleeves, she rose to the occasion by trusting her well-honed eye for "elevated whimsy," obsessing over scale (see: adding ball feet when dressers needed just a smidge more height), and enlisting the help of businesses and creatives around the globe, including Andrew Martin, designer Beata Heuman, artist by Rebecca Rebouch, and ceramist Pearce Williams. She also reached out to Coley Home to help tackle the upholstery. "I couldn't believe they said yes!," says Courtney. "And I love that it's a young female-owned company." Jordan GeibelThe game room features a custom painting by New Orleans artist Rebecca Rebouch She also admits that she got really, really into it. "As a shop owner, my whole gig is rooted in the thrill of the huntfinding unique objects made by artisansand this house features items from Bulgaria, Ukraine, Germany, France, Mexico.... I found myself deep into the world of dollhouse objects." Case in point: The rolling library ladder came from a man in Canada. The bathroom lighting is by an artisan in the United Kingdom who specializes in tiny swan chandeliers. (Talk about finding your niche.) The burlwood grand piano was sourced closer to homeit was a lucky find from a local estate sale.Jordan GeibelThe bathroom with its swan chandelier and small-scale soaking tubJordan GeibelThe stately library includes a rolling ladder and assorted stacks of booksJordan GeibelThe burlwood grand piano came from a local estate saleJordan GeibelBut of course theres a bottle brush Christmas treeSome items are sentimental. For example, the bamboo bedthe first item Courtney purchased for the houseis an ode to the first item she carried in her retail store. (It pairs well with a scaled-down version of this whimsical wallcovering.) Other decorative details required roll-up-the-sleeves resourcefulness. When tiny baskets didn't feel quite old enough, they were stained with coffee to look more weathered and antique. Jordan GeibelThe bamboo bed paired with whimsical "Prospect Park" wallcoveringJordan GeibelAnother angle of the layered bedroom because why notWhen asked to name her favorite of the 12 rooms, Courtney says it's always changing. "We asked ourselves this question on a weekly basis in the office." She does admit that the basket-filled garden room ranks high on the list. "Yellow is one of my favorite colors, and I've wanted to use that Antoinette Poisson wallpaper forever." The ballet room is a close second. "We had a mirror custom fit for a wall, installed a ballet bar, and trimmed the room in velvet. It all feels so sweet."Jordan GeibelThe garden room, complete with a checkered floor and skirted sinkJordan GeibelThe ballet room is outfitted with a mini wooden barre, velvet trimmed window treatments, and a gramophoneThe biggest challenge, says Courtney, was perfecting the tiny trim work. "In the garden room alone, there's over 17 hours' worth of trim!" she says. "We had a mini table saw the size of an index card that we used to miter everything. Eventually, I wound up finding a pair of scissors called miter shearsthat's proven to be our dream tool."Jordan GeibelA pint-size blue stove pairs well with terracotta tile floors and copper cookwareJordan GeibelCafe curtains, hen-on-nest dishware, an apron sink... Does it get more country?Jordan GeibelWere not sure what we love more: The turkey on a pewter platter or the stately grandfather clockThe house, alongside seven other miniature marvels, will be auctioned off at La Petite Maison Gala on December 4th. (Bidding starts at $2,500, and you can stake your claim remotely.) You can go read more about the other designers here, but we'll still be obsessing over every delightful detail of Courtney's construction, including the pan on the kitchen island with chopped mushrooms and onions, the teensy touch of mud on the garden room wellies, the hand-beaded kitchen chairs, the game room wallcovering featuring a motif of tiny card suites (clubs, aces, hearts...). It's clear no detail was overlooked. Well, except one. "There are no toilets," says Courtney. "They're just ugly." Jordan GeibelLook closely: The game room wallcovering features tiny black spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds Related Stories Rachel BarrettRachel Barrett is the Editor-in-Chief of Country Living. She can't pass up a vintage seascape, drives an '89 Woody Wagoneer (that is, when it'll start), and hopes to buy you a lemonade at a future Country Living Fair.