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I posted in the Christmas thread, but we are getting our DDs the Kidkraft So Chic...I feel like I've researched dollhouse to death this month. What I like about this one is that all sides are open so multiple kids can play at once. I also like that it's on casters so we can roll it to the middle of the room when they're playing and then roll it back against the wall when they're done.

The one thing I've learned is make sure to buy one that comes with the furniture... many times furnishing a dollhouse can end up being more $ than the house itself!

@Charm54: they have that house at a parent and child playgroup we go to, and my son loves it!! It’s great.

@Foodnerd81: I had a 4 story Lundby Smaland doll house when I was growing up. It's a Swedish brand but my parents bought it at a euro toy store here in the US. Anyway, they still exist and they are fabulous!! They have real working lights with tiny plug points and outlets so you can move furniture and lighting around and "redecorate" a lot.

I was obsessed as a kid. You can start with just two stories and add on other stories later. All the furniture sets + house kind of add up in price, but I really enjoyed mine as a kid and played with it for years.

My mom saved mine, so I think I will ask her to bring it so we can order new furniture sets and refurbish a bit for DD1.

@Foodnerd81: that's what they have had at daycares and schools I have worked at. It seems to stand up well. I can't believe how much dollhouses cost! I never had one as a little kid and I can see why!

We have this Kidkraft one! It came with furniture and has a disc it sits on to spin

We have the Hape All Seasons dollhouse. It's big enough for them to play together, and they love switching the roof/seasons. I love Hape toys (we have the rocket ship set as well, and the scale is the same so both sets can interplay). They're classic, wooden and gender neutral. It runs around $130, but we bought it on sale from Amazon for $67, including furnishings for 5 rooms!

Do not get the Chelsea KidKraft Dollhouse! It is honestly the biggest piece of cheaply made junk. The Dollhouse itself isn't too bad, but the furniture that we got or came with it (I can't remember which) fell apart so fast. I have had to hot glue 1/2 the pieces together and they won't stay flat now against the floors of the dollhouse.

I really wanted this one by Alice & Fox:

But ended up getting a Kidkraft Magnolia Mansion. It came with furniture and she's commented on how much she likes an elevator. It was surprisingly easy to install but mostly made of plasterboard. The furniture it comes with is nicer - solid wood and the lamp lights up, the piano plays and the toilet flushes. It'll be her Christmas present. She'll love it!

We have an old school Fisher Price Loving Family dollhouse that our neighbor gave us when his granddaughter outgrew it. I bought a new family (ours was missing some pieces and appendages) and my daughter LOVES playing with it.

Just saw this one from Joanna Gaines at target which looks so sweet and the price seems fair

https://www.target.com/p/wooden-dollhouse-with-furniture-hearth-hand-153-with-magnolia/-/A-52609030

@Anagram: I was just looking at their site and these are so cute. Plus I love how they start compact...any ideas where you get them in the US? The site keeps causing my computer to crash and I cant seem to find it...

@lilyofthewest: probably depends on the kid. 2.5 might be a tad young....I think my oldest would have loved it and played nicely and gently at 3. But my youngest is now 2, and she's pretty wild and rough with everything. She's a smasher.

And it's pretty pricey to have it broken. I remember my little sister snapped one of the lamps in half, haha. I was so pissed.

I feel like I should get the dollhouse now from my moms house....but then I'd risk LO2 hulk smashing it all.

@Mrs D: I googled Lundby dollhouse U.S. and some random toy store websites popped up. Some of the pieces are on amazon, too.

@Anagram: I found a few stores also...they all seemed to have the doll house sold out...

I suppose if it comes un-assembled I could get it next time I am in Europe and bring it home...

@Anagram: Dollhouse renovation is a big thing, I didn't know anything about it until I went searching for some furniture for my childhood dollhouse. People do all kinds of interesting things.

When I was a kid, I had my dollhouse, but I also had a bookshelf that I used as an apartment complex. It wasn't decorated at all, just painted plain white, but if I were looking for something today, I would get a plain, wood bookshelf and customize it. I wouldn't go too nuts, but I would at least cut out some windows and doors and put up a few dividing walls and go to town on paint!

We have the Hape all seasons one. It is very well made and I like that it came with furniture. My kiddo doesn't play with it at all though. She's 4 and she's had it for about a year.