Choosing Exterior Paint Colors for Dollhouse Mansions

How do you choose which color to paint your dollhouse? This summer I repainted my own house, and during the process of picking paint colors at the local hardware store, I got to thinking about how different the process is for a miniature home.

The difference, I think, is that you don't actually have to live in your creation. A bright blue house with yellow trim might look amazing at 1/12 scale, but would be a bit daunting to live in. Choosing your favorite colors to paint a dollhouse is certainly an option, of course. But there are other ways to decide which color to paint the exterior of your dollhouse.  

Many dollhouse collectors prefer to use a 'historical' method, selecting colors that were popular during the period that the house style would have been built. To gather paint ideas, look at photos of real homes that are similar to the one you are building in miniature. This can give your dollhouse mansions the kind of realism that will make people ooh and aah.

How to you select the color of your next dollhouse?