Designing Fairy Gardens to Scale

The good news about designing fairy gardens to scale is that there really are no rules. Bring together some doll-house furnishings, figurines, handmade items and fairy garden decorations to create your own magical, miniature garden.

That said, there is something to learn from the model railroad, doll house and miniature collectibles worlds – scale matters. While the purists in those disciplines virtually demand everything is matchy, matchy, perfect; they do have a point. After all, if your little fairy or her house disappears forever in a tangle of full-sized plants, she just might move to someone else’s yard. Would you expect a 4 inch tall fairy to be happy with a 2 inch tall house?

Understanding Miniature Scale Measurements

It is a bit easier to purchase things for doll houses than it is for fairy gardens. It is fairly intuitive to know that something made “Barbie Doll-sized” is way too small to be used with an American Girl doll. But, what happens if the doll or train is not as well-branded and universally known? How about when folks are making their own?

That’s where scale comes into play. One of the most common scales is 1:12. It is also one of the most simple to calculate. For every twelve inches of normal size, use one inch for miniature size. For example, a standard kitchen table might measure 3 feet or 36 inches square. A miniaturized version in 1:12 scale would be only 3 inches square.

Other commonly used scales in the world of miniatures are 1:24, 1:10 and 1:8. The concept is identical. 1:24 means one inch for every 24, 1:10 means one inch for every ten and 1:8 means one inch for every eight. So, in 1:8 scale a 32 inch table would be miniaturized down to 4 inches. Notice how the smaller the number in the scale, the bigger the miniature becomes?

Designing Fairy Gardens to Scale

For the most part, I wouldn’t worry about exact measurements when designing a fairy garden. But, I would try to keep things somewhat in proportion. If you were to buy the cute little 2 inch tall green metal bicycle from our shop, it might look silly if you place six inch tall fairy next to it.

However, getting out of scale in the opposite direction can lead to cute results. Putting a small fairy on an oversized bench can make the fairy appear smaller and more magical. But, if you include a frog that is significantly larger in scale than your bench, you might leave your fairy worried that she may become froggy’s dinner or that your fairy garden is inhabited by giant, mutant frogs.

The most important thing to remember when designing fairy gardens to scale is to have fun and let your creative side come out and play. Of course, you want to ensure that you keep any and all of your resident fairies happy too.