When my daughter turned four, she was completely enchanted by her American Girl dolls. At the same time, my two-year-old son was obsessed with cars and trains.
The challenge?
They shared a small bedroom, and I wanted to give them both a play space that felt special—without taking over the whole room.
I searched everywhere for a dollhouse big enough to fit 18-inch dolls, but the options were either flimsy, wildly expensive, or just not practical for our space.
Building something from scratch wasn’t realistic (my husband and I aren’t exactly “power tool people”), but I still wanted something sturdy, customizable, and fun.
That’s when I stumbled across the IKEA Bestå shelf unit. With a little creativity, it became the perfect solution: a dollhouse big enough for American Girl dolls with a toy car garage below.
It turned into a project that not only fit our budget, but also gave my kids a playhouse they could both enjoy—together.
Ideas for the American Girl Dollhouse
If you have more space or only want to display the Americal Girls, you can modify this by adding more Bestå units or take away the garage, etc.
Please note that the “garage” is not big enough to hold American Girl/Our Generation-sized cars. It was designed for my kids’ extensive collection of various-sized toy cars and trains.
Of the five “rooms” (four inside, fifth on the top) in the dollhouse section, three (including the top) hold a standing 18-inch doll, and two only hold the dolls in a sitting position.
Getting rid of the garage level would allow the dolls to stand in all the rooms.
Kids Play time Routine
My kids sleep in a Kura bed right next to the house, which allows my daughter (who sleeps on the top bunk) to put her dollies to bed every night right from her bed without needing a stool.
I chose the Bestå because of the depth and adjustability of the shelves. My husband and I are not handy enough to construct something ourselves out of plywood, and nothing exists in the market (unless you pay someone on Etsy big bucks to make it for you) to play house with large-sized dolls.
I considered the KALLAX as it is also deep enough, but it would have required the addition of a plywood piece to the back and more holes to change shelf positions.
If you are handy and have a KALLAX it would probably work. Lots more KALLAX on Craigslist than Bestå.
How To Make An American Girl Dollhouse
Materials:
- Bestå Shelf Unit
- Two Inreda half shelves
- Black and white checkered contact paper
- Self-adhesive vinyl tiles (12inx12in from Home Depot – wood look for kitchen and tile look for bathroom)
- Corrugated cardboard (Save Bestå box!) and ultra plush fabric for carpeted rooms (more plush than fleece),
- Poster board and scrapbook paper (12inx12in) for walls, doll furniture (See end of post for product list),
- Utility knife
- Straight edge
- Rubber cement
- Spray adhesive
- Mounting squares
- Mini hooks
- Storage containers
- Metal wire
- Saran Wrap holder
- Plastic mirror sheet
STEP 1: Build the Garage Floor
- Cover the bottom panel of your Bestå unit with black-and-white checkered contact paper for that classic garage look.
- Do the same with one Inreda half-shelf (this will be the upper garage level).
- Use a utility knife to carefully cut X-shaped slits where the screws and hardware will go—don’t cover those up!
- Pro tip: Trim the paper so the pattern lines up neatly at the front edge. It makes a huge difference in the finished look.
STEP 2: Create Kitchen & Bathroom Floors
- Take two full-sized Bestå shelves.
- Cut and lay down your self-adhesive vinyl tiles.
- The wood-look tiles work beautifully for the kitchen.
- The bathroom tiles take a little more patience—be ready to trim and piece them together so the pattern lines up.
- Don’t stress if it’s not perfect; once the furniture is in, it looks amazing.
STEP 3: Add Cozy Carpeting
- Cut cardboard pieces to fit the top of the unit and two inside shelves.
- Cut plush fabric pieces a few inches larger than your cardboard.
- Spray adhesive the cardboard to the fabric, then fold and glue the edges around the back.
- Place these carpet “mats” onto your shelves. (I didn’t bother gluing them down—it makes them easy to swap later!)
STEP 4: Assemble & Customize the Unit
- Follow IKEA’s instructions to assemble the Bestå.
- Before locking in the shelves, test heights with your dolls and furniture.
- Stand an American Girl doll in the kitchen to check clearance.
- Sit her at a table to measure the dining room.
- Use bins or props (like IKEA Kusiner boxes) to figure out toy storage space.
- Remember: three of the five “rooms” fit standing 18″ dolls. Two are sitting-only. If you skip the garage, you can make all levels tall enough for standing dolls.
- Anchor the unit to the wall for safety (especially if kids will climb or lean on it).
STEP 5: Wallpaper the Rooms
- Cut poster board panels to fit the back and sides of each “room.”
- Cover them with scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or wallpaper scraps.
- Line up patterns carefully; place seams near the bottom to hide them.
- Fold the panels at the corners so you don’t get gaps.
- Attach the wallpaper panels inside with mounting squares or double-sided tape.
Tricky walk-in closet: Poke holes in the poster board with a small finishing nail where the Inreda shelf hardware goes, then cover with paper and re-poke the holes until you get a small impression, and then pop the actual hardware through the hole. After you glue on the scrapbook paper, pop the hardware through again.
STEP 6: Furnish & Decorate!
This was the trickiest part, as this is a fairly small house for such a big doll. Some American Girl furniture may not fit well in the house. I will tell you everything I chose here.
- Bed: IKEA Duktig doll bed (with DIY bedding made from baby blankets and fabric scraps).
- Table & chairs: Pottery Barn Kids.
- Kitchen & bathtub: Our Generation (Target).
- Bathroom sink & toilet: Found second-hand on eBay – a “Mommy Gotta Go Doll” (comes with a baby doll that is potty training – shown in photo)
- Closet: Inreda shelf + sideways Saran Wrap holder for hanging clothes.
- Storage bins: Sterilite drawers + IKEA Glis boxes.
- Mirror: Plastic craft sheet.
- Hooks: Mini 3M hooks with the adhesive trimmed or turned around
- Garage details: Ridemakerz tires and hubcaps (Toys R Us).
- Rug: Rugs USA (online)
Add rugs, picture frames, clocks, or even baseboards (red electrical tape works in the garage, white foam sheets for the house). This is where you can really let your kids’ personalities shine
This is my first online DIY post because I couldn’t have done it without the tons of posts I sifted through for inspiration – so thanks to all of you!
See instructions and more photos of the IKEA American Girl Dollhouse and Toy Car Garage on my blog, Mom Brag.
~ Jessica, USA