Meet the Mumbai mom who's living her dream by building doll houses for children

Supriya Baikerikar

As a child, Supriya Baikerikar made room for her dolls on the book shelf, getting them to sleep on a dabba that served as a makeshift bed. When bored, Baikerikar would move them to another corner of the shelf, imagining the space to be their new home.

She didn't have an aunt in the US who would've sent her a doll house, like some of her friends had. When her daughter Neeva was born, she went shopping with her husband to a toy store but was disappointed with the plastic doll house she saw. "We are environmentally-conscious," says Baikerikar, a commercial artist and graphic designer. On her husband's suggestion, Baikerikar decided she'd fashion a wooden doll house with help from a carpenter.

What began as a passion project has turned into a professional enterprise-The Doll House Co-which designs doll houses, garage units, construction sites and farm houses for young children. She works with a team of carpenters and painters, who bring her creations to life. Baikerikar has a pre-designed set of wooden structures, which range from one-storey homes to row houses, and 4ft 6inch-tall bungalows with a spacious attic. "Each cubicle can fit at least two dolls [the height of a Barbie] and has space for two hands to manoeuvre," she shares. While she works out of Mumbai, she takes orders across India, shipping the houses within 15 working days. "It's like building a real home. You cannot compromise on the height and width. But, I do customise the details to suit clients," she says, adding that she recently converted one of the cubicles into a dentist clinic because the young girl aspires to fix teeth when she grows up. Neeva, 11, who has not outgrown her house, uses it as a book shelf.

What: The Doll House Co
Cost: Rs 15,000 onwards
Call: 9769949637