The Pricey Playhouse Trend

A recent New York Times article brings to light a thriving playhouse business despite the economic condition.  I'd like to note that while this may at first glance look like a trend, parents have been building lavish playhouses for their children for some time now.  There is a bit of debate as to whether or not anyone should spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a mini mansion for their children...let me know your thoughts.  If you've read much of this blog, you know I am fascinated with these tiny structures regardless of their price tag.  (In a way they're tiny architectural treasures).  If built well and maintained, they can last for generations.   When building a playhouse, extravagant or modest, consider how it's going to impact our environment.  Select your materials carefully and think about the expected lifespan of the structure.  Do you want to build something that can stand the test of time, be passed on from generation to generation?  Maybe you want to create a plays space that when your children have outgrown it can be disassembled and recycled.  Create thoughtfully and get your children involved in the process!  Oh, and don't forget to send me pictures!

I was delighted to find the Princess house in Wolfsgarten.   Here's a great historical write up from GG Online:

The park in the hunting lodge wolf garden princesses standing house was built in Art Nouveau style. It was in 1902 by Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867 - 1908) built by order of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig to Princess Elisabeth, born 1895 in Hesse and the Rhine as a playhouse and is unique in Germany.

Completed in 1902, playing house, which consists of a brick-mechanical framework, the mixture of a villa and a villa that is adapted to the size and needs of a child. There is one floor and consists of two rooms, the parlor and the kitchen. The ceiling height is 1.90 meters. The initials E, which are mounted on and versatile in the gesture, correspond to the state of the princess.

Apart from the high roof and built on the corner of the tall white chimney covered with an oval lateral opening and the great gilded crown.
 
Most of the furniture, the wallpaper and the gardens were also designed by Olbrich and still exist today.
 
On the post of the blue wooden fence surrounding the house princesses sitting gilt doves.
1905 married the Grand Duke
Eleonore zu Solms-Lich Solms-chief. their two sons, Prince Georg Donatus and Ludwig also took the game home. Whose initials are carved in the interior of the building, the door jamb between the salon and the kitchen.

Exterior image source:   All Things Garden
Interior image source:   GG Online