"My motivation to design the dolls villa stems from a desire to give children their own dream villa. This villa had to be top quality, and not meant for tiny dolls, but an exclusive, private domain, just for their favourite dolls. A domain with its own standards, values, rules and freedoms. One that children nurture as they grow older.

When I was young and played with my dolls, I could get completely lost in thought, dreaming of the wonderful life I would lead in the future. This was my way of escaping, even briefly, from the constraints of school and family life. Playing with my dolls also fostered my contact with friends. This is the experience and the feelings I have long hoped to give the children of today. These hopes took on a concrete form when I decided to start my own company in 1999, exclusively for the sale of the LILIANE dolls villa, the first sustainable and exclusive house for 12” dolls.

The implicit message I want to give to children is: 'Look, here is a villa made just for your children. The villa is sturdy, mobile and made from sustainable design materials. No expense has been spared; on the contrary. If your children - the dolls - are happy, this contributes to your own happiness.'

I think it is important for young children to feel natural materials, to be able to smell and see the unblemished nature of wood. Wood is such a tangible and beautiful product. Children are capable of developing a real connection to products of the earth. This interaction contributes to a certain concept of sustainability, even at a young age.

Now that boys are playing with dolls made just for boys on a large scale, things are changing. By stepping into the shoes of the doll [i.e., another person], a child’s capacity for empathy is stimulated.

The villa is finished with a transparent varnish, and this absence of colour makes the house a calming element in the room. This can influence children’s often turbulent moods. After all, the dolls and their accessories provide a profusion of colour."

■ At child care centres and primary schools, the dolls villa is used to stimulate group play between four to six boys and girls in the 3 - 10 age range. Each day, the children can add to the stories they invent, ad infinitum. Sometimes children are even allowed to bring their own dolls from home; this provides them with an extra sense of security. The villa contributes to their desire to go to the child care centre or school.

■ At women’s shelters, the villa stimulates contact between children who are in similar situations. Feelings of shame and humiliation are released through the children’s ability to share these feelings with one another. Their mothers also join in, helping to create a relaxed atmosphere in which they can spend quality time with their children, something which has been absent in these families for so long. The villa is also used as a form of therapeutic play. A sponsor recognised this value and donated a LILIANE leading dolls villa to every women’s shelter in the Netherlands.

■ In the field of child psychotherapy, the villa is used for therapeutic play to facilitate contact with children, to make diagnoses, and even as a form of treatment. Dutch health care psychologist confirms this: "The dolls villa is good for perception and treatment”. While they play, children reveal ‘hidden information’ about themselves.

■ In the home, the villa is not only fun for the whole family, but it is educational for parents. By listening to their children’s stories and watching their movements, children’s developmental phases emerge.

“What I’m actually doing with the dolls villa is creating a desirable image; children have the right to exactly the same things as their parents...or perhaps even a bit more. ‘Mum and Dad have a marble countertop, stainless steel taps, two sinks in the bathroom, a designer bed...so why shouldn't the children and their dolls have the same?"

"Adults can learn a lot more from children than we often assume, particularly when it comes to their heightened sensitivity. This option ensures a more continuous flow in the contact between them. The LILIANE dolls villa envisages this equality, and children experience love and respect when playing with it. Sentiments as genuine as the wood used to make it...”

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Liliane was the editor-in-chief of the art magazine Harlekijn [Harlekijn Holland 1979]. It was her passion and her life. Trying to detect future trends, to touch them, to express them in their original form. Creating, working, and creating again. Depth. Speed. Quality. Sales. Inspiration. Connection. Turbulence. Calm. Growth.

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As the head of the national library and documentation centre for art education [LOKV Utrecht 1983-1990], making information available in a professional manner was crucial. 'What goes up must - finally – come down, before it can go up again'.

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After this intensive introduction to the arts and bringing two new lives into the world, Liliane became the founder and member of the board of a child care facility for gravely ill children at the Maastricht academic hospital [1994-1998].

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In 1996, Liliane produced her first wooden play furniture, made just for her own children.

“It all started with Mr Vermeulen, in the city of Grave, in the late 1960s. The father of a childhood friend of mine made a beautiful Barbie wardrobe for me. The outdoor playground equipment my own father made for the garden was made only from wood. These two things really made an impression on me as a young girl. I had never worked with wood before, but one thing I did know fairly early on was that one day I would also make sustainable, innovative wooden toys for my own children.”

Liliane’s friends and family were extremely positive in their reactions to the modern dolls villa [winter 1997|1998]. After all, the design, the size, the materials used and the fact that it was mobile, on wheels, are all very innovative features.

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From the very start, people tried to persuade Liliane of the enormous potential the doll’s villa possessed for the consumer market. "Designing new products using pure, natural wood material was responsible for a major change in my life. Outside influences have now been reduced to a minimum. I am able to apply my insights and intuition exactly as I see fit. This releases an unbelievable amount of energy in me. If I assign a certain added value to a design, this is often also perceived the same way by someone else. I realise that this process would come to an end once I launch the product on the market, so I decided not to do this at the time. If I did, then the production process, the marketing and sales would play a deciding role."

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After a period of hesitance and reflection, Liliane ultimately reconsidered her decision. After all, the LILIANE dolls villa offered such amazing opportunities. The worldwide target group for the new dolls house is enormous. The product was introduced on the market in 1999 by the exclusive Dutch department store De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam. Soon afterwards, LILIANE won the 2000 National Innovative Design Award. That same year, the production of the dolls villa was moved to Germany, and 2008 saw the introduction of the LILIANE light dolls villa.

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