By Nicole M. Wells, Special Writer
CRANBURY — Private duty nurse Lavada Bunting understood the simple pleasures of scaling down.
After a long day at work, Ms. Bunting would often unwind by working on a doll house and its accompanying miniature furniture.
The two-story, nine-room replica of a Colonial house from the 1890s is hand-crafted and elaborately furnished with period furniture. Known as the Bunting Doll House, it took Ms. Bunting nine years during the 1950s to create, according to Museum Curator Lisa Beach.
Cranbury resident Bill Bunting, Ms. Bunting’s nephew, has loaned the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society the family heirloom for display at the Cranbury Museum.
”It’s an idealized version of a house in Burlington, where my aunt grew up,” Mr. Bunting said.
Ms. Bunting’s father, Elwood B. Bunting, was a veterinarian, according to Mr. Bunting, and the house includes a replica of his office.
Crated and stored for a number of years, the family rarely unpacks the house for public display, Ms. Beach said.
”No one has ever played with it,” Mr. Bunting said. “It’s not that kind of house.”
Setting up the oversized house takes 36 hours, according to Mr. Bunting.
In a free special exhibit, visitors can see the parlor fireplace with a mantel carved from Vermont marble, a tiny replica of a Wedgwood china service and hardwood floors covered with specially made hooked rugs. More than 1,000 individually cut shingles cover the house’s roof. It also features a replica of an indoor bathroom, a luxury for the time period, and hand-cast silver veterinary surgical instruments. Glass panes on every side allow for viewing at any angle.
The basic construction, metalwork and rugs were all done by craftsmen in Massachusetts, while the furniture was all done by Ms. Bunting, according to Ms. Beach. All 90 pieces of furniture were hand-carved in a variety of styles by Ms. Bunting, who studied under Swedish designer and carver Peter Johnson in her spare time.
The exhibit runs Sundays from Jan. 20 through April 14, from 1-4 p.m. It is closed on March 31 for Easter Sunday. The Cranbury Museum is located at 4 Park Place East in Cranbury.

