Interior Envy: Barbie's Dreamhouse
Barbie is having her moment and I am here for it. Everyone has their own opinion but I think Barbie is pretty badass. One thing I never truly appreciated until the Barbie movie marketing blitz was Barbie’s Dreamhouse. I don’t recall owning one as a kid, but then again I had far too many Barbies to recall many of the things I had, ha. But the Barbie Dreamhouse is iconic and is the creme de la creme of Barbie accessories. To film the movie they built scale versions and even built one in Malibu for promotion to book through Airbnb - which I am very sad I never got to book (but then again I’d probably never leave).
Barbie’s Dreamhouse was first introduced by Mattel in 1962 and included a pink slide and elevator. The various versions of the home are designed to be implausible and were used to encourage the purchase of more Barbie toys. According to an interview with the New York Times, it was revealed that Barbie Dreamhouse owners end up purchasing twice as many toys are non-Dreamhouse owners. I mean, duh. You gotta have more around for a party and a choreographed routine to a bespoke Dua Lipa song, right?
The original 1962 Dreamhouse was released at a time when it was not common for a woman to own a home and only contained one room with a television set and record player. Eventually, in the 1970s the home grew to be 3 stories with six rooms. As real-life housing trends changed, the Dreamhouse also changed. At one point, it was modular so children could deconstruct and rebuild the home as they dreamed and in the 1990s, it became a 2 story “McMansion.” Obviously, as times have changed Barbie’s home has become much more pink and even high tech including a television that switches channels, and the latest Dreamhouse Barbie even had a home office complete with a laptop - because even in Barbieland there must have been a pandemic.
I personally love the movie version which was inspired by Palm Springs and its midcentury modern style. If I could I would absolutely live in that movie set. However, since it’s pretty much impossible to live in a real Barbie dreamhouse, although some do try, there are plenty of ways to bring Barbie’s Dreamhouse to life in a more realistic way. Believe me when I tell you I’ve sat around for days trying to think of ways to encapsulate Barbie’s Dreamhouse and world in a realistic manner that just didn’t seem outright crazy. Thank god for the Internet. I was able to get inspired with a ton of chic pink spaces that are not only fun and cool, but channel Barbie in the most perfect ways.
Check out the inspiration below and a ton of pieces to bring Barbiecore into your home.
PS: If anyone has a tip on where to get the limited edition Barbie Dreamhouse Architectural Survey, let your girl know.
Photo by JC de Marcos
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