Barbiecore Interiors: Dreamy Barbie Home Décor

It’s no secret: we’re obsessed with the new Barbie film. Greta Gerwig’s new film featuring Margot Robbie has infiltrated our summers, our outfits and, lately, our homes. Transporting us back to a nostalgic 90s aesthetic, everyone’s talking about Barbiecore interiors, the latest in microtrends mostly perpetuated by TikTok and social media. Fittingly, this year is the Barbie Dream House’s 60th anniversary, too! So, how can we style our homes like the Barbie Dream House, achieve that 90s look – and how can we do so in a planet-conscious way? 

What Are Barbiecore Interiors?

Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “BARBIE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved (cropped).

Welcome to ‘Barbieland’. It’s a landscape filled with pinks, nostalgic dollhouses dotting the horizon as far as the eye can see. It’s an unapologetic celebration of the hyper-feminine, leisure, and more, more, more homes.

Greta Gerwig’s new Barbie film has us excited – and thinking about our interiors. We’ve seen ‘Barbiecore‘ (the trend inspired by on-set snaps of Margot Robbie clad in pink skating gear) take over our wardrobes, with its characteristic ultra-bold clashes of colour and glitzy style. And now our homes are catching up.

If you’re seeking a bit of Mattel-flavoured inspiration, look no further than the trailer. The dollhouses that fill Barbieland are Los Angeles-cool and built for leisure. It’s easy to spot comfortable loungers and pops-of-colour parasols; Barbiecore interiors comfortably support sociable living – think lazy catchups with your friends in the sun or over a cocktail, or a dreamy day spent reading by the pool.

If you’re seeking further inspiration, look towards the classic Barbie Dream House, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year (it first launched as Barbie’s 1983 Town House). Surprisingly, it’s not just pinks – Barbie’s home is cohesive, using shades of white, green, pale blue and pink to draw together the rooms. Walls are fairly neutral to allow furniture to speak, and pieces are made from timeless materials (think wicker, wood and metal – despite being a life in plastic). Barbie’s Dream House is brimming with personality and feminine charm, and it’s not for fans of minimalism.

The 1983 Barbie Town House offers nostalgic inspiration for our homes.

For creating the look at home, it’s ultimately about playing with colour and taking some risks – no piece is neutral in the Dream House. And, obviously, pink is a colour to be splashed throughout.

Can The Barbie Trend Be Sustainable?

Caution: there’s obvious danger in playing into micro-trends for our homes (and wardrobes). It’s not secret that these passing fads encourage throwaway culture (and in 2019, one third of adults reported throwing away furniture that was still in good condition).

But Barbiecore does not appear to be a passing trend. Helen Ashmore, Laura Ashley’s head of design, says, ‘there are elements of the pink-dominating aesthetic that have longevity,’ she says, ‘and you can introduce the Barbiecore look in gentle, lasting ways.’

Helen advises playing with details as opposed to allowing it to dominate your space. This means playing with motifs that hint at Barbie, rather than aiming for a full-blown home makeover in the brightest shades of pink (although, if you think that bright pink is the look for your forever-home, more power to you).

‘It’s not just powerful colours,’ says Helen. ‘Pale blushes and playful pinks can be used for a softer take on the trend. You can also introduce floral motifs and girly details – our Loveston pillowcase set, for example, uses a small-scale ditsy print in a delightful colour palette, and finishes with pretty tie details for that feminine touch.’

Helen’s Top Tips For Barbiecore Interiors That Don’t Hurt The Planet

1. Play with details. Small ties on bedding that add femininity is a gentle means of adding elements of the Barbie Dream House to your interiors.
2. Florals are key. Ditsy prints are classic and nostalgic, which is what Barbiecore is all about.
3. Softer tones can be a subtler way to commit to the aesthetic without needing to go all out with bright, hot pinks.

Barbiecore Interiors: The Edit

Finally convinced to play with hot pinks (or gentler splashes of colour)? Here’s our pick of the homeware items that are serving up total Barbie vibes – and we love where we’ve found secondhand gems. Barbie probably thrifts her furniture, anyway.

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Image courtesy of Soho Home