Creating Dreamy and Playful Spaces with Barbie-Inspired Interiors

After watching the Barbie movie, we were filled with new interior design ideas. When you think of a Barbie-inspired interior, you might think of a room that is totally pink — pink painted walls, pink furniture, and pink accents. But there are ways to achieve a Barbie inspired room without turning your space into an adult sized Barbie doll house. Let's take a look a couple of projects that we have done, that could fall into Barbie's realm!

Here is a look we created at Woodside Village apartments. As you can see, the room is very feminine and feels Barbie inspired, but isn't completely pink. A great way to achieve a Barbie-vibe — in a way that works in the real world — is to start with a soft white base. We used Sherwin-Williams Snowbound for the walls. We selected a washed out grey driftwood tone for the wood furniture pieces to add subtle touches of organic warmth, complementing the soft feminine vibe. We kept the chairs, side tables, and lamp neutral while adding pink accents that really pop. Textured furry pink pillows really draw your eyes to the chairs, creating a warm and inviting allure.

Instead of a coffee table, we opted for a softer alternative with the pink tufted ottoman. It gives a girlie feeling that we thought was just right for our client. We played with both a metallic cowhide rug and a beautiful chenille rug with a giant chevron pattern to give our client a way to make a subtle change when she feels the urge. The horse artwork can even be a subtle nod to Ken's obsession in the movie. 

 Our second project that could exist in the Barbie universe is the makeover we did for our client Elise's teenage daughter. We wanted to create a feminine room that was girlie but also sophisticated. 

We wanted to keep the room neutral but add pops of pink. We did this by creating a feature wall with Phillip Jeffries pearlized pink and white wallpaper behind the bed. Due to its size, the bed is almost always the star in a bedroom, so we often make the wall behind the bed the focal point. The bed and bedding is kept neutral, while the pillows and duvet cover add pops of color and rich texture. This particular room called for some symmetry, so we flanked the bed with identical white lamps and matching wooden nightstands. We like that the wood brings a natural element to the room. 

Being a teen's bedroom, we wanted to add some whimsy to the space. We did this by adding white sheepskin benches at the foot of the bed, along with the German silver clad dresser that features an embossed floral motif.  This metallic element adds a perfect touch of sophisticated Barbie glam.

Our team created a fun art piece using the teenager's initial "C", which was part of a vintage sign from Paris. We filled it with dried moss, crystals, stones, and various colors of dried flowers. Adding an art piece like this had an unexpected organic flair - and the best part about it is there's no maintenance required! 

The Barbie movie reminds us to let ourselves be inspired by the fantastical things we see, and even bring them to life in our projects. If there's something that inspires you, but you aren't sure how to incorporate that idea into your space, reach out to us and we can help you. We love getting creative with client's ideas and goals! Whether you want to add a little touch of Barbie to your space, or just have a space that needs a little refresh, we can come by and work with you to turn your place into your own dream house! Feel free to contact us today.