How the Barbie Dream House got dreamier over time Los Angeles Times

Table Of Content

• "I think we're all here because we appreciate Barbie's legacy. She's timeless," one visitor shared.
• Barbie Bathroom and Bedroom Accessories / Diorama / Dreamhouse / Vintage to Now
• How Iconic Disney Castle Interiors Were Inspired By The Real-World
• MLB ghost kitchens to whip up ballpark food for delivery and pickup, courtesy of IHOP
• Architect Breaks Down the Designs Of 5 Iconic Movie Bars
• Foldable helper tower, Kitchen tower, Transformable helper tower with blackboard, Double colored
• Barbie New Dreamhouse

This version often included additional accessories like Christmas ornaments, stockings, and even a mini Christmas tree. The 90s Barbie Dream House was a significant upgrade from previous versions, offering even more luxury and style. While earlier versions of the Barbie Dream House were already impressive, the 90s edition took it to the next level with its multi-level design and functioning elevator. This allowed for more imaginative play and added a sense of realism to the play experience.

"I think we're all here because we appreciate Barbie's legacy. She's timeless," one visitor shared.

"It isn’t Philip Johnson’s glass house," points out antiques appraiser Dr. Lori Verderame. "This is what a normal neighborhood would look like, and this could be your house and Barbie happens to be your neighbor." This house is one of the largest houses produced for Barbie, and it sports three floors and is packed with amazing furniture and features. With its multi-story waterslide—the longest in Barbie history, according to Mattel—it's easy to write off the 2023 Dreamhouse as pure fantasy.

Barbie Bathroom and Bedroom Accessories / Diorama / Dreamhouse / Vintage to Now

Finally, the house features the popular earth colors that were trendy at the time. Interestingly, the entire A-Frame dollhouse will be reproduced in staple Barbie Pink two years later. While the Barbie Dream House of the 90s has a special place in our hearts, it’s interesting to compare it to modern dollhouses.

How Iconic Disney Castle Interiors Were Inspired By The Real-World

The homes themselves range from contemporary influencer houses all the way back to the mid-century bungalow of the 60s. The back view of 1990 Barbie’s Magical Mansion, which features patterns and influences from decades prior. What readers will not see is Barbie herself, or any of her friends or family. With Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie opening in July and the doll’s hyper-pink aesthetic hitting Instagram like a strawberry milkshake tsunami, feminist revulsion toward the doll is taking a back seat to ironic celebration.

MLB ghost kitchens to whip up ballpark food for delivery and pickup, courtesy of IHOP

The decor featured bright colors, geometric patterns, and trendy furniture designs that perfectly captured the essence of the 90s. It was a true reflection of the fashion and design trends of the time, making it a must-have for any Barbie enthusiast looking to keep up with the latest trends. It featured three levels of glamorous living, complete with a working elevator that could transport Barbie and her friends between floors. The house also had various rooms, including a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, all beautifully decorated with iconic 90s style.

Instead, after Dreamhouse sales skyrocketed during the locked-down first year of COVID-19, Barbie became a part of what’s following hard on the post-pandemic heels of Modern Farmhouse. While many of the previous houses have had light and sound features, this is the first Barbie house that is voice-controlled. From the pastel palette to the Laura Ashley-like floral details throughout the premises, this Dreamhouse feels like a '90s time capsule—with a luxe twist. "I think it’s fun for a child to imagine what their own home may be like one day," Greening says. "It’s a centerpiece in Barbie’s world where children can create storylines, set their own rules and control the environment however they want to."

Architect Breaks Down the Designs Of 5 Iconic Movie Bars

These Barbie dolls are spiking in value, thanks to the new Barbie movie - WCPO 9 Cincinnati

These Barbie dolls are spiking in value, thanks to the new Barbie movie.

Posted: Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

There are ferns everywhere you look—true to form, this iteration of one of Barbie’s many homes had all the latest and greatest touches of the era. At first glance, this Dreamhouse looks like a recolored version of the ‘98 Dreamhouse or the ‘95 Dreamhouse, but there are some important differences. First, the balcony/porch combination has been modified, so it no longer folds out and is now significantly smaller and fixed in place. The stained glass windows are gone; the window on the front door is now open and the oval-shaped window on the second floor no longer exists. As the world waits with bated breath for the premiere of Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, the design community has thrusted the spotlight on the dreamhouse. Speaking of small spaces, Mattel thought beyond the typical four walls with this foldable, portable alternative.

This feature added an extra level of realism and excitement to playtime. Children could transport Barbie and her friends between floors, creating a sense of movement and progression in their stories. The elevator became a central element in many playtime scenarios, from glamorous red carpet entrances to secret spy missions. The World of Barbie is an immersive experience in Los Angeles where fans get to celebrate the many career and lifestyle iterations of the iconic doll.

As hyper-globalization is becoming more widespread, social media has heavily influenced the current architectural style. The influence of social media has created trends of “Instagram-worthy” designs that appeal to a wide audience and attract followers for world-known influencers. For contemporary influencers, the space they occupy has to resonate with their personal brands and align with their day-to-day activities.

It seemed to signal that ‘80s Barbie was ready to ditch Ken in favor of Michael Douglas in his Gordon Gekko phase. The space featured Barbie dolls and accessories from the past six decades, which also served as a reminder that the brand really has come a long way. Moreover, the awareness of sustainability and inclusive, accessible design for all bodies is another defining feature of the California condominium. Along with a wheelchair-accessible elevator integrated into the Dreamhouse, Barbie also has her own work-from-home station, acknowledging the flexibility of post-covid lifestyles that have shown up in domestic design. The book examines the cultural and architectural forces that shaped the Dreamhouses over the decades, including Queen Anne Victorianism, midcentury modernism and back-to-the-land granola-ism. After beginning modestly in cardboard, the Dreamhouses became plastic, pastel, palatial and electrified, often all at once.

He passed, but it eventually sold to a top sports agent who decided to keep the splashy exterior but remodel the living spaces with stone floors and a rooftop deck. It’s hard to miss the striking structure but easy to see how it earned its nickname. Clad in vibrant shades of purple and pink, the home looks like a super-sized doll house. For years, rumors have even swirled that it was built for Barbie creator Ruth Handler. Weekly updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs. Daily updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs.

Both sales were pretty standard for beachfront lots in Santa Monica. The home is also the first Dreamhouse designed to be wheelchair accessible, reflecting the growing focus on making both design and architecture more inclusive and accessible. One of the first to be made entirely from plastic, this Dreamhouse features a pitched, tiled roof that pays homage to the A-frame craze that swept the US in the late 60s and 70s.

The home itself is a colonial two-story, all in Barbie’s staple pink. In fact, at the end of the 1970s, Barbie and that specific shade of pink became interchangeable. Interestingly, Barbie’s first home does not feature a kitchen and celebrates Barbie’s education and autonomy. This was not typical of early dollhouses, which were intended to teach young girls domestic tasks from an early age. The dollhouse was a clear example of the intersection between popular culture and the respective social narrative of the times.

The dream house represented a world where anything was possible, where dreams came to life through endless storytelling and role-playing. For those who want to relive the nostalgia or introduce the Dream House to a new generation, there are also modern versions of the Barbie Dream House available that pay homage to the iconic 90s design. These updated versions offer new features and contemporary styling while still capturing the essence of the original 90s Dream House. Its iconic design, endless possibilities for play, and timeless appeal make it a beloved toy of that era.

Some think it was owned by Ruth Handler, who invented the Barbie doll in 1959 and served as president of the toy company Mattel Inc. The black house was formerly owned by the parents of music mogul Scooter Braun and has since sold to an entertainment executive, records show. The seafoam-green house traded hands in 2012, and the new owner installed the all-black look that it has today — an early adopter to the bold, masculine aesthetic that’s still en vogue. The jokes haven’t stopped since, with most memes using the houses to compare things with clashing appearances. Sent every Thursday and featuring a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. At the same time, the building consists of three separate parts that can be rearranged, echoing the way that postmodern architects of the time were deconstructing vernacular housing typologies.