Barbiecore

Did you, perchance, just buy your dream home and you’re still trying to determine your design aesthetic? There’s possibly no more wild or unhinged design choice to make than to commit to what the media is affectionately calling, “Barbiecore.” Yes, that Barbie. The hotly anticipated blockbuster movie ‘Barbie’ starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling hits theaters this month and Barbie’s iconic hot-pink dream house is making a splash in design. 

Really. 

According to the New York Times, there was “a 1,135 percent increase in searches for ‘Barbie aesthetic bedroom’ from May 2022 to May 2023” on Pinterest. It seems like everyone is ready to jump on this maximalist bandwagon! Now, of course, it hasn’t always been this way. Barbie didn’t come onto the scene until the 1950s, but really didn’t take off as a household name until the release of Malibu Barbie in the 1970s. 

Granted, the essence of ‘Barbiecore’ is hot pink bubble gum electricity. (That’s honestly not a sentence I ever pictured myself writing.) But at it’s true core, the vibe of Barbie is feminine, bubbly, youthful, and just so full of cheer you feel your insides might burst. Perhaps that’s the real crux of the design aesthetic… not just pink, but happy. 

There’s possibly no better reason to get behind ‘Barbiecore’ when designing your new home, is there? Here are a few tips for dipping your toe into that pink world: 

• Start with small accent touches of pink to see if you really do like it. 
• Commit to one room, like an office or a walk-in closet. That way if it ends up not vibing, it’s not a high-traffic space and can be easily reworked. 
• Consider soft pink a neutral. 
• Have fun and relax! The best part of embracing Barbiecore is knowing it’s having a moment but doesn’t have to last forever. 

Tell us in the comments… are you adopting a Barbie dream house vibe in your home this summer?