The rise of pink

Thousands of homeowners are feeling the need to inject a Barbie vibe into their homes, whether with a splash or a sprinkle. Here’s how to do it

ON TIKTOK, Barbicore has been one of the biggest trends and in their new book, “Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey”, authors Felix Burrichter and Whitney Mallett describe Barbie’s first dream house as being a statement of independence.

Designed in 1962, three years after Barbie made her debut, the cardboard house was a portable, foldable bachelorette pad filled with books and modernist furniture.

Interestingly, the home featured no pink and no kitchen, implying that Barbie was not just a housewife, but an independent woman with her own property at a time when women weren’t even legally permitted to obtain a bond without a male co-signer.

Barbie’s iconic dream house is known for its extravagant Palm Springs aesthetic, crazy architecture and bright, bold furniture, which may seem a tad too much for the real world.

But with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie dominating cinemas across the globe, thousands of homeowners are feeling the need to inject a little of Barbie’s vibe into their homes.

Cape Town interior designer, Will Engelbrecht, of WillDesign, says he recently redid a beautiful wall unit in Barbie Pink and added a bar with a pink marble top to an iconic home on the Atlantic Seaboard.

“While I like neutral shades I could envision my client’s need to play and take ownership of her space.

“Women are really enjoying owning their own homes and are being quite daring in putting their imprint on it, especially where they don’t have a partner who will mess with the aesthetic.

“Another penthouse I worked on came with the strict instructions by the woman owner: a home in pure white.

“She told me she spent all her life in a bedroom made for her ex-husband and herself and in a home made for kids. She now wanted something that told her daily: this is yours, you are free.

“From head to toe the house is ice white, and filled with crystal chandeliers. It looks magnificent, and is an ideal home for her.

“Women are definitely more willing to push the boundaries, and I am seeing more requests for pinks and softer hues in the home, no doubt helped by Barbie.”

Relocation expert Harrison Gough, of Moving Feedback, offers advice on how to Barbie-fy your home:

THINK PINK

Understandably, not everyone will want to paint every wall in the house pink, attach a pink slide to the exterior and put a statement fuchsia piano in the entranceway, so if you just want to get creative with splashes of pink, then here’s how:

✦ Look for handy and practical pink décor. Shelves are a great place to start. They are perfect for decluttering spaces, showcasing special items and adding a lived-in feel to any room. You can also decorate the shelves with your favourite pink decorations, books and candles to Barbie-up any room.

✦ Bedding is everything. Selecting the right bedding for your wanted aesthetic is key to having a gorgeous looking bedroom. To add a slight Barbie twang, decorate regular white bedding with a few different pink pillows in various shades and accompany it with a gorgeous pink throw to tie it together.

✦ Take it to the bathroom. A great way to decorate a bathroom is with small accessories like wash bags and baskets that look practical and cute. If you want to keep your minimalist style bathroom but also play with colour, go for colourful towels and shower loofahs, which can work wonders in brightening a bathroom while keeping it accessible to switch up the colours whenever you feel to change.

✦ Simple but effective. An easy way to add in a simple pink addition is by dotting pink candles around your home; they add instant brightness and look beautiful when lit.

UPCYCLE YOUR OLD FURNITURE

✦ While redecorating can be fun and work wonders for your mental state, it can also be expensive, especially if you tend to switch up your aesthetic often. This is why getting involved in some upcycling is cost-effective and fun.

✦ Whether it be upholstering an old chair with some funky and bright new fabric or taking an old worn-out dresser and turning it into a bright work-from-home station, there is no limit on what you can produce.

✦ When looking for items to upcycle, it’s worth hunting Facebook marketplace for local furniture that people may not want for one-of-akind pieces.

✦ To Barbie-fy your furniture, a great place to start is by applying a lick of fresh paint on any dull or worn-out pieces that need a new lease of life. The Barbie Dreamhouse is covered in pink décor, but that doesn’t mean that there are no other colours that make the house pop.

✦ Opt for sage greens, aqua blues and soft lilacs as a starting point if pink is too risky. These colours work beautifully together and are a great way of brightening up a boring white or muted space.

MIX MATERIALS

✦ Don’t be afraid to mix materials. One of the best ways to aid your house in becoming a home is to make it feel comfortable and inviting, and nothing says that more than mixing materials such as wood, metal, wicker, and glass together in a space.

✦ To sprinkle some Barbie into your home, try pairing your wooden bed frame with metal or industrialstyle bedside tables or place your beautiful glass coffee table on top of a gorgeous colourful wool rug, styling both areas with bright and cheerful ornaments or stylish books to add some dimension.

PRINTS AND PATTERNS

✦ If you want to maintain a minimalistic feel and incorporate just a splash of Barbie into your home, this can be done easily with prints and pictures, adding life and a sense of homeliness to any room.

✦ A great benefit of adding prints and photos throughout your home is that you can switch them up whenever you feel tired of the look or want to experiment with different colours. For an impressive statement wall, get your favourite pictures or prints framed in various shapes and sizes and put them together on a large wall that needs jazzing up. This makes it exciting for guests to look at when they visit, and it is so easy to switch out the photos as the years go on.

Additional reporting by Vivian Warby