Barbie Dreamhouse Inspired Bedroom for Celebrity Ferne McCann

Before

Initial impressions when walking into this room was that the space could be maximised. The room was a blank canvas with potential.

The Brief:

“This year Barbie has a new Dreamhouse, and to create awareness and excitement around the new offering in the lead up to Christmas we are going to work with a celebrity ambassador to offer the ultimate Barbie Dreamhouse prize and to bring the new product to life in a magical, creative and fun way. The Dreamhouse inspired bedroom should take fun elements from the Barbie product but be a reallife magical and fun re-imagined version perfect for a little girl. The design should be Barbie and Dreamhouse inspired, but not a direct copy. We would like the look and feel to be fresh, fun, with a premium feel and surprising elements.”

Defining the Brief

After a brief consultation, and being completely distracted by the cameras, I proposed to the Barbie PR and Ferne McCann that we should add splashes of colour on the walls and make use of the full width of the room by changing the orientation of the bed. The bed would be the main feature of the room as it is the first thing that you see when you walk into the space. We proposed a house bed also inspired by Barbie dream house. Having a house bed place on the back wall would free up floor space for Sunday to play, proposing an elevated – mid-sleeper bed would also provide a cool chillout spot for the underneath the bed, with plenty of cushions.

When you think of Barbie, you think of bold bright fuchsia pinks, purples, turquoise and lots of bold patterns with shiny surfaces. In a standard consultation we usually interact with the clients more to find out what they like and dislike. In this consultation we do also get a sense of our client’s preferences. However, we had a brief from Barbie who wanted a Barbie dream house inspired bedroom where they can showcase their new Barbie dream house.

As an interior designer I also had a duty to provide a safe and lasting bedroom as this was someone’s home. The brief was a press/ interior styling brief as well as an interior design brief. It needed to tick all the boxes for Barbie: bold, colourful, and installed quickly, as well as be functional, lasting and tasteful for the residents. Based on Sunday’s bedroom and Ferne McCann’s home it felt quite natural to use more subtle colours. We wanted to use pastel colours in a bold way; opting for an ombre wall, with pops of bolder colours around the room. The Barbie Dream house is very colourful and Barbie has evolved into an edgy fashionista, so we added the bright pink neon lights to create that vibe. When the light was on, it gave the room a magical uplifting pink glow. The lighting really changed the mood of the room.

To echo the Barbie materials, we incorporated various textures and finishes.

The Concept and Detail Design

The live edged acrylic 3D boxed frames were designed by MK Kids Interiors and strategically placed on the sides of the wardrobe, so that every morning when Sunday dismounts her bed, she would see affirmations. For the purpose of the Barbie Dreamhouse launch, we used quotes that were supplied by Barbie, such as ‘Girl power’ and ‘Born to Play’. Opting for the use of e 3D acrylic boxed frames for displaying a Barbie and inspirational quotes, using a complementary colour scheme of pink and green to draw attention to the words of inspiration and the  display of barbie.

Accompanying the frames were live edged acrylic book ledges. The ledges were used to display multiple Barbie dolls as well as a forward-facing book display.

The existing round display shelf was painted a bright pink, reminiscent of the Barbie colour, placed on a backdrop of the pastel ombre walls, which were airbrushed by the talented Rohan Sparkes.

Additional touches of glamour were added to the wardrobe doors with round pink diamante doorknobs.

A faux crystal trinket dish was added to the window ledge; for PR purposes, it was used for Barbie jewellry, and can be later used by Sunday for her own trinkets.

The bubble chair was requested by Barbie to add a retro touch, to imitate the chair that is in the Barbie Dream House.

Soft furry textures were added with colourful cushions a pink rectangular rug, and a blue star rug.

An element of playfulness was added with the neon ‘fun’ cushions.

The mid sleeper bed was designed to have a comfortable chillout/ secret hideout zone beneath. As Barbie loves to party, we added a disco ball and coloured LED light strips.

The pink Sunday’s Dreamhouse sign majestically sits above the bed and give the room that pink Barbie glow when turned on.

It was quite nostalgic designing a Barbie inspired bedroom, as Barbie’s were the only cool dolls my sister and I played with as children. I’m really inpressed with how multicultural and sophiticated Barbie has become, with various inclusive skin complextions, there are various professions and body shapes. The inclusivity enhances children’s self esteem, helping them to embrace their body sizes. The professional Barbie, inspires children to dream and achieve their goals.

See a tour of our Barbie Dreamhouse inspired bedroom here.

MK Kids Interiors xXx

Photography: https://f2pointeight.com/