Barbie

Everything’s coming up Barbie this summer, and for furnituristas, even if you don’t see the Barbie movie, I urge you to watch the eight-minute Architectural Digest video narrated by Whitney Mallett, who cowrote Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey. The video is a totally fun and super informative showcase of how four Barbie dreamhomes from 1962 to the present are reflections of their eras. 1962. This Barbie dreamhouse is made of cardboard, is single-story and has a flat roof. It’s very modern for its time and, as Mallett explains, the furniture has clean lines, very mid-century. She says the daybed is reminiscent of the one designed by George Nelson for Herman Miller. There’s no kitchen! This is a dreamhouse that reflects the cultural change happening at the time as middle-class women began to have careers. Barbie is single, a homeowner and went to a state college based on the pennants on the wall in the living room. 1979. Mallett describes this house as “plastic and fantastic" and features big skylights and balconies. This is an A-frame house, designed like a ski chalet reflecting the trend of the time for people to acquire second homes, often lake cabins. Mallett explains that [...]