Barbiecore: How to think pink in your home interiors

As pink gets the Hollywood treatment, we find ways to embrace the trend without feeling like you live in a Barbie Dreamhouse

Thu, 25 Aug, 2022 - 12:00

Carol O’Callaghan

Barbiecore has arrived as the interior trend of the moment for all of us who played endlessly with Barbie in her pink saturated world, and we’re about to jet off to California for a revisit thanks to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie due for release next year.

If the still shots released so far from the set are anything to go by, Margot Robbie as Barbie will certainly be kitted out in head-to-toe pink. But this Barbie is showing a rebellious streak and has just been thrown out of Barbie World for not conforming.

Entering the real world, wait for it, she lives in a contemporary penthouse apartment with hot pink kitchen cupboards.

Will we now yearn to own her penthouse like we used to long for a Barbie Dreamhouse back in the day?

'Embrace the trend'

Siobhan Lam, owner of interiors boutique April & The Bear.

Siobhan Lam, owner of Dublin-based interiors boutique April & The Bear is a fan and her shopfront just happens to be finished in pink. Not the sizzling pink you might expect, but a more sophisticated hue.

“I adored Barbie when I was little,” she says. “Sindy was okay but Barbie — oh, I worshipped her. She was the shiniest, prettiest and most perfect creation ever. Her hair, her beautiful outfits and that waist.

"I was never lucky enough to have a Barbie Dreamhouse but I sure wanted one. Come to think of it, maybe that’s where the inspiration for my shopfront came from.”

But now we’re all grown-ups, how do we introduce pink without it looking too like the Barbie Dreamhouse?

“Just ensure you’re mixing it with other complimentary colours, be they bold jewel hues or more toned-down neutral shades, like a muted grey,” Siobhan says.

"Another favourite of mine is mixing mustard and pink. We introduced a pink velvet mid-century sofa to our living room and combined it with a bold mustard seater.”

Siobhan wonders if the Barbie Dreamhouse was a hidden inspiration for her shopfront.

But if you’re looking for longevity rather than treating pink as a passing trend, Siobhan adds, “Embrace the trend with significant pieces like sofas, storage, or paint entire rooms in the one shade of pink.

“Yes, that includes the ceiling and the skirting. If you’re going to do it, go for it. Be bold with your choices and your space will look incredible.”

Siobhan also sees pink as a versatile shade that it’s now being used as both a neutral shade and a bold statement.

“I think in the past, pink sat in a rather uncouth and garish category,” she says. But in the last five years it has been embraced as in reality it’s one of the more adaptable colours. It can work in any space.

“Also, I do think my generation has a soft spot for the shade which is highly influenced by our childhood obsession with Barbies and, perhaps, our teenage love of other awesome femmes that had a weakness for pink, like Cher of Clueless and Elle Woods of Legally Blonde. Pink is nostalgic and fun and I love that we’ve reclaimed it.”

Adding fun

Geri O'Toole, interior architect and designer at Geri Designs.

Interior architect and designer Geri O’Toole, of Limerick-based Geri Designs, works with luxury private homes for clients in Ireland and abroad, and advocates for pink as a colour to bring more fun into interiors.

“A lot of our clients have been into green and blue for a few years, but I love the idea of pink,” she says. “We need to be more cheerful in interiors.”

And she’s putting this into practice, as not only is she currently renovating her own bathroom and introducing pink marble, but she’s just finished designing a pink bedroom for Vogue Williams’ Dublin home.

Since the pandemic, she’s also seeing a shift away from grey among her clients and, at the same time, they’re looking to achieve a timeless interior look in what is usually their forever home.

“They want more fun with colour, say, an ottoman in pink,” she says. “If it’s subtle enough, you won’t get sick of it. Even plain white curtains can have a pink leading edge which can be taken off when you’re tired of it. If it’s the right hue, pink is timeless.”

But if you have existing grey décor, as so many have, pink is a nice accent, she adds. “It can be overpowering if it’s monochrome, but if you keep it subtle and understated, it won’t read as a Barbie room.”