Barbiecore as an interior design trend – What do you need to know?

*Collaborative Post

Interior design trends are constantly emerging, often driven and inspired by popular culture. While Barbiecore is nothing new, it’s seen a massive resurgence in public interest, as a result of the new Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling that’s taken the whole world by storm.

It’s fun, adaptable, and absolutely not something that you should take 100% seriously. Here’s what you need to know, and how to integrate it into your home. 

Choice of colour palette

The most notable thing about Barbiecore is the distinctive colour palette. Think pink, pink, and more pink. In fact, Google searches for pink clothing rose by a whopping 416% in 2022 when the movie was announced, showing how it defines public interest in the colour.

Other colours that are big in Barbiecore are candy shades such as baby blue and sunny yellow, anything that’s playful and energetic really. If you’re looking to bring it down a touch, then you can also play with some more serious decorative homeware items from somewhere like The Sculpts. 

It’s giving retro vibes

While the colours may seem modern, Barbiecore is also inspired by more retro and vintage design principles from the 60s and 70s. This means that in addition to splashing colour around, you can also bring some retro pieces of furniture into your home, and some fun accessories and patterns from that time.

Femininity

While Barbie hasn’t always been unproblematic, many are seeing the latest movie in particular as a celebration of womanhood. When that comes to Barbiecore, it means adding a bit of intentionally feminine decor to your design approach. While you can go with frills and sequins, you can also take whatever definition of femininity you prefer – it’s not a fixed trend, and you can play around with however you like.

Maximalism

Barbiecore definitely does not agree with the principle that less is more. No, in this case, more is more – you get to play with as many clashing layers as you like, to achieve that perfect level of opulence and depth. Mix and match, and don’t be afraid to make it your own. The whole point is to have fun, not to get caught up in what other people before you have done.

Barbie iconography

While this isn’t a necessity, if you’re going to really play with Barbiecore, you might as well bring in some Barbie iconography. Even if that just means having a couple of Barbie and Ken dolls hanging around, it helps to make the popular allusion clear. If you want to go further, then you can partake in some DIY projects, and hang some big posters as well. 

Barbiecore really is something that you can have a lot of fun with. You might not want to turn your whole home into a pink grotto, but you can always play around with just your living room, or put a few pieces in your kitchen! The goal is to have fun – forget the rules, and do what feels right.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.