Barbie Malibu Dream House

Barbie Archi­tect

Remember Barbie? She is an archi­tect now.

One of my favorite toys in the late 70’s and early 80’s was, of course, Barbie. Fast for­ward thirty years to 2011.  Barbie is a pro­fes­sional archi­tect and designs eco-​​friendly and modern homes.

Recently, The Amer­ican Insti­tute of Archi­tects announced the winner of its Barbie Dream House com­pe­ti­tion: a four-​​story, eco-​​friendly Malibu man­sion with sig­na­ture pink sliding doors. Har­vard master’s grads Ting Li and Maja Paklar won the com­pe­ti­tion.  They describe Archi­tect Barbie as upholding “the prin­ci­ples set forth by USGBC [U.S. Green Building Council]” while staying “true to all the needs of a classic Cal­i­fornia girl!”

Barbie Dream House Com­pe­ti­tion Winner

The Malibu man­sion boasts a 1,500-square-foot enter­taining space and open chef’s kitchen, a sep­a­rate library and client-​​meeting room, a full-​​floor “inspi­ra­tion room,” a green­house on the roof, and a land­scaped garden for pets. In keeping with the prin­ci­pals set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council, the home uses solar panels, oper­able shading, bamboo flooring, low-​​flow fix­tures, and locally sourced materials.

Unfor­tu­nately Mattel won’t be pro­ducing the house, nor will the archi­tects receive com­pen­sa­tion. How­ever, AIA Pres­i­dent Clark Manus says the intent was “to engage and inspire young girls to expe­ri­ence the world of archi­tec­ture and the range of pos­si­bil­i­ties that design thinking offers.”

If Archi­tect Barbie fur­nished her dream man­sion at Clayton Gray Home this is how she would do it:

From top left:

Beach Pillow in Pink and Orange 

Jew­eled Mini Candle Set

Acid Palm Porce­lain Coasters by Jonathan Adler

Hampton Bar Cart by Worlds Away

Venus Table Lamp by Worlds Away

Phillip Mir­rored 9 Drawer Desk by Worlds Away

Acrylic Arm­chair (Pair)

Lucite Stool

Circus Cases

Tell us how you would dec­o­rate your Barbie Dream Home?