If you were fortunate enough to own a Barbie home, you will really adore the new book that PIN-UP Magazine and Mattel Creations have just released. Through architectural plans, original photographs by Evelyn Pustka, and a collection of essays and interviews with academics and designers like Kelly Wearstler, Rafael de Cardenas, DJ/producer Honey Dijon, and curator Alexandra Cunningham, the 152-page book, Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey, thoroughly traces the evolution of the world’s most beloved doll’s homes, from her first appearance in 1962 to her latest iteration in 2021. As Felix Burrichter and Whitney Mallett, the authors, explain:
“According to Burrichter and Mallett, Pin-Barbie Up’s Dreamhouse book “explores the workings of our collective household dreams through the combination of architectural history and popular culture.” Since the creation of the first Dreamhouse in 1962, Barbie’s residences have changed and developed, extensively drawing inspiration from the history of 20th- and early 21st-century architecture and design. Barbie’s influence on the architectural imagination around the world is documented in our book “.
Image credit: Evelyn Pustka for Pin-Up)
The 1978 house, with its sloping tile roof, can be seen as an interpretation of postmodernism, environmentalism, and the increasing suburbanization of America (associated with the woodland vacation homes that sprang up during the mid-century boom). The 1974 model was reminiscent of Le Corbusier’s Maison Dom-Ino, full of psychedelic paisley and floral cardboard backgrounds and funky-folk references balanced by colored plastic furniture similar to Verner Panton’s Panton Chair. While the home from 2000 was purple and vintage, the one from 2010 was more welcoming and diversified, with lots of room and backgrounds ideal for Zoom and her friends’ Barbie social media posts. Your preferred?
A limited quantity (about 200 copies) of the book will be sold on 16/12 at 9am PT only at MattelCreations.com.
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