Barbie’s Jonathan Adler designed Malibu Dream House
As a kid, I loved Barbie. I wanted to be Barbie. Beautiful and not a whole lot of responsibility. Sure, occasional crime fighting and “doing it” with Ken (at least that’s what my Barbie did), but most of the time it just involved changing clothes, riding around in my Corvette and hanging out in my dream house. What a lovely, if somewhat lazy, little fantasy world (crime fighting not withstanding)…
Well, leave it to Jonathan Adler to have me start thinking about being Barbie again. For her 50th birthday celebration March 9th (her actual birthday), Adler designed a REAL Barbie Malibu Dream House. And it’s way better than a house you fold in half when your Mom calls you for dinner! The 3,500-square-foot pad overlooking the Pacific Ocean is incredibly chic, utterly adorable and totally over the top in a way only a doll house could be.
Adler has said this was his most fun design project yet. He said “Barbie was a dream client because she doesn’t exist as a person, she exists as fantasy. She’s always happy and fun and loves everything. She also doesn’t have a husband to rein in the fantasy or tone down the glamour.” I totally understand. My husband is pretty trusting of my design style, but I can only imagine what my house would look like if I lived alone!
The details in the house are unreal. Pink’s a huge theme, of course. Adler lined Barbie’s bedroom with wall-to-wall pink “B” carpeting. The closet is filled with 50 pairs of identical Christian Louboutin pink peep-toe heels. Her lavender appliance kitchen (which is really gorgeous and the most understated room of the house) is stocked with cupcake-making ingredients. And today’s Barbie has replaced that Corvette with a pink Volkswagen New Beetle with a motorized pop-up vanity in the trunk.
Some of my favorite details range from the unattainable, an original Andy Warhol portrait of Barbie valued at over $200,000. To the questionable, a chandelier designed by “Project Runway” contestant Chris March that’s made up of over 30 blond wigs and took more than 60 hours to craft. To the totally DIY, the sunburst mirror shown here with Adler’s adorable face centered in it, made up of 65 dolls.
The house, which took six months of planning and a few weeks to install, is not open to the public (boo hiss!) But in May after the festivities subside, parts of the house will be shipped to the Palms Casino in Vegas for a Barbie suite. And come September, you can bring a bit of Barbie into your very own decor with the “Jonathan Adler Loves Barbie” collection. It will include designer pottery, pillows, decorative objects and more. For the true Barbie fanatic, a collectors doll designed by Adler is forthcoming as well, complete with furniture.
As for me, I went to school, got a job, did all those respectable un-Barbie things. I eventually realized only Barbie should have a life like that (do you hear that Paris Hilton?) But it was that carefree, fantasy world which made me play with Barbie for probably way longer than I should have. When it was finally time that to pack up Barbie and all her accessories and give them to a younger cousin I was actually quite sad. Seeing this house made me happy and left me feeling like a kid again.
AP Photos by Chris Pizzello. For more photos (including the kitchen, the hair chandelier, the Beetle and the shoe closet) visit laist.com.
Filed in: home & living
Okay, I now want a Barbie mansion. I was so scared of the chandelier made of Barbie hair…it was like someone scalped 1,000 Barbies *winces*…
Speaking of Barbie hair, does anyone remember the hair styling Barbie? She came with hair bands, scissors, and a couple back-up scalps for when you cropped her bob a little too short. I remember I went to a birthday sleepover in 1st grade and the birthday girl got one of those Barbies. I wasn’t really into dolls (I was more of a hula hoop and sidewalk chalk kinda girl), but I was obsessed with the idea of mutilating Barbie’s hair. Basically, me and another friend were both awake after everyone else had gone to sleep and we managed to destroy one of the Barbie scalps! Luckily, nobody noticed because some other girl peed in her (borrowed) sleeping bag. Good times.
Rebecca, I’m older than you but I had a version of this as a kid too. But mine was just a head you put makeup on, no extra scalps for hair cutting. So when you (of course) cut the hair, you were stuck with whatever look you gave her. But the makeup part was great. I guess that’s where my love of face painting was born.
I loved your story. Yes, pee always trumps scalping.
I had a barbie type doll that I think was called Tuesday Taylor. Anyone remember her? One half of her head was blonde and one half was brunette and you could spin her scalp around to match her clothes. She was awesome. I always had it in the middle, so she was half blonde, half brunette. Very early punk. The bad thing about her is that she was an amazon and didn’t fit into any of Barbie clothes. I knew even at 6 that that was a rip off.
Tuesday Taylor sounds like fun, I never saw her. All of my friends that had the Barbie hair & make up bust, all had a poor Barbie with very short, very uneven hair cuts! I guess this was before they had replacement wigs – once you messed it up you were stuck with it. Rebecca – love your sleep over story!!
On to the amazing Adler/Barbie home, while the colors are a bit much for my taste in some rooms, I do love the living room and kitchen. And the outdoor poolside area is awesome! I love the picture of the round flower ball – not sure what is is (just a decoration?) but it’s bold and pretty. As far as I’m concerned Jonathan Adler can do no wrong – love his store. And I have a very lucky Kitty, as his “Aunt Bronwen” got him a set of Adler ceramic bowls. Giles has better china than I do!
Speaking of cutting Barbie’s hair, when I was little, my mom would never buy me a Ken doll. I don’t know why, maybe she thought he’d corrupt Barbie or something? Ha. As if. Anyhoo, I was so desperate for a Ken doll that I cut one of my Barbie’s hair into a crew cut and butched her up with Ken clothes my cousin gave me. Sadly, I chose the Barbie with the long, winking eyelashes, so she was like Lipstick Lesbian Barbie. All that was missing was the Bjorn sandals. (Those things are really comfy.) Anyhoo, one make-out session between a regular Barbie and Sexually Ambiguous Barbie and VIOLA, I was the proud owner of a new Ken doll. My mom’s a hoot.
Ok, I need to slow down my reading, at first I thought the post said Steven Adler and I was really confused. I thought maybe he turned The Sober House into a Barbie pad. So the house is fun but why is it not open to the public? I read some of the posts on the site and saw a few ppl very upset about the fact that they are wasting all this money when they have un-safe lead based paint toys and our country is in the hole. So I say open the house and give the profits to a charity. Onto Barbie herself, my sisters had this 3 foot long trailer, my mom saved it in our basement for a very long time. T- do you remember this? You can search 1976 GMC Barbie Star Trvel Trailer on e-bay to see it. I had a Jem Barbie, not sure who will remember Jem, I’m sure Krista will, she probably knows the theme song by heart. I cut her hair, I was way ahead of my time because it’s the haircut Pink has now. Did anyone see the new Barbie? She has a tramp stamp, Barbie was classy any day now I see Heather Barbie from ROL. She will come with STD meds, bottle of vodka, dress-up thong and a stripper pole!
Susan, you know me too well. I loved Jem! Imagine the following in either spoken word form or in floetry form: Jem, Jem is excitement, oh, Jem, Jem is adventure. Glamour and glitter, fashion and fame. Jem, Jem is truly outrageous. Truly, truly, truly outrageous. Oh, whoa, Jem, Jem, the music contagious. Outrageous. Jem is my name, no one else is the same. Jem is my name. *takes a bow*
I kept trying to convince my mom to let me dye my hair pink, which on an 8-year-old probably would have constituted some form of child abuse. For you fellow Jem lovers: http://www.bellasugar.com/2390578
As for Tramp Stamp Barbie, seriously is Wax The Pole Barbie next? I saw this one Barbie the other day and I swear it said “Baby Mama Barbie”, but I misread it b/c it said “Baby Doctor Barbie”. Alas, I’m sure she’ll be on the market soon *fingers crossed*
Did anyone have the kissing Barbie? She was my favorite. You got a cute little lipstick that you would apply on her and then you would push a button on her back and it made her pucker up. I loved that doll. I had a strange obsession with switching my Barbie heads from one doll to another. I liked making my own doll creations I guess. I also cut their hair and applied makeup to them with markers. Let’s just say my Barbies were very well loved.
That Hair Chandelier is Awesome! & I love the makeup in the trunk!
I must admit I was never into Barbie, which may sound crazy coming from a doll maker =) But I liked Baby dolls and rag dolls more, surprise surprise =)
I think my sister had Barbies, but they weren’t Barbie, they were some Barbie knock offs with, as I remember, pretty big heads =)
I LOVE Barbie! When i was young i had everything Barbi! The house, the camper, the corvette, the cases to carry her and her clothes around. I’m at the age that i had the standard Barbie with the pink satin dress. Does anyone remember that one? I of course had the bust, but i had to replace them because i would sometimes use marker instead of the makeup. Once i got really mad at my sister and i washed all of her Barbie’s hair with toothpaste!
This house looks awesome! I saw it on one of those Extra type shows last week. i was so bummed when i heard you couldn’t tour it. Barbie and Jonathan Adler! Oy Vey! I love JA! As anyone here who has been to my house can confirm. I can’t wait to see his line when it comes to stores.
Dontcha think my profile pic looks like a Barbie thats been sitting in the desert sun for about 30 years? and who’s hair has also been washed with toothpaste? I do.
Bronwen-I bet that’s why Brett changed his weave! Someone told him he looked like desert Barbie!
with melty waxy skin too!