Barbie's Boston Dream House
A Visual Guide to “Barbitecture” and Real-life Doll Houses
Written by: Sara Brown
Is this the year Hot Pink takes over? Greta Gerwig’s film Barbie has created a glamourous stir, from Google’s search bar to Xbox controllers to NYX Cosmetics, everything is going pink in the most camp way possible.
Architecture is a social commentary that mirrors our society’s stylistic visions and evolutions. So, are “Dream Houses” the future? Probably not, and that’s due to two things; the first being that a wide range of architectural styles have been depicted in Barbie’s Dreamhouse over the years. The second, “doll houses” already exist, and there are a few nearby that you may pass by regularly.
The Architecture of Barbie
Every doll needs a doll house. In the case of Barbie, the architecture of her dream house has shifted over time changing to represent the dreams and stylistic aspirations of middle-class America.
Barbie’s Dreamhouse is a physical representation of the intersection of Mid-Century architectural trends, ideas of homeownership, and the idea of domesticity for a public audience.
Mattel released Barbie’s first Dreamhouse in 1962, a time when women couldn’t have their own bank accounts. (That right was granted in 1974!) The portable walls of her home became a vision of a bachelorette pad, one of a liberated and educated woman. Her walls were decorated with books and varsity pendants, with no kitchen in sight. It is reminiscent and yet vastly different than the Playboy Penthouse Apartment from 1956.
1974 saw an elevation of Barbie’s dreams and Dreamhouse. She swapped out her ranch house for a three-and-a-half-foot tower, one that nearly resembles Le Corbusier’s Maison Dom-Ino. The interior, however, perfectly mirrored the popular “fern-bar” styles of electric decor and an overwhelming amount of potted plants. This Bohenian home had six rooms and was the first Dreamhouse to include an elevator.
Later in the decade, Mattel released a design that’s considered the most reminiscent of a classic doll house of any of the Dreamhouses. Its A-frame design is a clear reflection of Post-modernism, the growth of suburbia, and environmentalism as society approached the 80s. The warm golden tones were all the rage at the time, and the open walls indicate the era’s interest in environmental awareness and embracing indoor-outdoor living.
After the 80s, Barbie’s Dreamhouses took a sharp turn. Rather than conform to the architectural practice of the time, there grew a disconnect between what was actually being constructed for homes to live in and what was being marketed as a Dreamhouse. Barbie never gave in to suburban sprawl.
Y2K saw a shift to almost “Neo-Medieval” designs, as Barbie’s Dreamhouse has pink and purple porticos, turrets, and antique details. Though one of the more conservative designs, the Queen Anne Victorian 2000 Dreamhouse maintains a wild feminine energy, channeling a royal “girl power” feel.
The Dreamhouse designs you may be most familiar with are the Gen-Z-inspired “Content Houses” of L.A. The rooms are informally yet intricately designed, with various textures and patterns. There’s a party room with a disco ball, outdoor grill, and a bunk bed for an Influencer girl’s-night. The three floors of infinite angles to film TikTok trends, Barbie’s iconic hot pink interior decor, and wheelchair-accessible features make the 2021 Dreamhouse both inclusive and totally Instagram-able.
A Dreamhouse Near You!
Webster-Jenkins Mansion at 73 Elm Street, Jamaica Plain
Up on Sumner Hill sits a salmon-pink Victorian-era home, constructed by John L Webster in 1875 incorporating Second Empire, Stick, and Victorian Gothic stylistic elements. Surrounded by complimentary Victorians and Triple-deckers, it’s no wonder This Old House named Jamaica Plain as a “Best Old House Neighborhood”.
Ashmont Hills “Easter Basket” houses at 110 Alban Street & 48 Welles Avenue, Dorchester
With colorful landscapes, rolling hills, and pastel-colored homes, this neighborhood prides itself on its quaint architecture. Ashmont Hills is the home to several colorful Victorians and Triple deckers. The three-bedroom pale pink Mansard Victorian on Welles Ave was built in 1875 and offers plenty of space to live out an old-fashioned Barbie lifestyle.
The “Barbie House” at 42 Spring Street, Somerville
Cozy, colorful, and charming; all traits of a dollhouse. This Massachusetts home was on the market and sold for $1,941,000. The Sherbert-like home is a Historic Greek Revival built in 1860. It’s a three-bedroom home decorated inside and out in a vivacious Barbie fashion. The cheetah print stairs with blue railings, pink and turquoise fireplace, and multicolored walls it feel like a set from Barbie.
The Burrage Mansion at 314 Commonwealth Ave Unit 2
If you’re a classic Barbie fan, you’ll see a slight resemblance to Queen Adrienne’s Palace from Barbie and the Secret Door. Though not a palace, this regal Chateau-Styled building was constructed for Albert C. Burrage and Alice Hathaway (Haskell) Burrage in the winter of 1899, a time when wealth and elegance were vital. It may not be a set from Barbie, but it was used in Little Women.
Please Note: Photos and information about Barbie’s Dreamhouses are from Mattel’s collaboration with PIN-UP magazine’s limited edition design book “Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey.”
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