This woman spent over £28K on making her own life-sized Barbie house with her bare hands including installing a Barbie Oasis hot tub and Barbie-centric pink kitchen.

Graphic Designer and Content Creator Manda Hansen (31) from Tacoma, Washington, USA explained how anyone can use DIY skills to create their own life-size Barbie dream house.

Manda bought her £287,781 three-bedroom detached home with her husband in October 2017, which was originally sold to them with a neutral grey tone on the walls and throughout the home.

But Manda had always been obsessed with the colour pink and the Barbie-core aesthetic, which reflected in her previous home she bought at the age of 20 with the exterior being completely Barbie-pink.

When Manda first bought a new home with her husband and they moved in together, she felt she should make more ‘grown-up’ design decisions for this home and so the couple initially stuck to a more neutral farmhouse style.

Although her family and friends loved her conventional interior design style for her new home, Manda always felt bored by it all, feeling as though it didn’t ever really suit her personality.

This led to one morning, five years ago, when she awoke and realised that she needed to go back to her Barbie-pink roots to feel completely happy in her home, and she’s never looked back.

The first Barbie-core change Manda made to her neutral home was throughout the kitchen where she added colourful, floral wallpaper and stunning pink appliances throughout to create the most magical Barbie dream house kitchen imaginable, which cost £2339.68 in total.

In the living room, Manda added iridescent sequined wall panelling that shimmered throughout the entire room, transforming the room into a full-blown disco-ball as her living room.

In the living room, Manda also added a pink, iridescent and glittery piano accompanied by a matching pink, glittery chair and a hot-pink rug underneath it.

But the pink doesn’t stop there for this living room, as a white sofa with hot-pink pillows have been added, alongside velvet-pink curtains and a fuzzy, patterned pink carpeting, totalling at £3899.47.

The latest Barbie-centric feature Manda has made to her home has been in her backyard garden, where she has created a bright-pink pool, a pink cabana and a fun pink and white chequered floor to create her own Barbie summer oasis, totalling £10138.64.


Manda and her husband added in fencing for £7798.95 when they first moved into the home before adding the 116.98 pool, £233.97 cabana, £389.95 in tables, £584.92 on the outdoor sectional.
Manda has also started plans on adding in a firepit for £233.97, with the firepit materials adding up to £389.95.

“I slowly started to Barbiecore my home about five-years ago, but really took it seriously in the last two-years,” she said.

“I started with pink painted walls and girly decor pieces spread throughout our home, which quickly turned into many more and then came my wallpaper obsession.

“The first thing I started with was my kitchen.

“I had a major obsession with the pink SMEG appliances and thought they were so Barbie.

“This was the first room I added wallpaper to and I was obsessed with how it transformed the space.”

Manda has always been Barbie-obsessed, ever since she was a child, and she’s unapologetically brought her pink-aesthetic into adulthood.

“I’ve always been a Barbie girl,” she said.

“When I was little, I played with Barbie way past the point of it being ‘cool’.

“I’ve always admired Barbie’s incredible style, go-getter attitude — and most importantly, her iconic pink dream house.

“As an adult I have the mindset that if you want a Barbie dream house, you can have it.

“And I’m living proof of that.”

Manda’s favourite thing about her home is the hand-painted door-murals as they are so unique.

“There are so many things to choose from, but I think my hand-painted door murals really take the cake,” she said.

“They start the party when you walk in and make a huge statement.

“The interior front-door mural is by far my favourite with Barbie inspired florals, and a simple ‘have a good day’ message you can read each time you leave the house.

“I have done every renovation myself. I love to DIY and learn new things.

“When I need an extra set of hands or more muscle, my husband is always happy to assist. He’s my Ken doll.”

When Manda first bought her home with her husband, it was bland and had no personality, so after finally giving into her Barbie-pink dreams, she started her Barbie-rebrand of the grey home.

“When we first moved in I was trying to be a mature, normal, wife and tried out the boring, basic, farmhouse style like everyone else was going at the time,” she said.

“It was awful.

“While everyone loved it and thought I had great design style, it just wasn’t me at all.

“One day I woke up on Christmas vacation and told my husband we’re going to buy some paint to transform this place — and the rest is history.”

Although Manda recognises that her maximalist, Barbie-core home isn’t to everyone’s taste, most who see the home for themselves are blown away by the details Manda has included and finds the home very inviting.

“Most people are shocked when they see our house because it’s so unique (especially for the area we live in),” she said.

“I always hear that it’s very inviting and friendly, and that there’s so much to look around at and enjoy.

“They also love it when they find out a man lives here with me! It looks like a normal house in the suburbs on the outside (for the most part) but there’s magic when you walk in.

“I’m so overwhelmed with love and support surrounding my home and our decor.

“My followers are the best and nothing tickles me more than inspiring them to create their own Barbie dream houses. They often say they wish they didn’t have kids or a husband so they could have what we do- but I always encourage them to go for it anyways.”

Although Manda is in love with her pink-filled home, she is not done yet as she plans to expand her Barbie dreams, including to her wardrobe.

“I have big ideas and plans running through my mind at all times,” she said.

“Right now I’m focused on transforming the backyard into my own little Barbie oasis.

“So far I have a pink pool setup, a pink cabana, and a super fun pink and white chequered patio floor and I envision an outdoor movie area and I’m pondering over how I can Barbie-fie my firepit area.

“I have a major Barbie clothing collection, since the news of the Barbie Movie, there have been so many Barbie collabs and I try to collect them all.

“I also am a graphic designer, so I love to incorporate the Barbie pink style into anything I can.”

Although some people online have judged Manda for her Barbie-core aesthetic, she loves how much joy her Barbie-inspired home brings her.

“Barbie is a whole mood,” she said.

“I love that the Barbie aesthetic leans into your feminine, fun side.

“It takes confidence and style to pull off a home full of pink, girly decor, and I love that it fits my personality perfectly.

“My style is very maximalist and colourful, so people love to tell me it's ‘overwhelming’ or would ‘give them a headache’.

“I understand my style is not for everyone, but I wish people would learn to appreciate the art form that is maximalism.”

BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
Kitchen: £2339.68
Family Room: £2339.68
Formal Living Room: £3899.47
Bedroom: £6239.16
Bathrooms: £779.89
Dining Room: £1949.74
Laundry Room: £779.89
Backyard: £10138.64
Total: £28,466.15

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Real-Life Barbie Dream House

By Shannine O’Neill

**EXCLUSIVE**


THIS WOMAN spent over £28K on making her own life-sized BARBIE house with her bare hands including installing a Barbie Oasis hot tub and Barbie-centric pink kitchen.

Graphic Designer and Content Creator Manda Hansen (31) from Tacoma, Washington, USA explained how anyone can use DIY skills to create their own life-size Barbie dream house.

Manda bought her £287,781 three-bedroom detached home with her husband in October 2017, which was originally sold to them with a neutral grey tone on the walls and throughout the home.

But Manda had always been obsessed with the colour pink and the Barbie-core aesthetic, which reflected in her previous home she bought at the age of 20 with the exterior being completely Barbie-pink.

When Manda first bought a new home with her husband and they moved in together, she felt she should make more ‘grown-up’ design decisions for this home and so the couple initially stuck to a more neutral farmhouse style.

Although her family and friends loved her conventional interior design style for her new home, Manda always felt bored by it all, feeling as though it didn’t ever really suit her personality.

This led to one morning, five years ago, when she awoke and realised that she needed to go back to her Barbie-pink roots to feel completely happy in her home, and she’s never looked back.

The first Barbie-core change Manda made to her neutral home was throughout the kitchen where she added colourful, floral wallpaper and stunning pink appliances throughout to create the most magical Barbie dream house kitchen imaginable, which cost £2339.68 in total.

In the living room, Manda added iridescent sequined wall panelling that shimmered throughout the entire room, transforming the room into a full-blown disco-ball as her living room.

In the living room, Manda also added a pink, iridescent and glittery piano accompanied by a matching pink, glittery chair and a hot-pink rug underneath it.

But the pink doesn’t stop there for this living room, as a white sofa with hot-pink pillows have been added, alongside velvet-pink curtains and a fuzzy, patterned pink carpeting, totalling at £3899.47.

The latest Barbie-centric feature Manda has made to her home has been in her backyard garden, where she has created a bright-pink pool, a pink cabana and a fun pink and white chequered floor to create her own Barbie summer oasis, totalling £10138.64.


Manda and her husband added in fencing for £7798.95 when they first moved into the home before adding the 116.98 pool, £233.97 cabana, £389.95 in tables, £584.92 on the outdoor sectional.
Manda has also started plans on adding in a firepit for £233.97, with the firepit materials adding up to £389.95.

“I slowly started to Barbiecore my home about five-years ago, but really took it seriously in the last two-years,” she said.

“I started with pink painted walls and girly decor pieces spread throughout our home, which quickly turned into many more and then came my wallpaper obsession.

“The first thing I started with was my kitchen.

“I had a major obsession with the pink SMEG appliances and thought they were so Barbie.

“This was the first room I added wallpaper to and I was obsessed with how it transformed the space.”

Manda has always been Barbie-obsessed, ever since she was a child, and she’s unapologetically brought her pink-aesthetic into adulthood.

“I’ve always been a Barbie girl,” she said.

“When I was little, I played with Barbie way past the point of it being ‘cool’.

“I’ve always admired Barbie’s incredible style, go-getter attitude — and most importantly, her iconic pink dream house.

“As an adult I have the mindset that if you want a Barbie dream house, you can have it.

“And I’m living proof of that.”

Manda’s favourite thing about her home is the hand-painted door-murals as they are so unique.

“There are so many things to choose from, but I think my hand-painted door murals really take the cake,” she said.

“They start the party when you walk in and make a huge statement.

“The interior front-door mural is by far my favourite with Barbie inspired florals, and a simple ‘have a good day’ message you can read each time you leave the house.

“I have done every renovation myself. I love to DIY and learn new things.

“When I need an extra set of hands or more muscle, my husband is always happy to assist. He’s my Ken doll.”

When Manda first bought her home with her husband, it was bland and had no personality, so after finally giving into her Barbie-pink dreams, she started her Barbie-rebrand of the grey home.

“When we first moved in I was trying to be a mature, normal, wife and tried out the boring, basic, farmhouse style like everyone else was going at the time,” she said.

“It was awful.

“While everyone loved it and thought I had great design style, it just wasn’t me at all.

“One day I woke up on Christmas vacation and told my husband we’re going to buy some paint to transform this place — and the rest is history.”

Although Manda recognises that her maximalist, Barbie-core home isn’t to everyone’s taste, most who see the home for themselves are blown away by the details Manda has included and finds the home very inviting.

“Most people are shocked when they see our house because it’s so unique (especially for the area we live in),” she said.

“I always hear that it’s very inviting and friendly, and that there’s so much to look around at and enjoy.

“They also love it when they find out a man lives here with me! It looks like a normal house in the suburbs on the outside (for the most part) but there’s magic when you walk in.

“I’m so overwhelmed with love and support surrounding my home and our decor.

“My followers are the best and nothing tickles me more than inspiring them to create their own Barbie dream houses. They often say they wish they didn’t have kids or a husband so they could have what we do- but I always encourage them to go for it anyways.”

Although Manda is in love with her pink-filled home, she is not done yet as she plans to expand her Barbie dreams, including to her wardrobe.

“I have big ideas and plans running through my mind at all times,” she said.

“Right now I’m focused on transforming the backyard into my own little Barbie oasis.

“So far I have a pink pool setup, a pink cabana, and a super fun pink and white chequered patio floor and I envision an outdoor movie area and I’m pondering over how I can Barbie-fie my firepit area.

“I have a major Barbie clothing collection, since the news of the Barbie Movie, there have been so many Barbie collabs and I try to collect them all.

“I also am a graphic designer, so I love to incorporate the Barbie pink style into anything I can.”

Although some people online have judged Manda for her Barbie-core aesthetic, she loves how much joy her Barbie-inspired home brings her.

“Barbie is a whole mood,” she said.

“I love that the Barbie aesthetic leans into your feminine, fun side.

“It takes confidence and style to pull off a home full of pink, girly decor, and I love that it fits my personality perfectly.

“My style is very maximalist and colourful, so people love to tell me it's ‘overwhelming’ or would ‘give them a headache’.

“I understand my style is not for everyone, but I wish people would learn to appreciate the art form that is maximalism.”

BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
Kitchen: £2339.68
Family Room: £2339.68
Formal Living Room: £3899.47
Bedroom: £6239.16
Bathrooms: £779.89
Dining Room: £1949.74
Laundry Room: £779.89
Backyard: £10138.64
Total: £28,466.15

ENDS