How to Decorate a Barbie Dollhouse
Barbie dollhouses have come a long way since the days of blobby pink plastic furniture. Nowadays, you can purchase a Barbie dollhouse that has an elevator and a shimmering chandelier. Barbie dollhouses are more than just a suitable home for your Barbie or Skipper doll, they're also a good deal because unlike wooden dollhouses, Barbie dollhouses come with furniture, wallpaper and flooring. At the same time, you don't want to be a slave to the furniture that comes with the dollhouse. You may want to be able to give the interior your own unique decorating scheme, especially since a great deal of the Barbie dollhouse furniture is made out of plastic and doesn't have many details or cushioning.
Things You'll Need
- Barbie dollhouse with furniture
- Plastic bag
- New doll house furniture
- Throw pillows and cushions
- Tablecloth
- Accessories
- Window treatments
- Addition to house: porch or deck
- Paint
- Paintbrush
Instructions
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Organize the furniture that came with the Barbie dollhouse into two piles: the stuff you want to keep inside the house and the stuff that you don't want to use. Place the furniture that you don't want to use in a plastic bag and set it aside.
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2
Pick your color scheme. Since the inside of the house is already covered in pink and purple, it's easiest to pick colors that go well with these shades, but also make them seem less overwhelming. Adding colors that aren't pink and purple will make the inside of the house look less like a cotton candy machine. For example, colors like cream, mint green, light yellow, light blue, indigo blue, silver and light gray would all work with pink and purple.
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3
Add new furniture where you want it in your new colors. For example, if you can't stand the couch or dining room table that came with the house, replace it with new furniture that you pick out. Since most dollhouse furniture is wood-based with fabric, pick a shade of wood that is light. Avoid darker colors of wood, such as mahogany or cherry.
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Alter the furniture that you've decided to keep. For example, if you've decided to keep the couch, add some throw pillows and cushions in your new colors. On the other hand, if you've decided to keep the dining room table, consider throwing a nice, detailed tablecloth over it in your new colors.
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Add window treatments. This is an easy way to enhance or neutralize the pink and purple colors of the rooms: if you want to neutralize the colors of the room you can select window treatments in your color scheme, such as greens or blues or golds. On the other hand, if you wish to enhance the pink and purple of the room, just select window treatments in those colors.
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Accessorize your house carefully. A successfully decorated doll house is one that has lots of details beyond the furniture. Purchase tiny lamps that match your color scheme, fake food to put in the kitchen, little magazines to scatter in the living room and other things of that nature. Many dollhouse miniature shops carry reproductions of famous artwork and photographs, if you'd like to showcase priceless works of art on the walls of your Barbie doll's home.
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Decorate the exterior of the house by adding window boxes of flowers to each window--these are also something that you can purchase from a dollhouse miniature store. You can even buy additions like a deck or wraparound porch and glue it to the exterior of the house. You can paint it to match the house and add things like a porch swing, miniature plants, wicker furniture and a tiny tray of ice cold drinks.
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