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    Eligo Studio creates homely Milan showroom for winemaker Masciarelli

    A display unit wrapped in burgundy-coloured leather forms the centrepiece of this apartment-style showroom in Milan, designed by local firm Eligo Studio for Italian winemaker Masciarelli Tenute Agricole.

    The showroom on Corso Magenta was conceived by Eligo Studio as a warm and welcoming space, where visiting clients and members of the press can sample Masciarelli’s wines and experience the brand’s culture in an informal yet professional setting.
    Masciarelli has opened a showroom in Milan”We strongly believe that retail spaces should have a domestic, experiential and welcoming atmosphere,” Eligo Studio founder Alberto Nespoli told Dezeen.
    “We look to avoid cliches and fashions and instead create a timeless aesthetic.”
    A display unit wrapped in burgundy-coloured leather forms its centrepieceThe studio worked together with Masciarelli to define a brief for the project that reflects the winemaker’s passion for art, as well as ideas around local culture and tradition.

    The interior comprises different functional areas including a kitchen, dining and living room, connected by passages and unified by a consistent, tannin-rich colour palette.
    The showroom was designed to resemble an apartmentThe domestic feel results from the size of the spaces and the treatment of elements such as the exposed ceiling beams, which were sandblasted and carefully restored.
    The rooms feature rich tones and tactile materials such as the lime plaster on the walls and lacquered woods in burgundy, chocolate and cream that are complemented by furniture upholstered in soft leather.

    Zooco Estudio creates cave-like wine shop in Spain

    At the centre of the 120-square-metre floor plan is a display unit wrapped in burgundy-coloured leather that provides functional storage as well as displaying a collection of Masciarelli bottles in backlit niches.
    Flooring throughout the showroom is made from resin, which provides a practical and neutral backdrop for the more colourful and textural surfaces.
    The kitchen features an island that functions as a chef’s table for tastings, cooking displays and presentations. Its tapered outline was designed to reference the iconic Pirelli Building designed by Milanese architect Gio Ponti.
    The kitchen features an island informed by Gio Ponti’s Pirelli BuildingIn the dining room, a large oval table and leather chairs by Mario Bellini provide a relaxed setting for hosting press events, tastings and meetings.
    The showroom also features an informal living room with a sofa, armchairs and a large artwork by painter Nicola Troilo. Eligo Studio and Masciarelli worked together to select the art in the showroom, with a focus on artists from the Abruzzo region where the winery is based.
    To maintain a minimal aesthetic throughout the spaces, bespoke joinery was crafted to conceal functional areas including workstations hidden within cabinets in the entrance hall.
    Art by Nicola Troilo hangs in the living roomA mirrored door slides open to reveal the WC, where walls are painted in a colour chosen to evoke wines from the famous Montepulciano region in Tuscany.
    Nespoli founded Eligo Studio with Domenico Rocca to offer clients an “Italian interior design couture approach”.
    Similar shop interiors that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a wine cave in Valldolid, Spain, and a Williamsburg wine bar with “soothing” interiors.

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    Office La draws on “special magic” of New Orleans for colourful house

    The colours of New Orleans’ iconic streetcars informed the decor palette chosen by local studio Office La for this bright pink house.

    Office La founder Lauren Hickman Ross is a long-time friend of the clients, who asked her to reimagine a building at the corner of Chartres and Desire streets in New Orleans.
    Original penny-hex tiles inside the home were retained and helped to inform the interior colour paletteOpposite Crescent Park on the banks of the Mississippi River, the single-storey structure was formerly a corner store and then a bar before becoming a home.
    “Tasked with outfitting a space that is seeping in and of New Orleans, Office La sought to capture a special magic only felt here through colour and light,” said Hickman Ross.
    The dining and kitchen area is raised slightly from the lounge and barFor the interiors, the designer looked to the city for influences — particularly the historic streetcars that criss-cross its

    The vehicles, also known as trolleys, are painted swampy green and deep red, and Hickman Ross introduced these hues throughout the house.
    Window trims are painted red, while millwork is green”These contrasting colours are immediate wins in the eye pleasure game,” Hickman Ross said.
    “Further, sunk in a bowl of its own creation, New Orleans also produces fantastic sunsets that colour the humid air with pinks and lavenders against the year round lush green subtropical landscape.”
    Designer Lauren Hickman Ross looked to the city’s tropical climate and historic streetcars for influencesIn the social space, the kitchen and dining area is raised a couple of steps up from the lounge and bar, which includes an oxblood-toned pool table.
    Original penny-hex floor tiles patterned in red, yellow and green-gray were retained in this lower area, further adding to the varied colour scheme.

    OJT creates compact “starter home” for skinny site in New Orleans

    Window trims – including a long pill-shaped aperture – are painted red, while partitions and millwork are green, complementing pale pink walls.
    The residence is filled with a mix of cosy, tactile soft furnishings and exposed wood elements, alongside vintage finds and local art.
    Artist RJ Raizk hand-drew murals in each of the bedrooms”On the walls is a mixed-media drawing by native Roy Ferdinand, as well as works by other artists including Sally Heller, Emilio Sanchez, and Max Seckel to name a few,” Hickman Ross said.
    In each bathroom and bedroom, artist RJ Raizk has hand-drawn a unique mural using patterns and colours lifted from the rest of the home.
    The bathroom tiles are green, red and pinkThe building’s exterior continues the streetcar red and green as accents, framing expanses of wooden boards painted bright pink.
    Equally maximalist interiors in New Orleans can be found at The Chloe Hotel, designed by Sara Ruffin Costello, and Hotel Peter and Paul in a converted 19th-century schoolhouse, convent and church.
    The photography is by Alison Gootee.

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    Eight stylish nightclub interiors characterised by novel design approaches

    For our latest lookbook, we’ve chosen eight nightclubs that utilise clever construction methods and aesthetic solutions to execute elevated interiors with grand fittings and lavish fixtures.

    The nightclub interiors, which range from an underground bunker in Beirut to a PVC inflatable in Geneva, spotlight ambitious designs that prioritise audiovisual quality and user experience through contemporary takes on accessibility and performance.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring gallery-like living rooms with sculptural furniture pieces and neutral-hued homes with herringbone flooring.
    Photo by Tommaso RivaKlymax, Indonesia, by OMA
    Located at the Potato Head resort in Seminyak, Bali, this sleek interior with teak veneer panelling was arranged around a 208-square-metre sprung dance floor.

    Architecture studio OMA implemented a floating DJ booth and speakers with thick concrete padding engineered to avoid rattling.
    Find out more about Klymax ›
    Photo by İeva SaudargaitėB018, Lebanon, by Bernard Khoury
    Beirut’s underground bunker nightclub B018 was given a complete overhaul in 2019, with architect Bernard Khoury replacing original wooden furniture with gothic stone booths and podiums.
    Referencing religious architecture and abattoirs, Khoury added a macabre row of skeletal metal rods hanging from the centre of the nightclub as lighting fixtures. Walls, floors, ceilings and furniture are all finished in stone.
    Find out more about B018 ›
    Photo by James GerdeSupernova, USA, by Mutuus Studio
    Set within a timber warehouse building, this inclusive art and entertainment space is arranged around a giant disco ball that contains the DJ booth.
    The hemispherical booth sits in the centre of a nine-metre-long stage and is accompanied by suspended audiovisual equipment and flashy diamond-patterned lighting arrangements.
    Find out more about Supernova ›
    Photo by Cody GuilfoylePublic Records, USA, by Shane David
    Musician Shane David turned a historic Brooklyn building into a “music driven social space” called the Sound Room. The interiors are dark and moody with perforated plywood panels cladding the walls for strong acoustics.
    Other sound engineering details include wooden walls that were cut on a CNC router, and a contoured ceiling meant to diffuse sound.
    Find out more about Public Records ›
    Photo by Tony Elieh2 Weeks, Lebanon, by Rabih Geha Architects
    Layers of perforated webbed black steel divide up the industrial interiors of this downtown Beirut nightclub, separating the main bar, DJ booth and seating area.
    Clubbers must walk around the outside of 2 Weeks’ container-like walls, informed by the shipping containers of its New Waterfront Area location, to enter via a gap in the steel partition.
    Find out more about 2 Weeks ›
    Photo by Dylan PerrenoudShelter, Switzerland, by Bureau A
    Commissioned by the Federation of Swiss Architects, this intimate inflatable nightclub is made out of black PVC membrane that can be easily deflated and transported due to its lightweight structure.
    Named Shelter, the building created by studio Bureau A contains a bar and a dance floor that contains an assortment of inflatable furniture including seating, tables and a DJ booth.
    Find out more about Shelter ›
    Photo by Pauline ShapiroSilencio NYC, USA, by Crosby Studios
    At Silencio NYC, gold accented metal panels, curvy built-in seating, rich-red velvet curtains and cinematic red lighting were designed to pay homage to the club’s original location in Paris, which was designed by director David Lynch.
    Mirrored walls create the illusion of extended space in the nightclub, which was also informed by Studio 54.
    Find out more about Silencio NYC ›
    Photo by Casey KelbaughThe Prada Double Club Miami, USA, by Carsten Höller
    Belgian artist Carsten Höller designed this Miami pop-up nightclub for fashion brand Prada, with opposing identities and aesthetics dictating both internal and external spaces.
    Contrary to the colourful neon aesthetic created for outside, the club’s entirely monochromatic interiors fed into unique grayscale approaches to lighting and furniture that honoured the glory of its former 1920s film studio location.
    Find out more about The Prada Double Club Miami ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring gallery-like living rooms with sculptural furniture pieces and neutral-hued homes with herringbone flooring.

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    Quincoces-Dragò & Partners creates “relaxed, seductive ambience” for Mayfair restaurant

    Architecture studio Quincoces-Dragò & Partners has unveiled The Dover restaurant in Mayfair, London, which was informed by art deco design.

    The first solo venture from Martin Kuczmarski, formerly group COO at Soho House, the restaurant was designed to be “unpretentiously elegant” and have a “relaxed, seductive ambience”.
    The long, narrow restaurant was made up of a series of dimly-lit spaces that were designed to be gradually unveiled.
    The interiors feature extensive panelling in American walnutEntering from the street, the fully glazed reception area is separated from the restaurant with a dramatic velvet curtain in deep burgundy.
    On parting the curtain, a long central corridor leads – across a black and white marble chequered floor – past a bar on one side, and open-plan and banquette seating on the other.

    The chequered runway continues between the bathrooms and private dining booths, before ascending a few steps into an intimate wood-panelled dining room “reminiscent of a bygone era of fine dining”.
    Curved dining booths feature Murano glass chandeliers”The space itself is challenging – long and narrow with a major corridor connecting the main areas, which is where we ended up creating the most intimate booths of the whole restaurant,” David Lopez Quincoces and Fanny Bauer Grung of Quinconces-Dragò & Partners told Dezeen.
    The three private dining booths, in curved dark wood panelling, each feature a Murano glass chandelier by Venini.
    Curved wood panelling is used in the dining roomKuczmarski described the spaces of The Dover as “a buzzy bar, intimate dining booths, and then the main dining room”.
    “The shape of the space has become part of the customer journey,” he added.
    Kuczmarski worked closely with Milan-based Quincoces-Dragò & Partners on the design, aiming for a “contemporary art deco vibe” achieved through dim lights, curved American walnut panelling, contrasting textures and the chequered floor.
    Lighting fixtures are a mix of modern and art decoWood panelling is the main element in the restaurant, which the designers said “creates intimacy whilst nodding to tradition”.
    The curved panelling for the dining booths is echoed in curved corners and ceilings of the main dining room, which is a fully panelled space.

    Lina Stores South Kensington designed to “evoke the rhythm” of Italian espresso bars

    Velvet upholstery was chosen, in part, to manage the acoustics – a “fundamental aspect when designing the space”, Quincoces and Grung explained.
    The black and white chequerboard floor was made from nero marquinia and calacatta marble, which are both characterised by a veined appearance, softening the solid colour.
    Brass accents feature throughoutBrass lamp stands, with shades reminiscent of wood veneer, line the bar.
    The design of the interiors is “simple and straightforward when looking at it plainly, but rich with many details as you discover it piece by piece” said the designers.
    “The secret to good design is detail, detail, and more detail – and above all proportions!”
    Three private dining booths make up one area of the spaceRelief from the comprehensive wood-panelling comes in the form of red lacquered display cabinets.
    Wall lights with art deco glass sconces and a curved corrugated perspex panel in the dining room further break up the wood panelling.
    A curved corrugated perspex panel breaks up the wood panellingThe panel traverses from wall into ceiling in the dining room and functions as a “non-window” to prevent the space from feeling confined in wood panelling.
    With Kuczmarski, Quincoces-Dragò & Partners worked to create “an atmosphere that is welcoming – one that, as Martin says, ‘makes you feel good at first glance'”.
    The central corridor leads past the bar through to private booths and dining room beyond”The spirit of art deco – which is serious but playful, lush while elegant – inspired us tremendously when Martin spoke to us of his idea for The Dover,” Quincoces and Grung explained.
    Other Mayfair restaurants recently featured on Dezeen include Tutto Bene’s “sombre elegance” for the interiors of Nightingale and Japanese steakhouse Aragawa’s London outpost, featuring Rosendale Design’s paper pendant lights.
    Photography is by Matt Russell, courtesy of The Dover

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    ANY designs New York showroom and research library for Vowels

    New York studio ANY has designed the first physical retail space for streetwear brand Vowels, including an 18-metre-long “library” that holds a rotating collection of design books.

    The appointment-only showroom at 76 Bowery in Manhattan opened to coincide with the launch of Vowels’ debut “made in Japan” capsule collection.
    The Vowels showroom in Manhattan contrasts raw concrete and crisp white wallsCreative director Yuki Yagi worked with ANY co-founder Nile Greenberg to create a multi-functional environment that can display apparel, host events and offer customers access to a curation collection of books.
    The narrow space features exposed concrete surfaces and exposed services, contrasted by a minimalist white volume inserted on one side.
    The space includes a compact exhibition area called the Study that will feature rotating displaysAt the front, this box forms an exhibition space named the Study that’s visible from the street through the fully glazed facade.

    Hosting a rotating display of objects and artworks, the exhibitions will inform the collection of printed materials displayed in the store.
    The opening exhibition features Edo-period Japanese furniture sourced in the Yamanashi PrefectureA large wooden door swing over a hole in the clean white wall that allows access into the showcase, while the same richly grained material forms a sales counter at the other end of the showroom.
    Meanwhile, the rare books, magazines and periodicals are stored and presented within a long, glossy black case that stretches 60 feet (18 metres) through the centre of the showroom.
    A custom case filled with hundreds of rare design books stretches through the centre of the showroom”The curated selection, categorised by the Vowels team of researchers and designers, is organised using a system that follows the letters A, E, I, O, and U,” the team said.
    “This archive of printed materials is part of Yagi’s personal collection, serving as reference and inspiration throughout his career.”

    Checkerboard walls wrap Awake NY store by Rafael de Cárdenas

    Visitors are encouraged to peruse the collection, and use computers equipped with high-resolution scanners to make digital copies of materials.
    “The space at once recalls both a clean working environment and a comfortable reading room,” said the brand.
    Vowels’ debut capsule collection is displayed towards the rearTowards the back of the showroom is a wider area where a platform with bleacher seating and speakers built into mesh boxes is used for programming like film screenings, talks, panel discussions and music performances.
    Coffee service with beans sourced from Japan and the Vowels capsule collection are also accommodated in the rear space, while photos of the campaign shot by renowned Japanese photographer Takashi Homma are displayed alongside the library.
    Both the showroom and exhibition space are visible through the fully glazed facade on BoweryThe Vowels showroom borders the Lower East Side neighbourhood, where many streetwear brands have physical shops and showrooms.
    Other recent additions to the retail scene in the area include the yellow-hued Le Père store by BoND and the checkerboard-wrapped Awake NY space by Rafael de Cárdenas.
    The photography is by Dean Kaufman.

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    Eight relaxing beach houses with panoramic views

    In our latest lookbook, we’ve found eight coastal homes that take advantage of wide-spanning oceanic views, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

    Including a mid-century modern getaway home in the Hamptons and a tropical paradise in the Bahamas, each home has a unique way of providing picture-perfect scenes.
    Whether incorporating the playful elements of a cargo net or building infinity pools that almost reach the sea, each home has found a way to provide interiors that honour their settings.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms with sculptural furniture, herringbone flooring in neutral homes and tips for bathroom decorating.
    Photo by Joe FletcherPlover House, USA, by Fuse Architects

    US-based studio Fuse Architects remodelled a 1960s Californian coastal home, raising the roofline to install large windows that fill the kitchen, dining space and bedrooms with light.
    Alongside the views of Pajaro Dunes, Plover House utilises the building’s existing skylight to maximise brightness in the home, which is contrasted by the exterior dark cedar cladding.
    Find out more about Plover House ›
    Photo by Brillhart Architecture and Stephen GoettlicherPink Sands Beach house, Bahamas, by Brillhart Architecture and Garth and Darren Sawyer
    Located by Pink Sands Beach in the Bahamas, this pavilion-style home was informed by local architecture and tropical modernism, with shutters opening the indoor-outdoor living space at the front of the building to views of palm trees and the ocean.
    Brillhart Architecture and Garth and Darren Sawyer also added exposed rafters that create shadows in the room, while windows and sliding doors at the back of the house showcase the landscape and pool.
    Find out more about the Pink Sands Beach house ›
    Photo by Andres Garcia LachnerCasa Bell-Lloc, Costa Rica, by Studio Saxe
    Folding glass doors lead to a pool with an ocean view at Casa Bell-Loc, reflecting the landscape back to the L-shaped beach house by San José-based firm Studio Saxe.
    Surrounded by wood and concrete, glass panels are slotted in and around the ceiling to create additional beams of light and extend the scene.
    Find out more about Casa Bell-Lloc ›
    Photo by Ema PeterRockbound, Canada, by Omar Gandhi Architects
    Canadian studio Omar Gandhi Architects created an expansive view of Nova Scotia with a large open deck and floor-to-ceiling windows.
    The box-shaped house and steel-bordered windows were used to form picture frame panoramas of the bay, complimented by linear indoor and outdoor furniture.
    Find out more about Rockbound ›
    Photo by Marcos ZegersPrimeriza House, Chile, by Stanaćev Granados
    Geometric wooden frames complement the Chilean backdrop at this beach house by Stanaćev Granados, situated on a cypress-lined hill in Chorrillos.
    Views can be enjoyed from a cargo net installed on the house’s first floor, which connects the white wooden interiors with the darker stain used outside.
    Find out more about Primeriza House ›
    Photo by Cesar BelioCasa Mateo, Mexico, by Zozaya Arquitectos
    An infinity pool was constructed around a tree to reflect Casa Mateo’s surroundings, which is located on the Pacific coast in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
    Sunken seats, a steel pergola attached to the concrete structure and an outdoor dining space are located next to the pool to enjoy the oceanscape.
    Find out more about Casa Mateo ›
    Photo by Rory GardinerBilgola Beach House, Australia, by Olson Kundig
    This home in Sydney’s Bilgola Beach features a penthouse-style wing with upward folding shutters and a screen-lined bridge to maximise sights of the sea.
    Designed by Seattle-based studio Olson Kundig, the building incorporates a glass door opposite the windows to provide scenic perspectives through the building.
    Find out more about Bilgola Beach House ›
    Photo by Eric Petschek and Scott FrancesLong Island beach house, USA, by Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts & Partners
    The sculptural pool in this holiday home by Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts & Partners provides height over the dunes for a panoramic view of the Hamptons coast.
    The owners wanted to incorporate mid-century modern aesthetics, which informed the shape of the pavilion pool, and the indoor and outdoor furniture.
    Find out more about the Long Island beach house ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms with sculptural furniture, herringbone flooring in neutral homes and tips for bathroom decorating.

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    Casa Yuma hotel built with “vegetal concrete” and pink bricks

    Architecture studio TAAC and interior designer Sara Skalli have created a seaside hotel in Mexico that uses traditional materials including chukum – a finish made from tree resin and limestone.

    Named Casa Yuma, the 25-room boutique hotel is located on Playa Los Naranjos, a short drive from Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
    Casa Yuma sits between a palm grove and the beachSkalli, who co-owns the hotel with friends Camille Lambert and Tim de Belloy, felt it was important for the buildings to utilise materials native to the region.
    She and the project architect, TAAC founder Ricardo de la Concha, devised a materials palette that centres around the use of chukum.
    The hotel offers 25 guest suitesDescribed as a “vegetal concrete”, this water-resistant, plaster-like material is made by combining the resin of indigenous chukum trees with limestone-based stucco.

    The material often has a strong red tone –  as seen in other new Mexico buildings like as the Xique Boutique Hotel and Tulix housing – although the colour here is closer to a pale concrete-like grey.
    Furniture and textiles were sourced from local artisansSkalli said the use of chukum was intended to create “an ambience that is both organic and sustainable”.
    “My main goal was to create an environment where elegance harmoniously blends with the surrounding nature while reflecting the warmth and authenticity of this unique land,” she said.
    The entrance is via a thatched palapa hutThe materials palette also includes “salmon pink” adobe bricks from Puebla, which form decorative screen walls, and locally sourced macuil wood, used to build furniture and joinery.
    “The use of materials of Mexican origin was of vital importance,” added De la Concha.
    Building materials include pink adobe bricksCasa Yuma is situated between the seafront and a vast grove of palm trees. It is formed mainly of single-storey buildings, with zigzagging staircases providing access to rooftop patios.
    The reception is housed inside a palapa – a traditional Mexican hut with a palm leaf roof. From here, guests are led past the bedroom suites to arrive at facilities on the beachfront.
    A beach bar is among the seaside guest facilitiesThese facilities include an open-air restaurant, co-working lounge, beach bar, swimming pool, sunken firepit area and a spa cabin.
    “The layout of the elements is based on a linear axis with a direct path from the entrance to the beach, passing through the rooms to reach a pool facing the sea,” said De la Concha.

    Ludwig Godefroy’s Casa TO hotel presents a “reinterpretation of a Oaxacan temple”

    He said the concept was for “a barefoot hotel” where guests always have the feeling of being on the beach.
    “We want to create a unique atmosphere so that guests feel comfortable in every corner of the hotel and feel like they have found a second home,” added co-owner Tim de Belloy.
    The hotel offers co-working and wellness facilitiesThe interior design follows a similar ethos to the architecture, with craft objects and textiles sourced from local makers. These include handmade wall tiles, minimal nightstands, woven rugs and striped bedspreads.
    “Most of the decorative elements come from incredibly talented local artisans and underscore our commitment to preserving regional culture,” said Skalli.
    “The aim is to offer unique spaces, where each room retains its individuality while inspiring a familiar experience.”
    A sunken firepit lounge sits alongside the swimming poolOther recent Mexican hotels on Dezeen include a hotel by Productora and Esrawe Studio on a hilly site in San Miguel de Allende and a boutique hotel coated in pink chukum and set in an artificial wetland in Puerto Escondido.
    The photography is courtesy of Casa Yuma.

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    Barbie exhibition aims to show toy is “worthy proposition from a design point of view”

    The Barbie dolls and Dreamhouses featured in Barbie: The Exhibition at London’s Design Museum reflect shifts in visual culture over the famed toy’s 65 years.

    With over 250 objects on display, Barbie: The Exhibition opens today and examines the history of the doll since it was created by Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler in 1959.
    Barbie: The Exhibition opens today at London’s Design MuseumAccording to curator Thom, the exhibition was conceived to unpack the toy’s design influence over the last 65 years and explore the “myriad technical, aesthetic and cultural decisions that go into creating Barbie”.
    “What I would really like visitors to take away from the show, whether they’ve come as Barbie fans or Barbie skeptics but with an interest in design, is that there is actually a very complex and intentional set of design processes that go into creating the dolls and the accessories,” said the curator.
    A first-edition Barbie is included in the collection”And that intentionality does reflect the social context in which any given Barbie is being produced,” she told Dezeen at the Design Museum.

    “I want people to realise that Barbie is a worthy proposition from a design point of view,” she added.
    The show features dolls throughout Barbie’s 65-year historyCreated by architecture firm Sam Jacob Studio, the exhibition design includes iridescent colourful plinths and cylindrical toy packaging-style cases displaying past and present-day Barbies and their accompanying Dreamhouses and accessories.
    Among the collection is a first-edition, hand-painted doll from 1959, positioned next to archival footage of the earliest Barbies being manufactured in Japan. The exhibition also features Christie, the first Black Barbie designed in 1968, and the first Hispanic and Asian Barbie dolls created by Mattel.
    An entire section is dedicated to the evolution of Barbie’s hairThere is a specific section dedicated to the evolution of Barbie’s now 76 hairstyles available in 94 colours, crowned by a bespoke chandelier made of dolls’ hair.
    “In the 90s, I found that a lot of the Black Barbies had straightened hair,” said Thom. “Today, Barbies come with different hair textures.”
    “Obviously, hair play is fun. Children like to brush Barbie’s hair. But there’s more to it than that. How Barbie’s hair is represented is a way in which the importance of her is conveyed to children,” she added.
    The show highlights past and present furniture trendsBarbie dolls from the 2016 Fashionista line are also on display, which were created to include more body types and skin types. Launched last year, the first Barbie doll with Down’s syndrome also features in the show.
    “I think since the Fashionista line redesign, there has been a much more concerted effort to provide as many different visual frames of reference as possible in the doll line so that in theory, every kid can see something of themselves,” said Thom.
    “I’ve found that more recently, there’s that level of attention to cultural details,” added the curator.
    Sam Jacob Studio created the exhibition designElsewhere in the exhibition, a selection of Dreamhouses chart how architecture and furniture trends have influenced the Barbie universe.
    Designed in 1962, the first Barbie Dreamhouse is on display. Created entirely out of cardboard, the single-storey home features mid-century modern furniture similar to the designs of Florence Knoll, the late pioneer of the modern open-plan office.
    The first Barbie Dreamhouse didn’t have a kitchenWith the absence of a kitchen, the first Dreamhouse positioned Barbie as an “independent woman”, argued Thom, created at a time when it was “virtually impossible” for an American woman to gain a mortgage without a male guarantor.
    Visitors can also find the yellow-hued A-frame Dreamhouse from 1978, complete with a pitched roof and angular windows, which recalls the early work of California-based architect Frank Gehry.
    “It was a little avant-garde for its time,” reflected Thom. “The house doesn’t look very Barbie by our contemporary understanding of Barbie – no pink whatsoever – but these moments in Barbie’s design history reflect what was going on in the world of design,” explained the curator.
    Later Dreamhomes reflect more decorative architecture trendsLater architecture trends also feature in the show, with a Dreamhouse from 1995 revealing a return to more traditional American 19th-century motifs including corner turrets and decorative mouldings, with all-pink, “chintzy” sofas placed in the interior.
    “It’s this kind of colonial-style architecture with sash windows, a portico and vines climbing up the side,” explained Thom.

    Kartell recreates pink Philippe Starck-designed chairs to seat both humans and Barbies

    Shifts in fashion over the years are also acknowledged in the show, with various displays documenting Barbie’s many looks. There is a doll with a cropped hairstyle wearing a tiny version of a dress from the late designer Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 Mondrian Collection, while a host of more “everyday” Barbie garments were arranged within a bright pink cabinet.
    Although Thom explained that the exhibition has been in the works for a few years, as opposed to a response to last year’s high-grossing Barbie film directed by Greta Gerwig, the show features a pair of fluffy pink mules and the multicoloured roller-skating look worn by actor Margot Robbie in the movie.
    “We had a fascinating, kind of informal chat with the set designers about their process,” said the curator.
    Select pieces from last year’s Barbie film were also includedShe also explained why the museum sought the exhibition design of Sam Jacob Studio.
    “We wanted to work with Sam because we felt that his aesthetic, which is obviously very pop-inspired, very playful and colourful, would be a great fit for how Barbie has been presented over the years.”
    “Almost all the objects in the show are tiny,” added Thom. “So we wanted to design something that gave her a sense of presence, and almost in some cases monumentality.”
    “We needed to come up with a design that worked with that, but also augmented it,” she explained.
    The show aims to present “Barbie as a reflection of culture””The idea that Barbie is a reflection of culture I find interesting,” considered Thom, who noted the inclusion of various dolls in the exhibition designed with specific “careers” – Barbie has had over 250 of them in her history.
    “Because it does suggest that her meaning, or meanings, are in the eye of the beholder – the eye of the consumer. And I think that’s one of the reasons for her longevity,” continued the curator.
    “I think there can be a tendency to write things off that might be feminine-coded or child-orientated, as being somewhat lesser when it comes to design,” she added.
    “Barbies are toys – they are mass-produced. They are designed first and foremost to be played with. But that doesn’t negate the possibility that they are important objects.”
    The photography is by Jo Underhill.
    Barbie: The Exhibition is on display at the Design Museum from 5 July 2024 to 23 February 2025. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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