Adler Gets in Touch with His Inner Barbie

This morning on NPR, they did a segment on the real Barbie Dream House in Malibu, Ca., designed by chipper designer Jonathan Adler. While I love radio, there is that one big drawback. So I scoured the web looking for an image only to turn up just one nugget, the living room shot below.

One of the more creative elements is on the wall just over the feather explosion; a mirror made of 64 Barbies (below). According to the AP, after a big 50th birthday party for Barbie tonight in the house, the custom furnishings will find a home at the Palms casino resort in Las Vegas where they will decorate a pink Barbie Suite available for bachelorette parties and other girly events. Other pieces will be available in September when Adler launches a “Jonathan Adler Loves Barbie” collection. Wow. Not sure about that one.

Adler was a good pick for the house, his peppy look mixes bright-whites and saturated tones with bold patterns and campy accessories. I’ve never been able to embrace the total Adler package, but he’s certainly likeable and I found some inspiration from some of his design work. Take a look:

ABOVE: I’m always love to see art arranged in interesting ways. Here he mixes figurative, abstract, black-and-white photography, he throws all sorts of things together. The same theory goes for the patterns, they’re just thrown together. It’s debatable whether it works, but it’s fun.

RIGHT: Here the mix works for me. The blue and orange are toned down just enough by the paneled walls.

 

 

ABOVE: A surprisingly restrained living room. Definitely mellow for Adler. I love those gorgeous sofas, classic lines in a buttery leather.
LEFT: The art makes it for me here. Are those the same woman? Aunts? Or just 60s babes? And that’s a fantastic green velvet on the chairs.