Live in a Barbie world with these new paints
Beautitone line offers colours inspired by iconic doll's Dreamhouse
This is one Barbie item you'll definitely need to take out of the box, or should we say, the can.
That is unless you don't want to paint your own Barbie-like dream house in official Barbie colours.
As part of Beautitone's mission to encourage Canadians to rethink colour, the Canadian-made and owned paint brand has partnered with Mattel Canada in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Barbie Dreamhouse. To mark the anniversary, Beautitone recently released a curated collection of 13 Barbie-inspired paint colours.
“For the last 60 years, the Barbie Dreamhouse has been a spectacular home that allows kids to immerse themselves in Barbie's world and gives them the room to dream,” said Jennifer Gileno, head of licensing, Mattel Canada. “The curated colours in this collection were created to continue inspiring imaginative play, beyond the Barbie Dreamhouse, in the homes of those who love Barbie.”
But while you'll find the expected pink, purples and mauves, you don't just have to be a Barbie girl to be a fan. This line is designed to expand upon that and be versatile enough to use in many spaces as opposed to just the playroom.
“Not at all!” responded Darryl Allen, creative manager, Beautitone Paint, when asked if this line is too kid-focused. “The paint collection is a mix of muted, neutral shades and bold colours. Most adults may go for the softer colours or use the brighter ones sparingly, but there are the brave few who won't shy away from being bold.”
Since the collection launched at Home Hardware — Beautitone is a division of Home Hardware Stores Ltd. — dealers are seeing Canadians coming into their stores to talk about these fun shades and get advice on how they can incorporate them in their living spaces.
“We hear people are getting incredibly creative,” added Allen. “The paint collection is getting people to rethink colour and discover how it can be used beyond the walls of our homes. For example, we've seen people come in and purchase a variety of colours from the collection to paint Muskoka chairs — I just love that colourful visual.”
In addition to the title colour of Barbie BB001-4, a bold, deep pink leaning toward purple, the collection includes colours like Glow Up ST006, with yellow tones, Fashionista CH26-3, a black, and Beach Day SC126-0, which adds a turquoise pop.
To help bring the line to life, Beautitone is working with designer and television host Tiffany Pratt, who has a love of colour, to share how it can be used.
“I was absolutely ecstatic,” said Pratt about being involved with the Barbie line. “As a fan and designer, it's been a dream come true to see the revival of Barbie in real time and have this revival centred around colour and design — my dream.”
A “forever-long” Barbie lover, Pratt has already used the paint line in her own home.
“I took my very white and basic dining room and transformed it with the colours from the collection, and I've fallen in love with this space again,” said Pratt. “I used the neutral Current Mood (CL5-0; an off-white) as a base and then hand-painted the upper portion of the walls with Dreamhouse (ST010; a mauve pastel), Yes I Can (ST008; purple), Believe (ST019; pastel blue), and stencilled flowers using Barbie Pink.”
For kids' spaces, Pratt said the Barbie line is designed to create inspirational spaces.
“Use these colours to inspire kids to have fun and break the traditional design mould,” said Pratt. “For example, Beautitone used Glow Up to add brightness and a pop of bold yellow in a child's reading area by painting a sun. Fun details like this makes kids want to spend time in their space.”
For adults, she notes, one suggestion would be to transform an entryway by using the muted pink of Self Care (CL27-0) for a cosy and welcoming feel. Alternatively, the dusty blue of Career Goals (VF1060) is attention grabbing and gives visitors the sense that the person who lives there is willing to take chances and have some fun.
Beautitone's Barbie paint colour collection will be around until the end of 2023.