Tour Every Fabulous Space in HGTV’s 'Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge' Home

It’s the Biggest Build of All Playtime — and Serious Fun

Just in time for Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster Barbie (debuting in theaters July 21) and smack in the middle of our current obsession with all things pink and fabulous, HGTV is getting serious about the world’s most famous toy house. Four two-person teams of HGTV stars (plus Food Network’s Antonia Lofaso, because epic playdates require epic munchies) are dreaming up even-better-than-real-life versions of iconic Barbie spaces by turning a 4,500-square-foot Southern California home into the ultimate Barbie Dreamhouse. Design and renovation experts and celebrity judges will decide which teams reign supreme each week and go on to the pink carpet finale, where one pair’s work will be crowned the dreamiest of all. Actual Barbie and supermodel Ashley Graham is hosting the proceedings in high style. Come on in for a look at every magical corner of HGTV’s Barbie Dreamhouse.

see more: Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge

A Barbie Star Makes a Cameo Appearance at the Dreamhouse

Ashley dropped contestants' jaws when she rolled up in a life-size version of Barbie's pink Corvette, but those weren't the only hot wheels to make an appearance. This brand-spanking-new Chevy Blazer EV SS plays a key role in Gerwig's movie and the contestant's field trips as they transform the dreamhouse.

Egypt and Mike Tackle the Living Area

Married to Real Estate’s Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson are well-accustomed to living, working, competing and winning together — after all, they were Rock the Block Season 3 champions. Tasked with making over this home, they tossed their standard playbook out the window. “I’m always looking for a way to add value,” Egypt said. “It’s always from a real-estate perspective — but that is a moot issue here!” “We can do whatever we want,” Mike agreed. “This is where we get extremely creative.” Their mission: Give the entryway, living room and dining room a totally ‘90s transformation.

The Entryway, Before

HGTV’s real estate agent looked at hundreds of Southern California homes to find one with the potential to become the Barbie Dreamhouse. This home had a make-it-or-break-it feature: “The steps are giving me life,” Egypt said. “It seemed like every Barbie Dreamhouse I [owned] had these stairs. They'll give us a leg up on the competition.”

The Entryway, After

Egypt and Mike’s eye-popping palette drew inspiration from Totally Hair Barbie, a doll with neon-bright style that debuted in 1992, then went on to be the best-selling Barbie of all time. The show-stopping staircase serving as the design's centerpiece got a coat of high-lacquer, electric-pink paint that gives it the look of plastic. “This is why you guys are the professionals,” Ashley noted. Speaking of plastic …

From: Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson

A Totally Toyetic Elevator

… Mike went the extra mile for Team ‘90s both by building a purple Plexiglas elevator to satisfy the judges’ "toyetic" requirement — and sporting head-to-toe acid-wash denim and a fanny pack in the process. What’s "toyetic?" Ashley filled the competitors in: "Every Dreamhouse has playful, toy-like elements. They can be a surprise or dual-purpose, but you need to create at least one of them in your spaces.”

Egypt knew just how to give the entryway that toyetic oomph. “Every great Barbie Dreamhouse had an elevator or a lift,” she said. The elevator doubles as a phone booth for an extra kick of dual-purpose delight.

The Living Room, Before

The living room’s spectacular height gave Egypt and Mike the opportunity to go wild with a two-story, color-blocked fireplace treatment that would celebrate the ultra-confident ‘90s aesthetic. “What we want is for you to come in and have sensory overload,” Egypt said. “You turn around and say, ‘Oh, that’s so Barbie! Oh my gosh, I remember that! Ahh, the fireplace, ahh!’”

The Living Room, After

A semicircular sectional — denim, of course — anchors the sitting area before the Memphis-Design-Style-inspired fireplace surround, which features hand-painted patterns reminiscent of the movement’s playful geometry. Egypt and Mike applied colored films and silhouettes to create “stained glass” windows on either side, channeling similar features in dreamhouses released in 1995 and 1998. Those diverse silhouettes are a nod to Kitty Black Perkins, the former Mattel chief designer of fashion and doll concepts who paid a visit to the Dreamhouse-in-progress and rocked Egypt’s world. “I would never have had a black Barbie growing up if it was not for you,” she told Kitty. “Miss Kitty Black Perkins and her team were responsible for ushering Barbie to become inclusive and diverse; being a mom of three girls, that means a lot,” she said.

From: Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson

The Dining Room, Before

Egypt knew banquette seating would factor into this space’s design. “When you think about Barbie, there was a banquette or a foldout almost everywhere in the Dreamhouse,” she said. She and Mike also planned to take full advantage of the tray ceiling and continue the color blocking they began in the living room and entryway.

The Dining Room, After

Now this is a Barbie-worthy entertaining space! A globular white pedestal table anchors both the denim-upholstered banquette and playful acrylic dining chairs, while a trio of neon light-up art gives the feel of walking into a ‘90s Trapper Keeper. Mike and Egypt owe the splatter treatment on the wall behind the banquette to a hot tip from A Very Brady Renovation alum Maureen McCormick, who knows a thing or two about both reimagining iconic pop-culture space and about Barbie. She starred in three Barbie commercials as a child actor.

From: Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson

Jasmine and Antonia Dig Into the Kitchen and Family Room

Help! I Wrecked My House’s Jasmine Roth was Rock the Block’s first champion, while Food Network’s cooking-competition veteran Antonia Lofaso is known for taking no prisoners on shows like Cutthroat Kitchen. So, it's not surprising that, when tasked with channeling the where-it-all-started ‘60s in the dreamhouse’s kitchen and family room, they made a bold move: demolishing the wall between their space and Mike and Egypt’s dining room. “It’s kinda like a cave,” Jasmine admitted. “But, if we rip everything out I think we can do a really good job!”

The Kitchen, Before

“I love whimsical elements, I love hidden things, I love to have a little bit of fun with my houses," said Jasmine. "There’s a whole other level we get to create and ideate and come up with for this house that you can’t do in a regular house.”

The Kitchen, After

Now, there’s the spaciousness and flow you’d associate with a Dreamhouse! Antonia and Jasmine wrapped their cabinets in pink vinyl to give them a Barbie feel and supersized the kitchen island to provide additional dining and entertaining space. Ceiling-mounted shelves between the kitchen and dining room balance the space's candy-colored pastels with the sort of wood paneling one would expect in a ‘60s kitchen. Pale-yellow retro appliances are fully functional and delightfully playful.

From: Jasmine Roth

The (Toyetic) Kitchen of Tomorrow

For their first big surprise, Antonia and Jasmine built two button-operated lifts that rise from their kitchen island to reveal perfectly-pink countertop appliances. “The sixties were all about introducing the atomic age and showcasing the house of the future, so we created a hidden, automatic toyetic as a nod to that time,” Jasmine said. An inveterate lover of surprises, Jasmine also concealed the kitchen’s candy-colored pantry behind a wall of shelves that double as a door.

The Family Room, Before

Charged with evoking the era when Barbie’s very first Dreamhouse debuted — in 1962, as a futuristic cardboard playset — Jasmine and Antonia wanted to both evoke that unforgettable look and make their family room feel truly livable. As in the kitchen, they planned to combine the warm, retro look of wood paneling with a playful palette.

The Family Room, After

Welcome home, Barbie! With characteristically midcentury pieces like the arching floor lamp, a vintage television sourced from a local thrift shop, a shag rug and an Atomic Age pendant, the living room cozies up the original cardboard cutouts. Jasmine’s biggest triumph is unquestionably the custom couch, a life-size, upholstered version of the dreamhouse original featuring a pattern-perfect fabric she designed and printed at a specialty shop. “This is the first time in 60 years a cardboard couch is actually becoming fabric!” she exclaimed.

From: Jasmine Roth

The Judges Tour Egypt and Mike’s Spaces

To determine whose work was the dreamiest, HGTV assembled a star-studded panel of judges. HGTV Smart Home designer (and proud owner of nine Barbie Dreamhouses, all displayed in her dining room) Tiffany Brooks is, as she put it, “obsessed with Barbie.” Stealthy guest judge Maureen McCormick swooped back in after visiting the unsuspecting competitors mid-week and offering “casual” advice on their work. All-around arbiter of American glamour (and Barbie collector and collaborator) Jonathan Adler served as the main judge. “I have been all up in Barbie’s grill for 15 years, so to be here is so exciting [and] a little bit nuts, and I cannot wait to see what you guys have perpetrated,” he said. So, what did everyone think?

“I’ve got to give you props for just hardcore design chops. The scale of color blocking and patterns is all on point,” Jonathan said. “Your furniture looks like doll furniture but it’s totally chic, totally stylish, and everything is functional!” Tiffany added. Maureen loved the toyetic: “The fact that this is an elevator and a telephone booth is brilliant.”

The Judges Tour Jasmine and Antonia’s Spaces

Resident Barbie aficionado Tiffany knew the real deal when she saw it in the family room: “We are definitely in the OG dollhouse,” she noted. Jonathan appreciated how the just-so ceiling color carried up from the floor and through the kitchen to the living room. He also fell hard for the kitchen-island toyetic. “I want this in my kitchen today. I sincerely want that feature in my life,” he confessed. Maureen did a bit of time traveling: “I look at this and just feel such warmth. I mean, this was a house that I played in all the time,” she said.

TV Dinners for Everybody!

At the end of the first week of competition, the judges declared Jasmine and Antonia’s homage to the very first Dreamhouse the winner. Could Antonia’s 21st-century, gourmet versions of midcentury meals have tipped the scales in their favor? We’ll see what she serves up for the finale — and who lands the ultimate spot on the pink carpet — in the weeks to come.

Jon and Kristina Make a Splash in the Bedroom Suite

Farmhouse Fixer’s Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin have more experience taking properties back to the 1880s than they do in taking them back to the 1980s, but they know their design (and, ahem, pop culture) history inside and out. “That was like the best time of my life, the 1980s,” Jon recalled. “That’s when the whole New Kids thing started and [I] was traveling all around the world.”

“As designers we do so many clients’ houses, and now Barbie is on our list of clients,” he mused. “It’s like getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Which … I already have.” He and Kristina were born ready to take Barbie’s bedroom and bath back to the oh-so-fabulous ‘80s.

The Bedroom, Before

“Hopefully there’s some good wood or something underneath this carpet, ‘cause this is horrendous,” Jon said. “Hey, I had wall-to-wall carpeting growing up in my bedroom in the ‘80s!” Kristina countered. “We should rip this old stuff out and put new carpet in!”

The Bedroom, After

Drawing inspiration from a field trip to Mattel and a Dreamhouse canopy bed they found there, Jon and Kristina created a totally rad sleep space. With lavender lighting, a custom-cut heart-lattice headboard and a crystalline globe chandelier, Barbie can have the ultimate elevated slumber party — complete with a toyetic feature courtesy of Jon. The bed plays a recording of his voice welcoming Barbie to dreamland. Painted paneling lends the walls sophistication and dimension, and the glittering paper they chose for the ceiling is pure fun. Great Shape Barbie (released in 1984) would feel right at home on the pitch-perfect, pink-and-teal stationary bike between the bedroom and the bath.

From: Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin

The Bath Suite, Before

An over-the-top shower and a giant soaking tub were must-haves: “I remember seeing Barbie’s bathtub as a kid with all these bubbles. She just loved a bubble bath,” Kristina recalled. The interior wall, on the other hand, had to make room for a long vanity and makeup station. As for the carpet? Once again, Kristina lobbied hard for plush flooring — but Jon stood firm on Team Tile. “Bathroom carpet is even grosser than bedroom carpet!”

The Bath Suite, After

Opulent, gray-veined white quartz now frames a massive bath and a perfectly pink shower. The salmon-pink ceiling glitters with a faceted bubble chandelier, and an oversize carnation-print feature wall boasts an expansive double vanity. Even cooler: Sarah Jessica Parker co-designed this wallpaper and a blue version of it adorns Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in Max’s And Just Like That.

From: Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin

Go Big or Go Home

“We had our builder create a brush 25 times the size of [Barbie’s plastic original], which is going to be another cool toyetic feature in our [bathroom],” Kristina explained. “This is going to put a smile on everybody’s face the minute they walk in.”

From: Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin

Alison and Ty Step Up in Ken’s Den

Windy City Rehab’s Alison Victoria competed in two seasons of Rock the Block and judged a third. Designer, craftsman and HGTV host Ty Pennington was a ‘70s kid. It should go without saying that these two were ready to hit the ground running when tasked with giving Ken’s den — his very first space in a Dreamhouse — a 1970s groove. To get inspired for the project, they turned to dance pro Allison Holker Boss for help choreographing a routine for the judges, because of course they did.

Ken's Den, Before

With plenty of space and storage to work with, Alison and Ty felt good about their space’s bones. "In the real world you have to worry about functionality," said Ty. "[But] we get to just go back to being kids and our imaginations get to go wild,” Alison finished.

Ken's Den, After

“With Ken’s den we’re going a little moody. We’re going a little sexy. Our inspiration was [1977’s] SuperStar Ken, so we’re going to go with a blue and fuchsia,” Alison explained. High-gloss paint covers the cabinets and carries up to the ceiling, while deep, textural curtains, carpeting and seating envelop a seemingly bottomless LED dance floor. Ken’s wood-paneled changing booth at the far end of the den is built atop a motor and doubles as a rotating dance booth.

From: Ty Pennington and Alison Victoria

Ken's Den, Before

Mod Hair Ken [1973] inspired Alison and Ty to build a blinged-out prep space along the den’s interior wall and counter space. “I think the thing about Ken that I can also identify with is every day you wake up and want to have a different look,” Ty mused. “We are doing an accessory station for Ken over here, but maybe we need to have a wig station in there too,” Alison said. “Almost like Ken’s a superhero in the sense that he opens this up and he can choose whoever and whatever style he wants to be that day,” Ty concluded.

Ken's Den, After

Alison deployed a tried-and-true Windy City Rehab detail. She installed brass shim stock — a thin, pliable metal film that’s “just such an easy way to turn something a little drab into something super glam” — on the wall behind the accessory station. She and Ty used a CNC machine (a computer-controlled manufacturing tool) to cut out lattice that replicated the doors and window boxes of the 1979 A-frame Dreamhouse. Then they sanded, painted and installed that geometric lattice as the accessory station’s sliding doors. “The 1979 A-frame [is] architecturally and visually the best,” Alison said. The burnt-orange tone of its roof pops up in portions of the shag carpet and accent pillows on the sectional.

From: Ty Pennington and Alison Victoria

The Majestic 'Stache Stash

A tribute to Mod Hair Ken wouldn’t be anywhere near complete without an array of sunglasses and moustaches, of course. Ty and Alison tucked this treasure trove into the cabinet behind the old-school logo on the accessory wall.

The Judges Tour Jon and Kristina’s Spaces

For the second week of the Dreamhouse Challenge, Entertainment Tonight cohost Nischelle Turner joined Jonathan Adler and Tiffany Brooks as a guest judge: “I’m kind of obsessed with Barbie. That is my secret,” she said. She fell hard for Barbie’s bedroom: “I think I expected something not so luxurious, so elevated,” she marveled. “This could be a room I could live in!” Tiffany was impressed as well: “I think what you guys did with the architecture is incredible — to paint all the moldings and the wall and the frames exactly the same, I love that. And what you did with the glitter ceiling is incredible.

Jonathan gave the team props for their canopy bed and the floral wallpaper, but he sided with Kristina on Team Bathroom Carpet: “You could have done wall-to-wall carpeting and brought it up over the [tub] platform, which would have been genius and what Barbie would have done. You chose not to and I’m disappointed!” Bathroom carpet, please don’t take this as encouragement.

The Judges Tour Alison and Ty’s Space

Dreamhouse expert Tiffany loved the homages to the 1979 A-frame and echoed Alison’s observation: “The most architecturally significant dream house ever,” she said. Nischelle was fixated on the lounge’s dance floor: “It got me and wouldn’t let me go. I can’t stop thinking about it,” she confessed. Jonathan, in turn, appreciated the boldness of their palette. “I’ve gotta give you a shout-out for using orange and avocado. They seem like opposites, but they just work perfectly,” he noted.

Jon and Kristina nailed the elevated-‘80s aesthetic, but Ty and Alison served the mood, and “I felt like I was Ken. I felt like suddenly I was living it,” Jonathan said — and Ken’s Den moved one step closer to the pink carpet. Will Jonathan revisit the wig and moustache he donned here to judge next week’s competition? We’re crossing our fingers.

Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge

Tour Every Fabulous Space in HGTV’s 'Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge' Home

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Shop This Look

It’s the Biggest Build of All Playtime — and Serious Fun

A Barbie Star Makes a Cameo Appearance at the Dreamhouse

Egypt and Mike Tackle the Living Area

The Entryway, Before

The Entryway, After

A Totally Toyetic Elevator

The Living Room, Before

The Living Room, After

The Dining Room, Before

The Dining Room, After

Jasmine and Antonia Dig Into the Kitchen and Family Room

The Kitchen, Before

The Kitchen, After

The (Toyetic) Kitchen of Tomorrow

The Family Room, Before

The Family Room, After

The Judges Tour Egypt and Mike’s Spaces

The Judges Tour Jasmine and Antonia’s Spaces

TV Dinners for Everybody!

Jon and Kristina Make a Splash in the Bedroom Suite

The Bedroom, Before

The Bedroom, After

The Bath Suite, Before

The Bath Suite, After

Go Big or Go Home

Alison and Ty Step Up in Ken’s Den

Ken's Den, Before

Ken's Den, After

Ken's Den, Before

Ken's Den, After

The Majestic 'Stache Stash

The Judges Tour Jon and Kristina’s Spaces

The Judges Tour Alison and Ty’s Space

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