Together known as The Home Edit, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin have worked with tons of A-listers, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Khloé Kardashian to Eva Longoria. One could argue that their latest project, while quite different, was for their most famous client yet: Barbie. For the 2021 iteration of her famous DreamHouse, Mattel asked Shearer and Teplin to imagine how they'd organize everything from her refrigerator to her tiny clothes and shoes. “It was too big to even dream up,” Shearer tells AD of the project.
If you've seen their work on Instagram or on their Netflix show Get Organized With the Home Edit, you know that Shearer and Teplin have a signature style that includes color-coded books and lots of clear plastic bins. All of this is included in their DreamHouse. “We probably have to agree that our favorite is the fridge. It has these tiny little bins of fruits and veggies like we would have in our real fridge. So cute,” says Teplin. Other adorable moments include Barbie's closet, where she has clear bins for purses and shoes, and her kitchen counter with its color-coded teabags and coffee pods.
The specific Home Edit version of the new and improved DreamHouse, which was unveiled today, is not for sale, unfortunately, but the partnership highlights how the makers of Barbie are bringing the toy into the modern age. The global head of design for Barbie and fashion dolls at Mattel, Kim Culmone, tells AD that her team of toy designers, industrial designers, engineers, architecture and interior design consultants, and beyond do take home trends into account when creating a new DreamHouse. “Right now there is a lot of attention on indoor-outdoor living and multiuse spaces, especially over the course of the last year with people working from home and their entire lives being conducted within the confines of their living space,” she says. “The idea of indoor-outdoor spaces and adaptable spaces conceptually is something that we took into consideration when designing this house in particular.”
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This manifested in the form of a patch of grass that can be moved to create a front yard, backyard, or roof deck. And with people “longing to have celebrations again” after the COVID-19 pandemic, the home features a DJ booth, a disco ball, and an outdoor kitchen. It is also a smart house, with lights and sounds activated at the click of a button. “The smart house activation allows you to create a party mode, which is very popular with kids,” says Culmone.
