Barbie’s taking over! With the release of Barbie just around the corner, HGTV is immersing itself in all things Barbie with the competition series Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge. Judge Tiffany Brooks spoke EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife about witnessing the renovation of a Southern California home into the beautiful, bold, and life-size Barbie oasis.
“One of the key things that I was looking for as a judge when it came down to the renovation was how they interpreted the Barbie dreamhouses themselves into their spaces,” Tiffany said. “I was looking for nods in the different houses. Each team was assigned a different decade, so I was looking for representation of the Barbie dreamhouses in the Barbie place that’s of that era to be generally used and shown off and presented in their spaces for the house. Each team did it in such a crazy good way. Each space is stylish and I can’t think of a space I would not actually live in.”
Tiffany was thoroughly impressed with the tech that was used in the Barbie dreamhouse. “The designers were challenged to implement what we call ‘toy-etic’ features and a lot of them use the technology that we have today,” she noted. “If you press a button in the Barbie dreamhouse this is what happens. It could be an elevator or something on a conveyor belt, so some of the tech features that we saw in the house or some of the toy features we saw in the house are definitely some things that you can implement, especially the voice activation and the push button movement of some of the furniture and some of the items in the rooms themselves.”
The interior designer was excited to see the ’70s era of Barbie implemented into the house. Tiffany also pointed out a major design trend she’s seeing as a result of Barbie this year. “People are using color,” Tiffany told HollywoodLife. “I didn’t know if it was because we’re in the summer again and that’s when we see the refreshing whites mixed with the pinks and teals and the blacks. But I do really really believe that is because of Barbie-mania that’s happening right now. Companies are embracing it and adding in those touches of pink and those softer blues.”
Tiffany is a judge alongside Jonathan Adler and guest judges Nischelle Turner, Marsai Martin, and Christian Siriano. Ashley Graham is the host of the show. “There was no way I was turning this down. It was like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a dream, especially getting to work with someone who I look up to as a design guide, Jonathan Adler,” she gushed.
Barbie has been around for generations and continues to have an impact across the world. “Barbie just keeps reinventing herself. Barbie is a trendsetter. She is not a trend. She’s a trendsetter,” Tiffany said about Barbie’s influence. “Barbie is one of the things that transcends time. Barbie is who we are today. Barbie is today’s woman.” Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge premieres July 16 at 8 p.m. on HGTV.