Barbiecore Is the New Design Trend to Swoon Over in 2023

We're currently living in a Barbie world. Here's how to embrace the hot pink aesthetic in your home.

You might be feeling like you're literally viewing the world through rose-coloured glasses this year. Pink is everywhere – on red carpets, in stores, and on your social feeds. The rise in vibrant pink is officially being referred to as 'Barbiecore', and it's fantastic.

"A much-welcomed mood-booster after the last few years, the 'Barbiecore' trend is all about embracing vibrant hues – particularly the doll's signature hot pink – in everyday life," Etsy trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson said in a statement to Good Morning America.

Whether you're eagerly waiting for Greta Gerwig's highly-anticipated Barbie movie or you're swooning over Valentino's colour du jour, this bubbly tone is taking over the world and there are plenty of ways to get the look – sans plastic!

What is Barbiecore?

It's all in the name – Barbiecore is the trend that's embracing the iconic doll's aesthetic and it's your ticket to the Barbie world. This bright, vibrant trend is defined by a very particular tone of pink – that nostalgic magenta – but it also embraces all hues of pink.

While Mattel's iconic doll has been highly popular since her inception in the 1950s, this pretty-in-pink style has taken the design world by storm in 2023, and it's not a coincidence that it aligns with the growing hype of the 2023 Barbie movie.

Why is pink trending?

This hot hue is doing the rounds in 2023, and there are a few reasons for it. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling will co-star as Barbie and Ken in Greta Gerwig's feminist retelling of Barbie. Leaning into "hyper-femininity" the pink trend evokes nostalgic images of Y2K legends like Paris Hilton the cast of Mean Girls, that iconic Motorola RAZR V3 flip phone, '80s aerobics-wear, and of course the all-American it girl, Barbie.

Aside from the new Barbie movie, pink has been prevalent elsewhere in the design world. The 'Balletcore' trend – one that draws inspiration from the graceful and elegant aesthetic of ballet has also given rise to popularity in pink products. And Pantone's 2023 Colour of the Year is Viva Magenta, a vibrant pink shade that they describe as "powerful and empowering, encouraging the freedom of self-expression and experimentation."

Valentino's signature hot pink tone officially named "Pink PP", has been featured in many of their recent designs including their Fall/Winter 2022-2023 runway show which featured 33 pink looks, and has been recently adorned by celebrities including Lizzo, Florence Pugh, and Anne Hathaway. The colour was established by the Maison and Pantone Colour Institute and has become a hallmark of the brand and an iconic hot pink tone to embrace.

Dopamine dressing – wearing clothes you love will boost your mood – has become a post-lockdown trend and is likely the reason pink is so hot right now. Colour is closely associated with emotion and vibrant tones can help energise and boost our moods. The pandemic has also led many of us to feel nostalgic and yearning for happier, more carefree times, so it makes sense that we would lean into tones and motifs that were highly popular in times gone by.

How to incorporate pink into your home

Keen to transform your home into a Barbie world? Thankfully, pink tones are versatile and feed warmth into a space. It all starts with the level of commitment you're going with. Perhaps you want to fully embrace the trend with a hot pink feature wall or monochrome pink bedroom scheme.

If you're not interested in going all-out pink, you can incorporate pops of the hue in the form of artwork, coffee table books, cushions, or a bright floral arrangement, or, you can opt for less vibrant shades of pink.

One of the easiest ways to embrace the trend is with pink linens. Our Pink Clay Bedding Set works well here and you can brighten it up a little bit by adding Rosewater Sheet Set – it's sophisticated yet leans into the playful Barbie vibe.