Barbie Dollhouse Project: Upstairs

The upper level of the dollhouse posed the greatest challenge in this remodel. I had no idea how I wanted to use the space. At one point I envisioned a large closet but quickly scrapped that idea when I realized it would completely block the largest window. The rooms just evolved as I pulled furniture out to place in the space.

The first space to come to fruition was the bathroom. I wanted to use the 2007 Mattel bathroom set but the layout was a bit tricky. In the end I removed the pedestal sink from the tile wall so that it would take up less space.

 Once I determined the position of the sink the other pieces fell into place. The mirror above is a refrigerator magnet with a mirror tile glued onto the back. I removed the sconces from the Mattel sink unit and attached them to scrapbook tiles. The lights and mirror are adhered to a foam core wall papered in a light blue.

 Across from the mirror is a piece of framed art that I printed from the internet and glued to black foam for dimension. The potted plant was removed from a terra cotta pot and placed in a painted Barbie urn. Every bathroom needs a little greenery.

The toilet lid and soaking tub lost the hideous pink in favor of classic black. The toilet paper holder was left as is. Flooring is a piece of scrapbook paper.

The floor under the tub was non-existent in the original house. Why it was made this way is beyond me.

In order to make this niche functional I simply cut a piece of foam core to fit snuggly into place. I made it a bit larger than the opening in the floor so that part of it rests on the dollhouse floor and part is free floating. Eventually I will glue supports in place to hold the floor better.

I so wanted to include the adorable little rubber ducky in this vignette but its location at the moment is alluding me.

A large bedroom takes up the middle portion of the second floor. The bed came first. I used the headboard and footboard from the My Scene Party Pad play set.


The bed itself is simply foam core wrapped in black fabric. It is nestled in the bay window without being permanently attached. The throw pillows are sewn from various fabric scraps. The blue pillows are from the Modern Luxury decor set. A Christmas ornament chandelier is the focal point in the sleeping nook. Keeping the installation looking clean took some creative thinking. I decided to treat it like a real chandelier.

The large ceiling medallion is a resin picture frame painted white. I filled in the center of the frame with a piece of foam core. I looped a piece of wire around the top of the chandelier and thread it through a decorative scrapbook embellishment. This piece is plastic and required a small hole to be drilled using my Dremel tool. Now I had a second ceiling medallion. Then the wire was threaded through the center of the foam core and taped securely to the back to keep everything flush. The whole piece was glued to the ceiling with my handy E6000 glue.

The hounds tooth area rug is a piece of scrapbook paper. I took my ruler and measured a quarter inch border all the way around which I colored with a black permanent marker. (must have craft supply!)

A vanity table dressing area utilizes the final window niche. Clean lines of the Jonathan Adler side tables positioned side by side contrast with the ornate antique mirror. I removed the silver bases of the tables in order to create the illusion of a vanity. They pop on and off rather easily.

The stool received upholstery in a funky zebra pattern. A few accessories complete the vignette.

The final room in the house is the stylish nursery. The focal point is the wrough iron crib whose canopy mimics the arch in the window. A mousepad area rug anchors the furniture and unifies the color scheme.

The furniture was part of a 2004 Barbie Play Set.

The furniture received a paint job and new knobs for the dresser. A corner lamp, small wooden rocker and a few baby accessories are the finishing touches.

That completes the tour of the newly renovated Barbie High School Musical Play Set into Barbie Mansion. Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Crafting!
Stephiejo♥