Several years ago, I came across a treasure. Someone was throwing out a 1978 Barbie A Frame Dream House. It had been sitting in the sun for what looked like years. The doors and windows were all missing. It was just the external shell, faded and filthy. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have the house of my childhood dreams, so I brought it home where it sat….for years. It is finally getting a makeover.
There is still a lot to do, but how about a tour? Right this way…Everything was painted Krylon’s Modern White. It was a perfect match to the original off white post and walls, so if you want to preserve the original look of the house you could definitely use it for that. I painted the yellow floor pieces that color as well. 
The roof, balcony, and trim around the windows were painted black with a satin finish. I didn’t want anything too glossy. I added a little detail to the windows (not sure if you call them mullions, or muntins, or grilles) since all of the original window pieces were gone.
You might notice that I also added some shiplap over the original diagonal siding. Here’s how that went:
I glued basswood to the original structure, then glued 5/8” wide strips of basswood to that, using little scraps of wood to keep my spacing consistent. After that, the entire section was trimmed around the edges to give it a framed effect.
Here is the completed wall section, hanging upside down, in my backyard, waiting for a coat of spray paint.
Since the original closet bump out was missing, I covered the opening with some decorative sheet metal framed with narrow basswood strips. The other side was covered with faux brick on both the interior and exterior walls. Everything was painted the same Modern White.
The floors, which were painted, needed a little help. The floor pieces are textured and so I couldn’t simply peel and stick this adhesive vinyl directly to them. Poster board was cut to fit the area, with extra at the edges to fold over into the grooves. The adhesive vinyl was then applied to the poster board and then those pieces were slipped into place over the floor sections.
Here’s the cardboard.
Here’s the vinyl, which was attached to the poster board. Corners were notched out.
The house was ready to assemble at this point. The flower boxes for the fronts and roof sections needed a little help. The adhesive Mossy Mat from the craft store added a little extra detail to base of the flower boxes.
An awl was used to puncture holes through the moss mat to allow the new flowers to be fitted into the boxes.
The flowering ‘shrubs’ were added and the boxes reattached to the structure.
A chandelier Christmas ornament was added to the second floor peaked ceiling, suspended from a paper clip.
There is still a lot of work to be done. Doors need to be made for the front and back doors. The balcony needs doors or windows as well. It is a work in progress, but it is starting to look the way I had envisioned all those years ago. I hope you like it! Thanks for reading!
Matilda Pink 
I like what you have done. Looking at the photos is like watching HGTV, doll house edition (smile).
I am looking forward to seeing how the house takes shape.
prettiest barbie house I have seen yet
You’re so kind to say that. Thank you!
I love what you have done. You have excellent taste and talented skills.
Aw! You’re so kind! Thank you – you made my day!
This is gorgeous! Will definitely be using this as inspiration. (Just picked one up this week for $35. I’d like to clean it up and modernize.)
Can I ask where you found the bed? I love the simplicity of it. Looks great with your house.
Congratulations on your ‘new’ Dream House! Have fun cleaning it up and making it your own. Regarding the bed, I bought this from Dream Come True Beds on Etsy. It’s so beautifully made that it is worth the price. Hope this link works for you:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/dreamcometruebeds?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=476030903
I don’t know if you are still checking this blog, but I wanted to thank you for the inspiration! I recently purchased a second-hand A-Frame, and loved your reno so much that I was inspired to do one myself. I’d love it if you would check it out and let me know what you think! 🙂 https://a-dollsworld.blogspot.com/
OH MY GOSH!!!! That is incredible!!! I love what you have done! Beautiful job and great blog!
My mom just picked up one from the trash, and found your page on Pinterest. Where are going to renovate it, hoping to have it look somewhat like yours. You did such a wonderful job!!!
Oh, thank you! Have fun renovating!!!
May I ask where did you get the flowers for the flower boxes?
Love!!!!!! Where did you get the flowers from? I love your style! I’ve seen so many variations that I am at a complete loss at what to do with my old house. Complete loss I almost wish I didn’t look but everything is so beautiful that people come up with I just don’t have that kind of skill or imagination. I do love your flowers and I love the way you did the windows. How did you do Them?
The flowers came from Hobby Lobby but you might find them at Michael’s or JoAnn.
Hobby Lobby : )
Your Barbie house is beautiful! Can you share where you bought the furniture?
I made some of the furniture. The doll bed is from Dream Come True Beds (on Etsy), the dresser and armoire are vintage Sandy which was damaged and I repaired the pieces and spray painted them pink so that you wouldn’t see where they had been fixed.
Where did you find your plants for the flower beds? I can’t find any this right scale or that look decent? Thank you in advance. I hope you’re still monitoring this old post.
The flowers for the flower beds came from Hobby Lobby. They are still available. You can find them where the plastic flowers and greenery are kept.
I am very much enjoying reading your blog. This Barbie house definitely went to the right person. So far it all looks fabulous. I would also love to have one of these someday!
Thank you! : )
i follow Ayla Jayln on social media and she rook an LOL dollhouse and redid it so i thought i can do that. I combed fb and ebay for an aframe house. I got the shell and put it together. Naturally it was the off white, faded orange and yellow. I really wanted the pink one so i painted it. Some of the doors and windows were missing and i was able to get all but one replaced. Its soo fun! Then i saw yours. Where did you find the bed? No one has that scale. Any tips on how to make it? Thanks for sharing. I thought minitures were a dead hobby. Thanks for proving me wrong!
kim
Hi Kimberly –
Congrats on your house project. So much fun to be had. The bed is from Dream Come True Beds which I purchased on Etsy. I’m not sure if they are still in business, but I hope so. The quality is incredible and worth the price. : )
Hi,
I had the same dream and just bought one today. I was wondering if you could tell me what you made the millions out of and how you plan on making the replacement doors your mentioned. It is Spectacular by the way ! Thank you so much for posting your story it made my day to read !
Hi! The mullions were made out of balsa wood. You can purchase balsa strips that are 3/16″ by 3/16″ and 36 inches long. I cut those to fit and hand painted them black (no spray paint for this part). As for the replacement doors, I ended up purchasing doors from a later ’80’s Barbie Dream House. They were pink, but they fit perfectly. I just painted those with spray paint and they look nice, I think.
Hello,
love the way you refurbished this house. What kind of black paint did you use? I know you said satin but was it a spray paint or from a can?
also where did you find the perfect size flowers for the flower boxes?
thanks so much
Yes, it was spray paint. And for the flowers, I found them at Hobby Lobby. Hope that helps!