In this week's Editor's Desk, head of digital Lauren Grace Morris discusses the impact Barbie's having on design, the dark side of viral tourism destinations and why hospitality and co-working are mutually supportive.

In a Barbie World

Barbie, Barbie, Barbie: the world’s most recognizable doll is having her moment in the California sun with the release of Greta Gerwig’s film last week. You don’t need actually see the movie to have an idea of the set design – five minutes on any Internet platform will give you that. Taking from Barbie Dreamhouse design over the past 60 years and Palm Springs modernism, production was reportedly so pink-heavy that it depleted the world of Rosco’s fluorescent rose paint. But the flamingo-friendly takeover hasn’t just happened on London lots, where much of the movie was filmed. Retail and residential interiors are responding to the trend boom caused by Barbie’s inescapable marketing campaign. 

Random Studio took over Zara's Paris and New York flagship with immersive Barbie Dreamhouse-inspired installations.

Random Studio, for instance, teamed up with Zara to create immersive spaces in the fast fashion brand’s Paris and New York flagships. Marking Zara’s collaboration with Barbie and Barbie: The Movie, the human-scale dreamhouses take from the plasticky, modular – and, of course, pink – traits of Mattel’s iconic products. Seemingly frozen in place, much like Barbie and Ken’s expressions, the playful installations offer nothing if not a prime Instagram moment. But the rise of so-called Barbiecore suggests that this trend could play out in the interior world long after runtime. It aligns conveniently with ‘dopamine décor’, a TikTok movement embracing colour, pattern and all things positive. A sense of escapism certainly feels welcome as we face harrowing news day after day, but it’s important that the fantasy – and the consumption that follows – doesn’t go too far. We may want to visit Barbie World, but we can’t live there. 

Edit your bucket list

Speaking of Instagram: University of Greenwich lecturer Lauren A Siegel says it’s making you a bad tourist. That’s according to a recent article she wrote for The Conversation, which cites questionable – and sometimes, downright illegal – tourist behaviour in pursuit of viral spaces and experiences. ‘Being able to travel to and post about visiting the same places as one’s social group or online connections can be a form of social status,’ Siegel writes. ‘But it means that, in some cases, travellers will put more energy into creating content than they will to exploration, discovery or being respectful to local customs.’ As she continues, many hotspots – like Bali, New Zealand and Iceland – have implemented guidelines and campaigns to encourage mindful etiquette among travellers. 

FRAME’s hometown Amsterdam is another place at odds with tourism. It’s not solely a social media problem, but block-long lines to influencer-favourite stroopwafel shops and cafés are testament to the impact of TikTok and Instagram. And it’s easy to see how algorithmic spatial design plays into the problem: while some destinations are minimalistic and Scandinavian-inspired and others are whimsical and vibrant, they’re clearly developed to be photographed and shared – and shared and shared again. Success in achieving this incentivizes retailers and hospitality business owners to develop interiors that are more about quantity (of visitors) rather than true quality of experience, motivating the same kind of indulgent, content-driven behaviour Siegel critiques.

MEOW has partnered with Amsterdam’s Kimpton DeWitt outpost to offer hospitality-led co-working in the hotel’s Café Celia.

F&B – &W(ork)

This week, FRAME’s Amsterdam-based team has been trialling MEOW, a new co-working offer in the city. Started by local firm D/DOCK, the startup partners with premium hotels to deliver hospitality-led workdays in vacant common areas or private rooms. The experience is a welcome departure from the straightforward, impersonal day you might have at co-working venues operated by real-estate developers. Hospitality-trained staff and rich amenity programming lends itself extremely well to the hybrid workplace, creating environments attractive to those who otherwise work from home. With built-in wellness, health and social spaces, hotels are a natural match for co-working operators who want to build a more dynamic sense of community. In return, hotel areas populated by workers also encourage guests to use them more – and spend more on extras. It’s a win-win situation for all those involved.