BE OPEN BLOG

In celebration of the highly anticipated Barbie movie, the iconic Malibu DreamHouse has undergone an all-pink makeover. While the world is watching its triumphant comeback on Airbnb, we recall bespoke contemporary buildings that are pretty in pink.

Valencia-based architecture studio Mar Plus Ask has built a pair of tiny retreats that are washed by the tones of pink and purple inside in Mallorca, Spain.

Nestled within a vast grove of olive trees and named The Olive Houses, the two houses offer an intimate and colorful atmosphere for guests who want to stay in these houses. While the Purple House marks the revitalization of a pre-existing structure, with most elements dating back thousands of years, the Pink House is a brand new intervention to the heritage site.

Founders Mar Vicens of Spain and Ask Anker Aistrup of Denmark avoided the removal of both the trees and the rocks from this incredible scenic landscape of stacking stone terraces. They have built the Pink House around a giant rock, which is undoubtedly the main character in the space.  The interior space is kept as minimalistic as possible, which is painted by pink stucco, an arched door is marks the space. The house contains a bed, shower and fireplace with large central space.

Beside it, an open shower is installed fed by rainwater collected and filtered on the roof and illuminated naturally with a skylight. The elements needed for a comfortable sleep feeling as close to nature as possible.

The houses are powered only by solar panels and the water comes from the water spring on the plot.

The aged pink and ochre tones are the main identity of the Atlantic island of São Miguel, in the Azores, where Italian/Portuguese architecture practice Mezzo Atelier has converted an old stable from the beginning of the 20th century into two guesthouses. To adapt the project aptly named the Pink Houseto contemporary regulations, new openings were carefully placed within the colorful façade, as well as on the stone wall. A new volume was added to the existing structure to create a second, smaller house that is carefully integrated with the original building.

The bigger house develops in two levels: the ground floor opens to the surrounding exterior spaces and reaches out to its different heights, creating a semi-level floor where a social space gives access to the private suites and service area. The upper floor, which is designed as an open plan, contains social spaces beneath a high ceiling. A terrace has been placed on the roof of the smaller house, which can be accessed from the kitchen.

New elements, including exterior stairs, connecting the outdoor terrace, as well as the use of whitened wood in the interiors, are re-interpretations of the Azorean vernacular architecture, which was important to pay homage to.

The interiors and furniture were carefully designed in order to create a neutral and peaceful atmosphere, allowing the garden views to be prominent on the inside spaces. Local cryptomeria wood (Japanese cedar) was used abundantly for construction and furniture and old wooden beams of pine and acacia found on site were converted into custom-made tables.

Back in 2017, Shanghai-based architecture studio Wutopia Lab used pink to explore constructs around gender and food for an architecture biennale in Shenzhen. The team painted two houses in Dameisha Village, an urban slum, pink and blue, filling one with meat and the other with flowers.

The architects believe that traditionally public kitchens are the domain of men, while women rule over private domestic kitchens. The conceptual installation, titled His House and Her House, aimed to discuss the contrasting roles of men and women in the kitchen and how this is reflected in dietary habits.

The two houses are according to a binary concept of gender. While His House was painted Henri Matisse’s blue and green and filled with bacon and wine to symbolize the men’s “desire for survival”, Her House was supposed to embody women’s “sensitivity and delicacy.” Outside, pale curtains shelter the veranda and a galleried balcony above in a veil that implies the introversion of female life. Inside, various rooms cater to stereotypically feminine culinary pursuits, including ritualised elements of dieting (such as tonic diet or a vegetarian diet) and Ikebana, the Japanese art of meditative floral arrangement.