I left New York City and bought an 1800s farmhouse – I transformed it into a Barbie Dream House and added $100k in value
A man has transformed his old farmhouse into a “Barbie dreamhouse” and added $100k in value.
Jonny Carmack, 31, bought the three-bedroom home in October 2020 for $256,000 and knew it would be a fixer-upper.
Jonny got to work on the day he moved in, starting off by painting the bathroom pink.
He has spent $20,000 on the place by buying second-hand items at estate sales and vintage dealers.
The 1800s farmhouse, which he lives in with partner Mitchell Pozo, 29, has fluffy pink walls and grass doors.
He’s filled with 1980s furniture, colorful accents, and even a few Barbie-themed accessories.
Jonny, a small business owner, from Danbury, Connecticut, said: “My earliest memories of growing up I always leaned towards feminine in my style.
“I come from a blue-collar family, I had always wanted Barbie dolls and it was not widely accepted for me to have those interests.
“I remember being young and having to hide my toys knowing I wanted to live in a doll house one day.”
Jonny moved into his house at the height of the pandemic, after living in New York, because he wanted to escape the city.
When he bought the home, he said, it was crumbling and filled with mold.
“It was the first and only house I toured — it is my first home,” he said.
“It’s got three bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms, it is the perfect size for me my partner.
“When I bought the house I knew I wanted to use it as a landing pad for my creativity.
“I was still a bit nervous as I didn’t know how my family and friends would react.”
Some of Jonny’s second-hand items included a $50 Murano light, a $1,000 bedroom set, a $900 big chill fridge, and a couch he bought for $1,000.
“The day I moved in, I just wanted to transform the place as soon as I could,” he recalled.
“After I painted the bathroom, my first major project was the living room.
“I really wanted to get it looking right. I started that and it looks completely different to what it looked like originally.
“Each room has changed five or six times in the course of a few years.”
Jonny said he is content with how the house looks and often collaborates with his partner Mitchell, a visual merchandiser when he wants to change the rooms around.
“Me and Mitchell share the same brain,” he said.
“He is super creative like me and visual, he is in tune with the whole process.
“He loves color, it is super fun, and he helps me with a lot of what I do.
“Before I start changing a room, we will brainstorm with each other.”
Since moving in, Jonny has added $100,000 in value to the property and only spent $20,000 renovating it, he claims.
He admitted that his family isn’t so sure about his interior design skills but his friends love his style.
“My family will come over and be like: ‘What the hell did you do?’ he said.
“My family is more conservative — they don’t say anything rude but it is a non-reaction.
“My friends love it though, this last summer we watched the Barbie movie here.
“Also when we are out, people will approach me about the house and my friends get a little kick out of it.”