I give all the credit of this idea to my oldest daughter. She is so creative when it comes to seeing ways to make an old toy new again. She started dabbling in sewing her own Barbie doll clothes and accessories around the age of seven. That led her to be creative with the small furniture she had for her Barbie house.

She has created her own mini doll rooms out of cardboard boxes, but wanted the furniture to coordinate. We all know that Barbie doll furniture is often colored in bright colors, not normally seen in most furniture stores. My daughter decided to change this.

Using simple craft supplies, she updated her doll furniture, and I just had to share.

DIY Idea for Making Barbie Doll Furniture Look New (and updated)

Barbie furniture is hot pink, baby blue or other very toy colors. It makes sense. They are toys. But you can breathe new life into plastic toy items easily with some acrylic craft paint. It is a Barbie furniture upcycle project!

All you need is acrylic paint, paintbrushes and some water for rinsing the brush. A paper plate helps as a palette.

My daughter started by painting the plastic furniture a more neutral realistic furniture color. I was sure the paint would be worn right off, but it did not. She did not prep the pieces either. She just got started with painting.

After the furniture pieces were done to her liking, her younger siblings joined in to help. They tried the idea of painting plastic toys on a little toy house they had. It had gotten shoved to a corner and had not been played with much. By painting it, the kids brought it back out and gave it a fresh chance.

The paint went on well on the furniture. It takes a couple of coats to not look streaky. Let each coat dry thoroughly before painting another coat.

That’s it. Simple DIY for updating the Barbie furniture or small plastic toys.

This is a great activity for a nice day outside. Lay some old sheets or drop cloths on the driveway and let the kids get creative. You may find they bring out toys that have been in the back of the closet for a while and start playing with them again.

What DIY ways have you found that help the kids see new life in their old toys?