A ‘Barbie Dream House’ in Ann Arbor can be yours for $315K

ANN ARBOR, MI — An Ann Arbor condo listed for sale is getting national attention for its Barbie doll interior.

The cottage-like exterior of the townhome on Alpine Drive hides a self-styled “Barbie Dream House” inside — a pink paradise of over-the-top décor gathered by the sellers over the last nine years.

The 1,300-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-full bathroom and two-half-bathroom condo is listed for $315,000 by Therese Antonelli, owner of Moving the Mitten Real Estate. It’s part of Alpine Condos, a 59-building condominium development off Eisenhower Parkway near Briarwood Mall.

Room-by-room themes in the condo include an all-pink Barbie-inspired kitchen with custom cabinetry decorated with gold leaf and pink-hued Travertine tiles. The adjoining dining room features a bay window lined with leopard print cushions, a wall of thrifted vintage mirrors and a massive crystal chandelier.

There’s also a Scarface-inspired living room with red-and-black accents overflowing with leopard print, a Valentine’s Day bathroom covered in hearts and a pink bedroom with a four-poster bed and two walk-in closets, both packed with Juicy Couture purses , pillows and jewelry.

A second suite features black walls and a full bath that Antonelli said would make a perfect “man cave” for Barbie’s significant other “Ken.” As staged, it’s a craft studio, complete with a ring light and a pink frilly backdrop with two more walk-in closets.

The finished basement leans even more heavily into the Barbie theme.

It’s a pink-paneled “glam room” makeup studio that features leopard-print carpet and a fur-covered accent wall. The themes extend to all four of the home’s bathrooms, with drawn curtains framing the upstairs shower and a pink lipstick toilet seat in the basement half bath.

The home’s owner, Annie Penta, said the condo’s transformation began shortly after she and a roommate moved nine years ago.

The pair painted the unit’s blue walls with a shade of beige that Penta quickly decided was too safe – too boring. Starting in the finished basement, where she ran a makeup business called Penta Artistry, she began adding pink accents of increasing contrast and complexity. The home became part of her personal brand.

“People chose me as a makeup artist because of how I was. They were intrigued,” Penta said.

Over the course of the next few years, Penta took over her roommate’s side of the condo and began running an online business out of the second suite. Through Classically Plastic, she sells vintage bags and accessories that cater to a similar pink, different aesthetic. As the decorating bug took hold, Penta even created an Instagram account, @pentapalace, for the home.

“I’m a maximalist,” she said. “This is just me. This is what I like and what I do.”

When it came time to sell and move out-of-state, Penta realized making the home complete meant putting on a few final touches she’d been putting off for a while. She painted the new refrigerator pink and finished it in gold leaf and lined the sink with pink enamel to complete the kitchen. She also spruced up the décor in each of the themed rooms.

The home’s uniqueness, and Antonelli’s embrace of it in the listing language, has caused a stir online, catching the attention of quirky bloggers Zillow Gone Wild. A Twitter post from their account had drawn nearly 3 million views as of Tuesday, March 21.

Antonelli and Penta met when Penta Artistry did makeup for a promotional video parodying Ariana Grande that Antonelli’s real estate firm produced and also went viral.

“We’re in Ann Arbor, which is one of the most quirky, creative places,” Antonelli said. “Being here in all the pink, I said to myself, can I just lean into it?”

The house was listed Friday, March 17. An open house at the condo the next day drew about 30 prospective buyers and yielded several interested parties, Antonelli said.

Parting with the condo will be bittersweet after years of time and effort spent setting the home up just the way she likes it, Penta said. At the same time, she wouldn’t be upset if a prospective buyer wanted to redecorate.

The changes Penta has made to the condo aren’t permanent. And she said she’s planning to bring much of the décor with her when she leaves — unless, of course, the buyer is interested in negotiating for it.

“In the end, it’s just carpet and paint,” Penta said. “Unless they specifically ask for this couch or that, it’s going.”

More from The Ann Arbor News:

‘Back to the drawing board.’ After 18 years, Ann Arbor still wants a new train station

Vintage shop moves to new spot in downtown Ypsilanti

Ann Arbor advancing plan to redevelop blighted site across from YMCA

Ann Arbor OKs deal to have 100 Spin e-bikes placed around the city