St. Cloud’s ‘Barbie House’ crowned Ugliest House in America, gets major makeover

Goodbye pink interiors, cramped spaces and cinder block walls. Hello light, bright and open spaces.

America watched Monday night as the “Barbie House” in St. Cloud was crowned the HGTV Season 5 “Ugliest House in America” and was transformed into a modern-day haven while giving nods to its former, quirky shell.

Host actress/comedian host Retta and designer Alison Victoria, armed with a television crew, came to the house to deliver the news that the homeowners, identified as Joe and Jack, were the winners of a $150,000 home renovation.

Being named the ugliest house is the ultimate compliment for homeowners who nominate their offbeat homes in the light-hearted television series in hopes of getting design help.

The house stood out from 15 homes across the country for having “every shade of pink imaginable with a miniature bathroom that can’t even hold a bath ... walls and ceilings that make you look like you’re serving time,” Retta concluded during the Monday night episode. “Jack and Joe are receiving a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Designer Alison Victoria’s approach? Updating without “stripping this house of the quirkiness.”

That meant lightening the pink-painted and red-carpeted gathering spaces with mostly neutral colors, knocking down walls between rooms for better flow, adding a kitchen island, new cabinets and shelving and covering cinderblock walls with sheetrock, then using designer wallpaper and statement tiles as accents.

Victoria also created more square footage in the bathroom by taking out an unused closet, which made room for a bathtub and dual vanity. Double doors were added off a bedroom leading to the patio on the other side.

In addition to addressing the couple’s space needs, Victoria had a few surprises up her sleeve. She decided to extend the al fresco spaces by adding a concrete pad with an outdoor kitchen and lounge area.

“There’s no real outdoor space for them to hang out in, so I want to make this even bigger and better than they could have ever imagined,” the designer said. While the team was at it, they painted the house’s bright mint green exterior white.

The house still has plenty of personality. The house’s former trademark mint green exterior now shows up in places such as the exterior doors. The pink counter in the kitchen was repurposed into side and coffee tables. And Victoria hired a local artist to paint the outdoor patio with a design that incorporated teal, black and gold – prominent colors of former spaces.

“We wanted to pay a little respect to the old house,” she said.

During the televised reveal, the homeowners were overjoyed.

“This is more than I ever imagined a patio being for us ... they listened to what we wanted and went beyond,” Jack said.

Retta, too, was also impressed by the former Barbie home’s metamorphosis.

“I personally think this is your best work on the show,” she said.

Victoria was clearly tickled to get such high praise from the show’s host. “Really? I’ll take it,” she replied. “Thank you, that means a lot.”

While social media may have nicknamed the abode the Barbie house, HGTV dubbed it “The Prison House” because of its cinder block construction and claustrophobic feel.

Either way, the home is neither Barbie house nor prison any longer.

“I think [we hit] that classy and funky vibe they’re looking for,” Victoria said.