HEWI MAG / Design
The children's bathroom reconceptualised: The Barbie™ × HEWI collection for child-friendly bathroom design
Pop culture meets architecture with the clear goal of creating spaces that encourage children's joy of discovery, enable independence and put inclusion into practice. In collaboration with Mattel, HEWI presents the Barbie™ × HEWI collection, which has been specially developed for use in children's bathrooms. For architects, it opens up new design perspectives for bathrooms in pre-schools, children's clinics, paediatric wards and other child-friendly facilities in the education and healthcare sectors.
The children's bathroom as a learning and living space
In child-orientated environments, the bathroom is much more than just a functional place. It becomes part of everyday life, play, care – and individual development. Be it in pre-school, on a paediatric ward or in a therapeutic environment: in these places, children experience routines such as washing their hands or brushing their teeth as a social and often creative process. Anyone planning a bathroom for children is designing a space that not only enables hygiene, but also promotes orientation, independence and emotional security.
A well-planned children's bathroom not only takes ergonomic requirements into account, but also appeals to children emotionally. Colours, shapes and materials influence how safely and independently children move around the room. The Barbie™ x HEWI collection HEWI picks up on this idea and implements it with a design that is tailored to the child's experience.
Design meets function: The Barbie™ × HEWI collection
The collaboration with the pop culture icon Barbie™ sets fresh accents in sanitary architecture. The 477/801 range is presented in the familiar, clear design – now in a unique edition with a consistent colour concept in pink. This world of colour conveys warmth, security and openness – qualities that play a major role in child-friendly areas in particular. Be it in children's hospitals, on paediatric wards or in pre-schools: The collection supports an atmosphere in which children feel safe and welcome. It can be flexibly integrated into a wide variety of concepts – from furniture and accessories to functional accessories.
In addition to classic products such as the 111 lever handle, which stands for durability and maximum durability, and the practical hooks, which create order and structure in a child-friendly way, the collection shows how even small details can contribute to user-friendliness.
Low-barrier products promote children's independence and at the same time fulfil the highest requirements in terms of safety and hygiene. The basis is the principle of universal design: intuitive, robust solutions that cater for children at different stages of development and enable inclusion.
Inspiration for child-friendly bathroom design
Whether furnishing a children's bathroom, choosing accessories or implementing creative bathroom ideas, the Barbie™ × HEWI collection creates bathrooms that go beyond pure function. In pre-schools, clinics or inclusive care facilities, they create worlds of experience in which children can try things out, develop an identity and experience real participation.
For architects, this means a new level of creative freedom without compromising on safety, durability or hygiene.
BARBIE™ and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under licence from, Mattel. ©2025 Mattel.
