11 minute read
QUEERING UP YOUR DESIGN WITH BOBBY BERK
QUEERING UP YOUR DESIGN WITH
BOBBY BERK
by Denny Patterson Photo by Luke Fontana
Bobby Berk wore many hats before becoming the interior design expert on Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning show Queer Eye. Raised in a small, Missouri town, he dropped out of high school at 15 and worked various retail jobs. Driven to pursue his growing passion for interior design, he settled in New York in 2003 and worked his way up in companies like Bed Bath & Beyond and Restoration Hardware. This led him to eventually become Portico Home + Spa’s creative director. Berk started his own company and launched his brand and lifestyle website, bobbyberk.com, before becoming a member of the Fab Five. Now in its fifth season, Queer Eye is one of the most popular shows on Netflix and is streaming in more than 100 countries. Earnest and endearing, Queer Eye continues to challenge social norms and bring change to people’s lives. OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Berk about Queer Eye, collaborating with Tempaper to donate to GLSEN , and how one can spruce up a home while on a budget. Hi, Bobby! What a pleasure it is to chat with you! Can you begin by telling us more about your recent collaboration with Tempaper?
I have actually worked with Tempaper for, like, 10 years now. It’s owned by a set of twins, and it was started by their aunt who was a set production designer on Broadway. She was constantly having to put up wallpaper, and it was driving her nuts. So, she started printing wallpaper on contact paper for these Broadway sets, and her nieces were like, ‘This is a great idea.’ Six months later, they walked into my store, and they were like, ‘We have this removable wallpaper product, and we want to know if you would carry it in your store.’ I said, ‘Sure, put some up on a wall, and we’ll see how it goes.’ I think I was one of their very first resellers ever. Our relationship grew into a friendship. Years later, I decided to do my own wallpaper line. I wanted to do a line that people can install and deal with themselves. Wallpaper can be inexpensive, but when you add in the cost of installation, it’s not cheap. Wallpaper installers are very talented tradespeople. So, I wanted to make sure I came out with a line that is very much a DIY product. I went to Tempaper
and asked to do a line with them, and we put together the very first line in two weeks for a big trade show. It did very well. We then launched three collections and recently launched the limited edition “You Are Seen” decals through GLSEN. It was great to do a product that helps an organization that means a lot to me. Why did you want to team up with Tempaper to donate to GLSEN?
Because GLSEN means a lot to me. I wish I had an organization like GLSEN when I was in school. I wish I had a support network like that of not just adults who were there for me but also a group of other students who were LGBTQ and allies. The boys and I met up with a GLSEN group in New York two years ago, and I was just so impressed with the organization. I really want to make sure that I do as much as possible for the kids and young adults who are a part of it. Even for our Family Feud episode, our money went to support GLSEN. It’s an organization that’s not just important to me, but important to the whole Fab Five. You have started that you are a prime example that it gets better for LGBTQ youth. Can you touch more on that?
Often, I am asked what is my advice for kids that are growing up in a very religious family and community, and I’m like, ‘It gets better.' This is such a small smidgen of time in your life. Adulthood gets way better. You are able to either leave that town or people and evolve. Also, keep remembering, all those people that are so cool and popular in high school, this is their peak. It is pretty guaranteed that this is going to be the highlight of their life when you are just getting started. So, you will laugh when you go back to your reunion. Now, the world knows you as the design expert on Netflix’s Queer Eye. How did you initially get involved with the show?
My publicist at the time heard that they were recasting the show and asked if I wanted to throw my name in the ring. I said yes. I did an audition on Skype, and I thought it was awful, but apparently it wasn’t. A week later, I got a call back that they wanted me to come in for in-person auditions, but they had gone through about 3,000 auditions, so it was narrowed down to the top 40. They had been casting for, like, six months. I came in the last week of it, and the rest is history. Did you watch the original Queer Eyefor the Straight Guy on Bravo?
Absolutely. I still remember where I was the moment I watched the very first episode. Because Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was such a huge success, did you have any hesitation or reservations about a reboot?
Not really. Because it was such a huge success, I was very excited to be on it. I had worked with Thom multiple times while living in New York. First, when I was managing Restoration Hardware, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy filmed there; then they filmed at Portico, a company I worked for. So, I mean, I was always fangirling over the show and Thom. It was very important to me because it was kind of the first show where real-life, gay people were on TV showing that it does get better. That you can be successful. There were no other real, gay people on television. I think Ellen was out at the time, but it wasn’t as easy to relate to Ellen. You know, these five guys really doing what their careers were, so it was the first time we were like, ‘Oh, OK, gay guys can be successful. We can go out there and do whatever we want to do, and the world will embrace us for it.’ It gave me a lot of hope, and I hope that the new Fab Five and I are able to give that type of hope to a new generation as well. Not only can five gay guys go on TV and be a stereotype that the world is comfortable with, because that’s what happened back then, this is no shade to them, but the world was barely ready to see gay people, but it was OK because they fit in a very specific box. They were interior designers, fashionistas, cooks, culture people, and groomers. OK, yeah, we can wrap our heads around that these are gay people, but if they had talked back then about the things we do, like our kid, husbands, and relationships, it wouldn’t have worked. The world would have been like, ‘Oh no, no, no. You stay in your lane. This is not OK.” So, I think it was ready for a reboot because the world was ready to see the gay community in a very different way. I hope that we are able to catapult change like the original guys did.
What is the best part about working with Jonathan, Tan, Karamo, and Antoni?
The great thing is, none of us take ourselves too seriously. That’s how we get through the long days that we put in, and the long weeks, months, and years. We are always there for each other and willing to support each other no matter what. Out of all the makeovers you guys have done, is there one that stands out to you the most?
There are definitely ones that are most memorable for different reasons. If we’re talking about ones that are definitely more of my design aesthetic, then Wesley from Season One, AJ from Season One, but those are the looks I would very much have in my own home. The most memorable for the amount of change it affected would be Wesley Tammye, the firehouse, often the ones where I am able to help a community. They usually mean the most to me because it’s having the biggest impact. Not to say that the ones where we’re helping an individual or a family aren’t important, but it’s always wonderful when I am able to affect a whole community in the same amount of time that I would normally just have one person. Have you always had a passion for interior design?
Yes. Even when I was little, I remember changing my bedroom around and redecorating based on a dinosaur poster, moving the furniture around in my parents’ house and changing where rooms were. I think that’s why I recently went back and completely gutted and remodeled my parents’ home. I always wanted to. It took me years, literally years, to talk them into letting me do it. I would always be like, ‘Let me redo your kitchen!’ They’re like, ‘No, no, no. We can’t let you do that.’ Then finally, one day, the kitchen was just falling apart, and the bracket that held the dishwasher up to the top of the counter broke. The dishwasher was just kind of hanging out, and the same week, a drawer fell apart, so my mom was like, ‘That’s it!’ She called me and said, ‘I have a surprise for you. I’m going to let you redo my kitchen.’ Oh, you’re going to let me, huh? Then I was like, ‘I can’t just redo the kitchen; I have to do it all.’ Just like an episode of Queer Eye.
What do you want the Bobby Berk brand to always be known for?
Accessibility. If you notice on bobbyberk. com, occasionally there will be some things that are a bit expensive, but they are also very unique. We don’t really sell anything on the website; we recommend a lot of things. Like, we’ll do design breakdowns, but for the most part, we really strive ourselves to be accessible.
We do articles on our favorite pillows, starting at $5. Some of them might go up to $200, but the majority of them are, like, $5 and under. So, I think that is what I like being known for. Design doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s not just for the wealthy; It can be accessible to everyone. Also, teaching people that design can really affect your mental health is what I want to be known for as well. Design can really change your life and the way you look at the world. What are some of your best tips to spice up your home?
If you want to spice up your home on a budget without changing anything structurally, I always recommend starting with rugs and pillows. It’s a great way to change the look of a room drastically without spending a lot of money. Rugs traditionally used to be quite expensive. There are a lot of great rugs out there that are printed that aren’t expensive at all. You can really change the look of a room with rugs and pillows without spending a lot. Are there any upcoming design trends we should be on the lookout for?
You know, the last major design and trade shows have all been canceled, so I haven’t really been able to look at any common trends. I know neutrals are still a really big thing. My home is still very neutral; it’s been that way for years. So, I am glad people are finally catching up to that. What are some design trends to stay away from?
Doing things to your home just because a magazine tells you to instead of doing what you love. Your home should reflect you. If your taste is tacky, do it. No one else lives there; it’s your house. Follow your heart, and do things that make you passionate. If you love that tacky-ass credenza from your aunt Gertrude, go for it. Good bedding. Even when I was dirt-poor, bedding was something I would always splurge on. It is very important to get a good night’s sleep. You spend so much of your life in bed; you should feel every night as if you are at a nice hotel. What’s next? Any other upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
We are constantly launching new stuff on bobbyberk.com. I have some new products that will be coming out soon. I can’t say what yet, we haven’t announced, but I will also be launching a new collection with my furniture line with A.R.T. That was supposed to be out in April, but it now may be October or next April. We’ll see. I am also still working with Target. Target has a very close and warm place in my heart. Target inspired me to be a designer, and it’s been amazing working with them and coming full circle To stay up-to-date Berk, follow him on Instagram @bobby, on Facebook at facebook.com/BobbyBerkOfficial, and visit bobbyberk.com.
