Just like with fashion, interior design trends come and go. We tend to look to celeb designers like Queer Eye‘s Bobby Berk to get a headstart on the new “it” trend of the interior design world. Berk, who recently partnered with Sensodyne to introduce Nourish: a sustainable toothpaste that delivers on product efficacy, says that for him personally, the hottest new design trend is sustainability.
We were lucky enough to sit down with Berk recently to chat all about sustainability (including his new line of sustainably-produced rugs!), Earth day, organization and we even talked about some controversial takes on popular home decor trends. While Berk is quick to add that the only trend people should worry about is whatever style makes them happy, Berk also is passionate about helping people achieve the look they want while making their homes more eco-friendly. You can check out SheKnows’ full conversation with Berk below.
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SheKnows: With today being Earth day, what are some of your favorite ways to incorporate sustainability into interior design and other areas of your day-to-day routine as well?
Bobby Berk: You know, when it comes to interior design, I am very conscious of how products that I use are made. Obviously, not everything can be sustainable — hopefully, in the future it can, but I try to be conscious of that. For example, I do a lot of thrift shopping for design. So many things get thrown away and donated. You know, so many people these days, it’s often cheaper just to buy new stuff when you move across the country than it is to pay to move it and so you get the entire households of stuff that are donated so I love Thrifty and I love going to flea markets and Goodwill. You can find the best stuff, especially like we use a lot of books for coffee tables and bookcases when we decorate and the best place to go to is Goodwill. It’s the best place to get books instead of going to a new bookstore.
What products are made out of is also really important, for example, my new rug line that I just came out with, a lot of my rugs are made out of recycled plastic water bottles, so one eight by 10 rug gets about six hundred and seventy bottles out of the environment. I just like being conscious of the products you are buying because think about a product’s lifecycle. You know, when you look in your shopping cart, look at it and go, “All right. Is this a product that is all new materials and this is its first life? Or is this a product that’s a recycled material? Or is this its maybe second, third, fourth, fifth life?” And then I think after I’m done with this, can it have another life? And also, when I’m shopping, I look at my cart and I try to try to look at the products’ packaging, the life. What was its life before and what will its life be after? And it if it hasn’t had a life before, it must be able to have a life after.
SK: How will you be celebrating Earth day this year?
BB: I try to celebrate Earth Day every day. You know, I don’t know if I have a specific plan, but yeah, I just try to be as sustainable as possible every day I can by just thinking about the lifecycle of the products I use.
SK: What are some of the outdoor decor trends you’re most excited about this spring?
BB: You know, the thing about the outdoors is stuff that you use outdoors, it doesn’t have to be just for the outdoors. You don’t have to leave it outside. A lot of people are like, “Oh, I need to get outdoor pillows and outdoor throws,” but no, you take them out when you use them and you bring them back in when you’re done. Like, I have this basket full of blankets that I keep in the living room because I like it chilly in my house. So my friends usually have a blanket when they come over and when we sit outside on the deck, I bring that basket of throws out and people can cover up on the sofa with my indoor throws. And then when we’re done, I fold them back up and I bring them indoors. So I think the trend that I love the most is just bringing your indoor stuff outside.
SK: Are there any decor trends you’re just completely over?
BB: I am kind of getting sick of farmhouse modern. I think Joanna [Gaines] has beat that one to death at this point. So I’m a little over farmhouse modern but I don’t think that any genres or trends or styles should go away. If there’s something that still makes somebody happy, I’m all for it.
SK: Favorite way to cozy up an outdoor space for under $100?
BB: Plants. Plants make any space feel better, so I would definitely spend that on plants because again, I don’t need to make it cozy. I’ll just bring stuff from inside. So it’s if it’s me, I’m spending on plants.
SK: Favorite hostess gift to bring to an outdoor get-together?
BB: I actually like bringing flower arrangements that also have edible elements. Like a flower arrangement with lemons or kumquats. Or edible flowers because they’re pretty but then they can also be used to make cocktails. I also like to bring plants, you know, because a lot of times people will just bring flowers and then the host has to go find a vase and then they have to cut them, which is extra work they don’t need.
SK: Let’s say you’re invited to a BBQ potluck. What are you bringing?
BB: Watermelon. Growing up, I actually had my own watermelon patch. That was my special garden where I planted cantaloupe and watermelon because I love them so much.
SK: Any interior paint colors you’re really loving right now?
BB: I love either neutrals or going black. But when you do a black wall, you need to balance it with light stuff everywhere else. So if you have black walls, you need light floors, you need light furniture. I think a lot of people get afraid of black walls because they don’t think about the balance that needs to happen.
SK: Favorite tools for keeping your home organized?
BB: I have to say I don’t have a lot of stuff. So my home stays organized because I just don’t allow crap in it. I try to stay away from going out and buying all those plastic organizing bins. I mean, I’m sure you know exactly what show I’m talking about when I’m talking about those. Everyone thinks those are so pretty but I’m like, “Oh my God, the amount of plastic they went out and bought to organize”! It’s just so unnecessary.
SK: Do you have any fun travel plans for this summer?
BB: I am going to Missouri to see my family. That’s bittersweet. And then let’s see. My husband and I are going down to Cabo for a couple of weeks and then we’ll be leaving soon to go film the next season of Queer Eye. My summer will be, unfortunately, completely taken by filming the next season. So sadly, after Cabo, no fun travel plans.
SK: Can you tell us about your most memorable vacation?
BB: Yes, but it’s really bougie, and I don’t like to talk about this. OK, let me rewind. In 2020, Elton John, of course, every year has an Oscar viewing party and that year he was nominated for an Oscar, so he was at the Oscars. He asked me and my cast mates to host a party for him and every year they have an auction for charity, and they auction off this week on a private island off the coast of Tanzania. So I bet on it and I won it. And so obviously then literally a week later, COVID hit and so that year we weren’t able to go. But then the next year, it turned out it was perfect timing because it was my 40th birthday so me and eight friends went to this private island off the coast of Tanzania that I won at an auction and it was just amazing.
SK: Do you have any exciting new projects coming up that you can tell us about?
BB: My new rug collection that I mentioned is coming out. We soft-launched it, we just haven’t started the marketing campaign for it yet so it’s available on my website now. A lot of it is made out of recycled plastic bottles. So again, like an eight by 10 is six hundred around six hundred and seventy plastic bottles. Very excited about that coming up.
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