Queer Eye star Bobby Berk recently quit the hit show to run his interior design studio full-time. In this exclusive interview, he discusses how his TV experiences have shaped his approach.
Having announced in November 2023 that he would be leaving his role as the Netflix reality series' interior design expert after eight seasons, Berk has since leaned full-time into work through his eponymous studio ? as well as being a Dezeen Awards judge.
"I think the show really did make me more confident in using colour"
"Designing for TV is very different from designing for a 'real world' project," Berk told Dezeen. "The timeline is so much quicker [in TV], and you're also creating a space that has to work in person and translate on screen." Berk described how his work on Queer Eye ? which sees the five expert presenters make positive changes to an ordinary person's lifestyle ? required him to adapt his usual design style in order to satisfy the needs of the show's makeover subjects.
"Design-wise, my work on Queer Eye often featured much more colour and pattern than I typically use," he explained. "I wanted to reflect the personalities and desires of the inhabitants, and that often meant going bold."
Berk appeared in eight seasons of Netflix's hit reality show Queer Eye
In contrast, Berk describes his personal style as a "mix of organic, modern, classic, Spanish, and minimal with a mostly neutral colour palette" that leans to...