Bobby Berk Reveals the One Home Decor Item You Can Always Save On (and Where You Should Splurge)

The Queer Eye interior designer shares his tried and tested decorating tips in Better Homes & Gardens' September issue

Creating a beautiful space doesn’t have to break the bank, according to Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk.

The design guru of Netflix’s hit makeover series drops some of his best decorating truths in the September issue of Better Homes & Gardensincluding the one place in your home where you can afford to be a little stingy.

“Rugs can be so crazy expensive, and you literally walk all over them. Scrimp on rugs,” he advises. “Just make sure you’re not getting one that will shed forever, because that’s going to drive you insane.” (Fuzzy flokati, shag and some natural grass styles are guilty of this.)

The place you ought to splurge, according to Berk? Bedding.

“You spend 20 to 30 percent of your life in bed. It should feel like when you go to a nice hotel and the sheets are smooth an crisp,” he says.

He gives an unconventional bit of advice about how to make sure you’re really getting your beauty rest: think of your home as a phone charger.

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“When we get home at night we always plug in our phone because we know if it doesn’t get a full charge, it won’t last to the next day. But we don’t think of ourselves as a phone that needs to be recharged,” he says. “Your home is that charger, and you need to make sure you’re getting back up to 100 percent.”

For extra coziness, he told PEOPLE in a 2018 feature about his Los Angeles loft, “I use different textures to create layers. They’re all coordinated to create a very homey and lush feeling.”

In BH&G, the designer also revisited some of his most dramatic Queer Eye makeovers, including season 3 favorite Jess’s living rom.

bobby-berk-jess-Queer-Eye-room-before

Jess hadn’t had a real home since she was 16, so Berk chose pieces with a sense of permanence. He traded out casual floor cushions for a streamlined sofa and a pair of upholstered chairs that highlight her home’s architectural focal point: a fireplace, which he painted black for extra pop.

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For more decorating tips, pick up the September issue of Better Homes & Gardens or visit bhg.com.

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