Bobby Berk’s Book: ‘Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind’ – Designed to Help and Inspire [Exclusive]
Designer Bobby Berk wanted his first book to extend beyond pages of home design eye candy, but instead offer practical style inspiration that could be put into practice.
As Queer Eye‘s resident home decor guru, Berk is always thinking of how design can be helpful and make his clients’ lives easier. So when it came to creating a book, he insisted that his book be more than just beautiful but also accessible to everyone.
“So, it comes out September 12th and the inspiration behind it was teaching people. I have always wanted to democratize design,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his new book, “Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind.”
“So many times, for years people have been like, ‘Oh, please put out a design book, please put out a design book.’ And to be really frank, design books are expensive to make because of all the photography and setup, and thus you have to pass that on. And the cost of the book is expensive and it limits who can buy it.”
Bobby Berk wanted his book to inspire but also help
Berk’s hesitation with authoring a design book came from his desire to ensure that his book was something for everyone, not just a pretty page-turner that collects dust on a coffee table.
“I wanted to do a book that was available to almost anybody and a book that would not just show you some pretty pictures of inspiration, but really teach you that design has a huge effect on every aspect of your life and really teach you how to figure out what your design esthetic is, how to set up a space,” he shared. “Color theory, light theory, so many different aspects of your life. And so that’s what the inspiration of the book was, to really do a book that helped and inspired. Not just inspire.”
Bobby Berk reveals a simple way to transform a room
Berk emphasizes intention behind his design in order to create spaces that reflect comfort and bring together elements that inspire happiness. Design can also have movement and change to accommodate life’s big or little changes.
That’s why using tools that allow anyone to almost seamlessly change a room is a cornerstone of Berk’s design philosophy. He dished that using something like Command™ Brand products allows changes in a room without the kind of damage that nails or screws leave behind.
“The cool thing with Command Strips is you always think of them for putting up posters,” he said. “But they actually have strips that’ll hold 20 pounds. So you can put up little shelves, you can put up mirrors, clocks, things that actually have some weight to them. So you can really make your room organized.”
Command™ Brand recently named Berk the first official Director of Dorm Design, so he offered insights and tips for making college dorm rooms a wonderful home away from home.
“Now they have the decorative hooks that you can put up curtains with,” he added. “They have the designer hook that’ll hold up to 15 pounds that you can line them up on the back of a door so you can hang up your bookbag, you can keep your clothes organized.”
“Right at Home: How Good Design is Good for the Mind” will be released on September 12, 2023, by Penguin Random House.
