What Queer Eye’s Fab Five taught us about decorating your space

The cast of Queer Eye has taught us so much about decorating, fashion, socializing and more. These are our favorite home tips from the Fab Five!

The cast of Queer Eye has made a place for themselves in many homes across America. It’s

The advice the Fab Five offer during each episode may seem superficial at first, like how to do a French Tuck or the many ways to work an avocado, but in the end, their tips and tricks change the lives of Queer Eyes‘ heroes for the better.

Viewers of the show can also take advice from the Fab Five and apply it to their own lives. Creating a better home can help you change habits, like the way the heroes from the show changed theirs. We’ve collected our favorite tips from each Queer Eye cast member and hope these not only uplift your home life but your self-confidence, too!

Antoni Porowski (Food and Wine Expert) – The tiny touch

In the last episode of season 1, Antoni worked with fireman hero Jeremy to make hot dogs to sell at a fundraiser for Jeremy’s firehouse. The additional ingredients and extra preparation made the hot dogs a smash hit. Antoni’s tip to Jeremy was to “take something that’s so classic and add a tiny ingredient to make it special.”

This is great advice to apply to recipes as well as your home, especially if you don’t have a lot of space. For example, painting your walls any color other than white (a light blue or green perhaps) can make your room feel spacious and airy. If you’re worried that your room will look void of  personality, layer different textures of that color.

It’s also a good idea to incorporate a minimalist approach when decorating a small room. Choose one or two striking or colorful portrait/painting, pillows, blanket, or vase of flowers in your small room and that space will pop instantly!

Tan France (Style Expert) – Making an effort doesn’t make you a “wuss”

During season 1, the Fab Five preached many times over about the importance of self care to their male heroes. Tan’s message to the men was to make an effort in how they dress, especially when they have wives that put in a lot of effort for them. Taking care of themselves and practicing a self care routine doesn’t take away from their masculinity.

Essentially, there are no double standards. Everyone should put effort into how they present themselves to the world.

You should also make an effort in your home as well. The place you sleep, eat, and live in should make you proud. Things like making your bed when you first wake up in the morning, folding your clothes and putting them away neatly to avoid clutter, and washing your dishes after you eat shows that you take care of your home.

An easy way to do this? Buy fresh flowers each week to literally freshen up your home, and you as well. Flowers increase happiness and can help with anxiety and depression. This also adds a different touch to your home every week. You will notice changes in how you feel about life and yourself after you take more time taking care of your home.

Jonathan Van Ness (Hair and Grooming) – Know you’re worth it

Remember when Johnathan Van Ness memorably tells Tom, the very first hero of Queer Eye, how important confidence can be? Tom’s episode is literally called “You Can’t Fix Ugly,” which is Tom’s view of life and sadly, of himself.

Jonathan proved to this hero that is simply not true, offering the following advice:

"No matter how anyone is born, like whatever anyone’s physical appearance is, you have power over your confidence. Confidence is sexy…You have a lot to offer, but if you don’t act like you have a lot to offer no one is going to give you the time of day."

Jonathan’s advice encouraged Tom to believe that he has something to offer and to feel confident about himself.

When it comes to your home, this is a space you’re in most of your life and thus it should always build you up. A few ways you can dot his are by decorating rooms with words of affirmation. From mirrors to the entrance of your bedroom, these words will remind you everyday that you are beautiful and worthy of happiness. You could also do this Being Mary Jane style and write your affirmations on sticky notes to post them on your walls.

 Karamo (Culture Expert) – Love your identity

In the third and most recent season of Queer Eye, “Black Girl Magic” is an episode where hero Jess has a hard time feeling comfortable in her identity. She is a black, gay women who was rejected by her adoptive white parents and never seemed to completely fit in in Gay or Black places.

To help her overcome this, Karamo took Jess to the 18th and Vine District, the epicenter of Black culture in Kansas City. They talked to Black women about their identity at the Friends of Alvin Ailey dance studio. The women talked about the ways they defied expectations of being Black, but also how much they love their Black identity. Karamo told Jess that she is already a strong Black woman and her identity is who she is and it’s enough.

If you have a hard time understanding who you are, your home can help reflect this for you. Framed pictures of family and friends reminds you of where you come from and of the people that mean the most to you. If you have a hobby, accomplishment, or talent that’s most important you you can incorporate that into the design of your home. Frame your degree or an award in a pretty frame. Take a souvenirs from an event and place it in on your coffee table. If you are proud of your ethnicity or culture, add art that reminds you of that part of your identity: pillows, fabrics, paintings, instruments, jewelry, rugs, etc.  Creating a home that reflects parts of you will help you understand who you are, and what’s important to you when you need it most.

Bobby Berk (Interior Design) – What a difference a mattress makes

Tom may be one of the best heroes to look to when it comes to building up your confidence and making big changes to your home. When Bobby was tasked with improving Tom’s quality of life at home, he started with one seemingly small item from the bedroom — the mattress.

Bobby stressed to Tom, and all of us, that much of how you feel about yourself starts with where you sleep each night. If you can’t get a good night’s rest, or are sleeping on a used (and filthy) mattress, you’re likely not going to feel great about yourself when you wake up.

Bobby recommended that one should change your mattress every five years, noting that past that point, the mattress could begin to sag and not offer most of its early beneficial qualities. We agree about changing the mattress out, as well as never going with a used mattress. That’s definitely one item of your home you should always get brand new.

Incorporating all theses tips from the Queer Eye‘s Fab Five will affect your quality of life for the better. Although we have focused on the home, these tips can apply to all aspects of your life.

Ready for more tips? Be sure to catch Queer Eye‘s third, new season on Netflix now.