Jeremiah Brent is a master at making spaces feel luxe but also livable. His modern-vintage aesthetic creates really timeless, soulful spaces I love. One of my favorite reality shows, Queer Eye, is lucky to have him as their newest member and interior designer. I chatted with Jeremiah this week about all things design, reality TV, his life with partner Nate Berkus (plus a few lovely wedding design tips), and his pantry organization hacks.
Your aesthetic is known for being sophisticated yet warm. What’s your best piece of advice for someone looking to make their home feel more personal?
Jeremiah: Theresa, that’s my life mission with design. It’s become super-prescriptive design. The most memorable rooms and homes I’ve ever been in had nothing to do with how much money they spent or if it was from Architectural Digest, it just looked like them.
My biggest piece of advice would be: Really think about the moments in your day that matter most to you. Are you an early morning person who needs coffee? Are you an evening person who wants to lie down and watch TV, or are you somebody who’s very ceremonial?
Do you have a spot to read a book and have a glass of wine at night? If you start creating your space for your moments instead of for other people, it just changes the way you move through your own house.
Nate & Jeremiah by Design gave viewers a glimpse into your life with Nate and your family — what was it like working so closely with your partner on screen?
Jeremiah: He’s my favorite person in the world. I mean, it’s not easy to work with a spouse. It can really make or break you, but my husband has always believed in my talent and my perspective creatively and we have a lot of respect for each other. What it represented was us being able to show a family like ours to the world that maybe they didn’t have access to, and it was really important and I’m really proud of it. It’s also this beautiful timeline of the first 10 years of our lives as a family.
Now you’re joining Queer Eye. What’s something about working on reality TV home makeovers that people might not realize?
Jeremiah: This is going to be a weird thing to say, but I don’t think people realize how real Queer Eye is. I’ve worked on a lot of reality television, which is aging me tremendously. [laughs] Queer Eye is different. I mean, I sat there every week watching people walk into new versions of themselves. It’s an interesting thing when you see somebody the way they want to be seen and then you watch them change the way they see themselves. I got to watch my dearest friends do what they do and it was just wild. You can’t produce that kind of energy.
What’s one of your favorite moments on the show?
Jeremiah: There was a woman named Jen’ya who is a single mother and I was raised by a single mother, and it was particularly impactful for me because it’s everything you wish you could have done for your mother growing up. To be able to have that full circle moment and say, “I know exactly what you’re going through” and every chance you just can’t seem to get, that felt really good.
Let’s talk weddings. What’s one design element from Say I Do that you’d love to see more couples incorporate into their own celebrations?
Jeremiah: The people that they love, which is a weird thing to say, but I think so much about weddings becomes about the conventional, like flowers and this and that. That personalized component makes it just this really beautiful, holistic, important thing. In our wedding we tried to incorporate the people that were really part of the fabric of our lives because we wouldn’t have been there without them.
What are some ways that you and Nate incorporated your closest people?
Jeremiah: My mother’s recipes for our desserts, certain flowers from my grandparents, certain smells. We incorporated photos in different areas. My sister sang at our wedding, which was super special. Tons of different little things, like little nods to people we love.
What’s one design trend that makes you cringe?
Jeremiah: Acrylic furniture because of fingerprints and dust. But I support people who have it, it’s just not for me.
Originally published on Brit.co Feb. 19, 2025