The One Question Bobby Berk Asks Himself Before Any Decorating Project

In season four of Queer Eye, Bobby Berk renovates and decorates everything from a teacher’s lounge to a handicap-accessible home. When we sat down with the 37-year-old Fab Five member, he revealed that no matter what kind of space he’s tasked with overhauling, he always asks himself the same question.

Berk took us step by step through his process and revealed that he always asks, “How is the space not functioning for [the client or hero] now and how does it need to function for them?” Simple, yet effective, right?

When revamping Kathi Dooley’s teacher’s lounge in the season premiere, he called the room “not at all lounge-y,” and in episode two of the series, he aptly noted that Wesley Hamilton’s home wasn’t meeting his needs as a wheelchair user. In both instances, the ways these spaces weren’t functioning was abundantly clear. And once Berk nailed down what exactly he needed to change, he could easily proceed with his project with his end goal in mind.

Berk, who recently launched his new lifestyle site at BobbyBerk.com, says the mantra he abides by when beginning a project is something that anyone can utilize when starting out on their own home design or construction project.

Before diving into plans and color schemes, it’s important to ask yourself what needs you want your space to fulfill and what stands in the way of that. So, for example, if you want a living room that is just as well suited for family game night as it is for a chic cocktail party, detail what that looks like to you and brainstorm how you can achieve exactly what you’re envisioning (Ample seating! Easily movable furniture! Plenty of coffee table space!). Finally, be sure that how you move forward is always in line with your end goal and, slowly but surely, you’ll have the space you’ve not only wanted, but needed.

Leave it to Bobby Berk to make a mammoth task seem really simple.