Carson Kressley: From Personal Style to Interior Design

21:27Carson Kressley:It's the same as, like, cooking. I'm not a very good cook, and I've learned a lot from Bobby and different cooking shows I've done. But when I have people over in a beautiful setting and you're giving them beautiful food that you've made lovingly, that to me is like the biggest accomplishment in life is like creating a beautiful space and entertaining people in your home and caring for them. Yeah, it's such a gift to be able to do that. I have a question. Are you taking projects or like what? Oh, in the interior space, what are you doing to kind of just like get that into the world? like to say that I am a stay at home interior designer.

22:06Carson Kressley:I'm sure I could maybe get clients. What's so daunting to me, and I have such respect for interior designers. As soon as I get home from work, I do this thing that I heard an expert say, they have to go in and you have to change your clothes so that it signals to your brain, I'm no longer working. I put my phone down, I charge it and I go in my closet and I slip on my brushed bamboo jogger set from Cozy Earth. It's a costume change. It is. And it changes something in my brain. They're soft enough to sleep in, but they're put together enough that if I have to answer the door, I'm not going to be embarrassed that I'm like in actual pajamas.

22:41Yeah. You know? Yeah. They are so soft. They're made from viscose from bamboo. They have this tapered fit with a relaxed waistband and just enough structure to feel intentional. I'm a huge fan. I just got them in the charcoal. I can't wait to see those. I do a little thing where I don't necessarily have time to change my whole outfit, but boy, do I take off my heels or my boots or whatever I'm wearing. And the first thing I reach for is the lake house clogs. I love these things because they're slip on, which is an absolute must when you're running in and out of the house, grabbing boys, getting the mail.

23:12I can wear these anywhere. I can wear them around the house and they're so soft. It has a cushioned footbed, a soft interior. And again, they're easy to slip on, which is everything. I forget that I'm wearing them when I'm in the house, but when the doorbell rings, I can quickly go grab it or go to the grocery store. And I still always look put together and uncomfortable. I love the Lake House clog. I do too. I think they're really good looking and I think they look really cute under a pair of jeans. Nobody's going to think that you're wearing a slipper out because it's a clog. Exactly. Exactly.

23:41But they don't know that I'm actually wearing slippers because they feel so comfortable. Agreed. I feel like I need them in every color now that I have them. Me too. They're so good. Why Cozy Earth stands out to me is it's the details, the fit, the fabric, the way these pieces are made to last. This isn't fast fashion for the house. It's something you'll actually be reaching for years from now. This spring, give yourself the kind of comfort that lives with you all day, not just the moment you get home. Head to CozyEarth.com, use our code DearAlice for an exclusive 20 % off. That's code DearAlice for an exclusive 20 % off.

24:16And if you get a post-purchase survey, mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here.

24:21Carson Kressley:And, you know, I've known many of them. And, you know, I worked closely with Tom Felicia, not only on Queer Eye, but we did a really fun, probably the most fun show I've ever done called Get a Room. I love that. It was on Bravo. You can find it in the dusty archives of YouTube. And Tom would work like crazy. And then I would just come in at like the last hour and put a white orchid on the coffee table and be like, I think we're done. But designers work so hard and there's so much that goes into a project. You know, when I see like elevations and this is where the light switch goes and this is where the outlets go and we've ordered 65 light switch covers.

25:04Carson Kressley:And I was just like, oh, my God, my mind's going to explode. I like to buy pretty things and put them in a room and say, put that mural over there and hang this wallpaper here. But I don't think I have the training or the skill to actually be a working interior designer. So I work on my own homes. It's a little dangerous because I'm just like, well, I'm itching for a project. I was like, I should, you know, buy something at the beach or whatever. But I have horses, so I don't have any leftover money. I should buy something at the beach. But I do love a project. I would like to maybe dabble in doing some.

25:42Carson Kressley:I've done some show houses. I have this collection, this collaboration with Ballard Design. So that's been really gratifying. But professionally, I'm not really a professional interior designer. Don't tell anybody. I just decorate my own spaces. You could be a creative director. That's what you should do. You'll direct others to do that. Yep. I love that. Yes. Shopping and pointing is my strong suit. Shopping and pointing. I love that. What would be your advice to someone to take their wardrobe and have that reflected in their home? Oh, that's a great way to kind of figure out like what your style is in general, is if you swing open your closet and you're just, you know, if you see a lot of Ralph Lauren, you know, you're probably like a traditionalist.

26:25Carson Kressley:And if you see a lot of Donna Karan or something that's a little bit more modern, maybe you're like urban Zen. She has a brand called that. So you can kind of get your vibe and then you can also see like, do you love a lot of animal print? Do you love a lot of leather? Do you prefer to live in denim? Do you love cashmere? Those are all things. Is your closet mostly blue? Is it mostly, you know, red? Is it mostly oranges? it's really going to inform you as to the colors that you respond to and the overall vibe of like what your style is are you a bohemian are you classic are you english are you french there's a lot of information there you can kind of be a real detective and that's going to be a great starting point but i i don't think that you have to kind of live like you dress you know i know a lot of people you know executives at ralph lauren who we all wore the uniform like the cable knit cashmere over the shoulder and very traditional and very preppy and very based in like, you know, English.

27:25Carson Kressley:And they lived in, you know, white, beautiful, modern Richard Meyer buildings on the Hudson River. So it doesn't necessarily have to like jibe, but it's a great starting point for sure. I love that. I actually love that whole scene that you just painted about working for Ralph Lauren in the 80s, I imagine. No, 90s, wasn't it? It was. Yeah, it was it was the 90s. Yes. Oh, my gosh. I'm sure that you've been watching Love Story with her working at Calvin Klein. And I'm picturing you doing the same thing in this building that she was doing it in. It was a parallel universe. And there's a great line in that show, which I was obsessed with and still am, where she like John F.

28:08Carson Kressley:Kennedy Jr. is sending her flowers every day. And she's like, Calvin only allows white orchids. We have the same thing, but like, you know, it was just, you know, Ralph only likes this. And we were just living in parallel worlds. And they were around when I was, you know, she had mutual friends that worked at Ralph Lauren. And I, of course, never met her and was not in those circles where I would have been like, you know, interacting with like the head of PR at Ralph Lauren or the head of PR at Calvin Klein. I was packing samples and folding sweaters at that point, but it was a very romantic time.

28:41Carson Kressley:And New York was so, it had such a great energy then in the 90s. So cool. What a beat. I just love all of that so much. Yeah, honestly, I'm like, I can't think of a more fun spot to be in, like regarding fashion, interiors, like all the supermodels, like just that whole, the 90s in general, like. Oh, amazing decade. No, and like there's so much to like look toward to be inspired by to cultivate style. fashion-wise and interiors. Yeah, we were out every night. There was a different club. We went like on Mondays, I went to this club. On Tuesdays, I went to this club. I remember, and I remember calling in like late to work from the street in front of the Palladium.

29:20Carson Kressley:Like they had a party on a Sunday night and I had to be at work on a Monday. I was like, I don't feel good. I got a pay phone. There was like cars honking. And then I'm just like, and then I would run back into the Palladium and dance until like, you know, 9 a.m., go home, shower, and then get to work around 10 maybe. I'm obsessed. I love that for you. That's amazing. And there were no cell phones and, you know, nobody had a computer, you know, that we worked from home with. It was, it was like, it was, it's like mad men, like looking back at it. I think you need, you need a book deal. You need to tell this story or yours needs to be like the next love story where they can reenact it because we all want to watch this scene play out.

30:00It's so fun. I know.

30:02Carson Kressley:And there were so many interesting designers back then and like Catherine Hamnett and John Bartlett and Mark Jacobs was just coming into his own and the shows were in Bryant Park and a giant tent. It was just this whole other podcast. Oh my gosh. That's such a great, that whole scene is such a scene. It is such a scene. We have a lightning round of questions we want to do with you now. Oh gosh. Okay. It's super fun. You're going to love it. Number one, who is your style icon, fashion or interiors you get to choose? Oh, gosh. I mean, I'm going to say Ralph Lauren because he's done so much and covers so many oomphs of like great American design from the American West to prep school to the great Anglo traditions.

30:45Carson Kressley:And then I also adore Tom Ford and I love wearing his clothes and he has amazing taste in every movies, interiors, et cetera. So it's a tie. Great answers. I loved the Ralph Lauren documentary that HBO did. So good. Mary Ralph. So good. Yeah, gosh. I swear, anytime I get in an airplane, I have to watch it again. It's just so good. I adore him. So good. Okay, next question. Favorite fashion house? I guess you probably just said Tom Ford. But at the moment, I don't know if you have a new one. I know all the creative directors have changed places and it's very exciting right now. topping off. I know.

31:22Carson Kressley:I know. They all are changing. And I'm just sometimes I'll go into a place that I love. I'm like, what is this? Why is everything yellow? Sometimes they do change it up. But I would say, again, it's like those two, like Ralph Lauren, like it's always in perfect taste. I always feel good in it. It works for me. But then I also love the glamour of Tom Ford. I was lucky enough to cover the Oscars fashion for Live with Kelly. And I think they were just, you know, I did a show like a couple weeks before and they said, what are you going to wear? Who's going to, you know, design for you. I was like, I'm going to wear what I find at the outlet mall.

31:57Carson Kressley:I am on cable. I have great luck with the Tom Ford outlet and I have spies there. Call me. This is a fashion tip as well. If you have a favorite designer and you know, all of our favorite designers, everything is so expensive now. And I'd rather, you know, I want to buy more stuff. So I'm always looking for a bargain. So make friends, you know, if you love Tom Ford, or if you love Laura Piana, or if you love Ralph Lauren or Gucci, whatever, make friends with an associate at the outlet mall, give them your information, have them text you pictures of things that come in that they think you would like.

32:37Carson Kressley:And that's how I buy almost all of my like Oscar clothes or drag race wardrobe is my two, my two plants, Woodbury Commons, New York, outside of the city, and Palm Springs, California, Desert Premium Outlets. They send me pictures. And I just, I know my size. And I say, yep, send it on. I love it. And it doesn't hurt that you're Carson Kressley. That's also true. It doesn't hurt. But, you know, they will give you good service as well because they, you know, they want to move the merch also. So a little fashion tip for you. I love it. Okay. What is your favorite piece of clothing? My favorite piece of clothing.

33:15Carson Kressley:Oh my gosh, I have so many favorites. I mean, a go-to is a cashmere cable knit sweater. I wear them year round. They are great on an airplane because even in July, sometimes the airplane is like 52 degrees. They make a good pillow too. I think right now my favorite thing that brings me so much joy, that Tom Ford suit that I wore for the Oscar show, it was like the brightest pink you've ever seen. Yes, I remember. like hot pink. Yeah. You're a star in that thing. I mean, you're a star anyway, but you really, really look fantastic in that. That just made me so happy. Like it was like, it was like a turbo charging effect where it was like, I love the color.

33:59Carson Kressley:I love the fit. I love the fabric. It looked good on me. It made me happy. I glowed. Like when things are working, it does that. So that was, that's probably my favorite right now. That's good. Favorite cast member from the OG Queer Eye? Oh, well, that's like picking your like favorite child. But I'll say Tom Felicia, because we have very similar interests. And we, you know, like we were talking about, I think, before we were rolling, you know, we go to High Point Market together and, you know, hang out a lot. He also has a fabulous house in the Hamptons and also in Aspen now. So it's like, he's a good person to be friends with.

34:34Get yourself a Tom Felicia, too, I guess. That's awesome. We did a book signing at our store with Tom like a decade ago. It was so long ago. In Salt Lake City. Yeah, it was so fun having him out. And I actually have two Tom Felicia chairs in my family room. Yes, you do. The really tall ones. I think I have a vote for Tom. Pin. Yeah. On one of my jackets. Oh, yeah. Do you remember that market? It was like the election year or something. Like 2020 or 20 something. I can't remember. 2018 or something. Yeah. Anyway, he's great.

35:01Carson Kressley:His collection with the bedding collection from that really nice place from Chicago. I'll go, oh God, I can't remember the name. But it's just as you walk in the Suites at Market Square. But I know exactly what you're talking about. Oh yeah, Eastern Access. Yes, that's it. And they're lovely. Yeah, we love Tom too. I love that. That's a good answer. Okay, Coastal Grandmother or Grand Millennial? Oh gosh, what is a Grand Millennial? Is that like a millennial who decorates in a grandmotherly style? Yep. You know, when we're looking at the picture, I'm like, they're both like ridiculous and maximalist.

35:32So I'm just like, you probably will say both.

35:34Carson Kressley:But yeah, I'm probably, I'm going to say grand millennial because I'm not that coastal. I want to be coastal at some point, but I don't live near any water other than the East River at this point. That's good. I love that. Good answer. Great. Quiet luxury or maximalism? Oh, why be quiet when you can be loud? I like maximalism. I'm leaning more towards like I'll see your spaces and there's like so serene and creamy and dreamy. And even when I bought this house, I had envisioned, and this is terrible advice, don't ever do this, listeners, but I thought I wanted to make it look like a Club Monaco store, like when they had brown floors and gray walls and white trim.

36:19Carson Kressley:I was like horse farm in East Hampton. And then all of my stuff arrived. And I was like Lisa Douglas on Green Acres, where it's like a grand piano was rolling in and these like, you know, Pollywood Regency tufted chartreuse chairs. Like it's just, I can't do minimal. Like every, all the stuff I have is just like bright and loud and layered. So it just, I can't do it. I would love to, and I'm going to, at some point, I'm going to make myself do it like at the beach or something and be please please don't we don't want you to yeah we love we love what you're doing and I think that's why you're so known for your style is because you're just not afraid you're not afraid of color or pattern or yeah the tufts the all of it it's just all so good yeah so thank you one item in your home that you'd never get rid of I hope you say that painting over over the over your head that's so great well yeah I can't ever get rid of that that is a family heirloom So like, God forbid, you know, I ever have to run into a burning building, I would save that.

37:19Carson Kressley:And then I did get, this is a fun story too. I have another room here that is all like walnut paneling and it's very, very dark. So I couldn't really have any brown furniture, but I love the secretary desk. And we've always had them growing up. My mom had one. I just thought they were cool. And I saw an orange one and it was at like an auction house in San Francisco. go. And I thought, Oh, I'm never going to be able to figure out this whole like bidding online. And then like figuring out how to get it home. It is so easy. Did you get it? I did. I think it was like$800. It was not, you know, you know, I've seen them for like five,$10 ,000.

38:03Maybe it was

38:04Carson Kressley:like a thousand. And then it was like maybe five or$600 to ship it, which again, I was like, happily surprised it wasn't that bad. You know, I've shipped luggage like overnight to a hotel and it's four or$500. So in a pinch. So they shipped it and it looks great. And the pop of orange and it has all this chinoise repainting on it. It's just in a very brown wood space. It's that pop of color that really makes the space sing. And I just, sometimes I just walk by it. I'm just like, I love this piece of furniture. I could just look at it. I love it. You're so good with color. I'm not surprised that that's your answer.

38:40Okay, what's your favorite room in your house?

38:42Carson Kressley:Oh, the favorite room in my house. I guess my sunroom. I've never had a sunroom growing up and I love plants. I have them all around my pool in the summer, but I live in Pennsylvania, so it's cold. But I have a sago palm that I pull out that goes by the pool that I have in my sunroom. And I have a giant philodendron and I have a lemon tree that has one giant lemon on it right now. So that's a really nice place, especially in the dead of winter to go and feel like you're still like getting some greenery. And I have a nice settee in there and some leopard chairs as one does. You're basically a golden girl.

39:20That sounds amazing. It's amazing.

39:21Carson Kressley:Yeah, it is very golden girls. I love it. I love that. Can you tease anything that you're working on next? Yes, we have a bunch of things going on. The season finale of RuPaul's Drag Race happens April 17th. We'll crown our winner. I think it's season 18, which is insane that we've been doing the show that long. Congratulations. That's so cool. Thank you. And then May 11th, Barbecue Brawl with Bobby Flay starts. And it's a real shakeup this season because Brooke Williamson, who's amazing and is one of my judges, co-judges, she is now dating Robert William Flay. I saw that. That would be unfair for her to be a judge.

40:03Carson Kressley:So she is now a competitor. So she's a new team captain. So that's going to be really so fun because they love to give each other a hard time. And then very excited. I had mentioned it before collab with Ballard Signs, which is really inspired by my horse farm. They came here, saw some of my pieces we've reimagined some antiques we've done some upholstery some case goods some tabletop some barware i just love doing it i love the creative process and i love sharing it with people we had a big store opening in atlanta and had a couple hundred people come out and it was really that's cool i just they're a great great company and they make great things and they really allow you to kind of be your own designer which i love amazing that's so great Right.

40:47Gosh, you're busy. You're everywhere doing everything. Honestly. So great. You know what?

40:52Carson Kressley:I was busy doing it all like six months ago. And now I'm just, you know, now we're getting ready to start up again. So I've had a little lull, but it's good. Little time with the horses. Yeah. Okay. Last question. We ask everyone that comes on the podcast this, how do you define luxury? Oh, that's a great question. Luxury to me. Well, there's so many things. I think it relates to time and handcraftedness, if that's even a word. So like things that are made by hand that take a long time. That to me in our fast paced disposable world is so luxurious. So to get a handmade piece of furniture or a piece of artwork or a loaf of bread that's made out of croissant dough, all those things are very luxurious to me because they are special and handcrafted and And it's not about mass and it's not about rushing to market.

41:44Carson Kressley:And it's not about it being the cheapest it can be. It's about it being the best it can be. That's such a great answer. So good. I know everybody's going to love listening to this podcast. We're so glad that you came on. So much to catch you on coming up in April and May. So we'll make sure and tune into that. Thank you. Yeah. And thank you. Anything else you guys wanted to ask Carson? We've got him right here. Thank you just so much for coming on. Like I said, I'm a huge fan. And I'm jealous that you get to eat amazing barbecue all the time on Barbecue Brawl. That's like my favorite part of the show.

42:17Oh, it's so good. Yeah. It's so good. Thanks so much for coming on. We're so grateful to have you.

42:22Carson Kressley:I'm a big fan. Thank you. I love you can feel it in your voice that you do put a lot of love and care. I love that when you're talking about interiors specifically from fashion to interiors, that you do get to just take care of people. And you can tell you do that in every facet of your life. So anyway, it's been such a treat, such a treat to talk to you. Well, likewise. I think we're simpatico in that way. And I love talking to people who enjoy it the same way I do. So good. Next time, let's eat. Yeah. You'll have to come to Austin, Texas sometime. Okay. We usually film there in the fall and it's amazing.

42:57Carson Kressley:Amazing. I love Austin. If you're going to be in that area, reach out to Penny and we'll have you come visit us on set. Thank you so much for your time. That was such a treat. Thank you. I enjoyed it thoroughly. So lovely. I'll be listening to all of your podcasts thank you so much you bet take care likewise bye how awesome was it to have Carson on he's hilarious I could talk to him for hours I know I wish I could just have him like on the favorites part of my cell phone to just call him up all the time and like cold FaceTime him and say yes is what I'm wearing okay yeah number one question number one question this morning we're invited to Austin so we're going I know I'm going to make that happen Kenny's going to be so surprised I can't wait for the fall Carson said to call you.

43:41Where should we meet him? That's awesome. He was great. Yeah. So thanks again, Carson. Yes. And yeah, just before we leave, anybody that is a designer out there, a design professional, you need to join our To The Trade program. It's amazing. You get access to all of our exclusive product. You get discounts. You get all the things. And we take care of you throughout the process when you order furniture through us. We take care of the claims. We take care of you, the delivery, all those things. And we can't wait for you to join the team. You go to our website, alicelanehome.com, and you go to design services, down to the trade, fill that out, and we'll get you hooked up.

44:17Can't wait to have you. It's the best kept secret, honestly. If I didn't work here, I would 100 % sign up for this because the deals are too good. They're so great. Thanks, Sue. And if you're not following us yet on Instagram, we're at alicelanehome. That's where you can see all the really beautiful new product drops and the whole store side of things and we also have at alice lane interiors that's our interior design side of things where we're building and remodeling whole homes and you can check out just the progress on those stunning projects it's a really fun follow so make sure and check us out there and if you guys have any questions just send those to dear alice at alice lane home.com and we'd love it if you'd leave us a review you can do that by going to our show page in apple and then scrolling down to the little tag that says writer review you'll be able to fill it out there awesome and tell your friends we want to be the number one podcast design podcast in the world so please help us get there yeah share it with a friend that loves interior design yes great idea yeah love it you guys thanks so much for tuning in we'll catch you next time

45:29hey thanks for listening if you like our show please leave a five-star rating

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