Tan France Is in His "Bougie Grandma" Era

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Tan France may have started out teaching us how to French-tuck our shirts, but he has home-styling lessons to offer the world, too. As Queer Eye's resident fashion expert, France is making the case for designing your home as you would your wardrobe. He shares his love of interior design with the Fab Five's newest member, and our first-ever digital cover star, Jeremiah Brent. "We are so excited," France tells House Beautiful about Brent joining the cast. "I think it's going to be our best season yet."

The reality star recently took a break from filming in Las Vegas to talk to us about all things home, from timeless trends to "douchey" design decisions. Plus, he reveals what's in his cart and how he finds the best deals using Citi Shop, a new browser extension.

House Beautiful: How would you describe your house's style?

Tan France: I mean, my husband described our home as "bougie grandma." I feel like a grandma at this point. I feel like I've lived a full life and I just want to be cozy and comfortable with my home. I don't want wide open spaces. I want cozy cottage spaces, so we are maximalist in our home. We were involved in so much of the design, actually almost every aspect of the design, and so we wanted to make sure it felt really personal to us. So bougie grandma with the most specific authenticity is the vibe.

HB: Is there anything you're collecting or something you're really obsessed with right now?

TF: For me, it's not necessarily the furniture that we're obsessed with, it's the wallpaper. I'm British, and we use wallpaper everywhere. We've never embraced anything other than wallpaper. And so it's what can be done with wallpaper that isn't actually wallpaper. For example, my foyer is hand painted, my bedroom wallpaper is hand painted. I love those little elements that take something that is quite simple and traditional and make it very much my own.

HB: Are you into the pattern-on-pattern trend?

TF: Yes, but for me it's more color on color. So it's not necessarily pattern on pattern, though I do love that, it's color on color and how do you mix that? I come from the fashion world, and I've understood color for a long time. It's how do you pull out a certain color for a print that makes sense for your entire outfit? And I translate that into my interior design, which is, yes, there is no orange in that room except for these tiny little flowers in the wallpaper, but I'm going to pull that out and then it's going to work with that paper beautifully. Just treat it as if it's an outfit that you put together.

HB: What's your most treasured item in your home?

TF: It's a piece of art that is from 1640 from the Renaissance era. It's Flemish, and it's absolutely gorgeous, and I can't believe it's in my home.

HB: Do you collect a lot of different artworks?

TF: We have a lot of art in the home. Most of it is pre-1700s, and we really love old art. I wanted it to feel like we were in a museum in one of those beautiful museums like the V&A in England. And you look at it thinking, "I can't believe this lasted centuries, and got through wars, and yet here it is."

HB: Is there something you've recently purchased that you would recommend?

TF: I'm a little bit obsessed with Anthropologie's furniture and home decor, and actually Anthropologie is one of the merchants at Citi Shop, so knowing that I'm getting a little bit of a saving, that's important to me. And it means that I can buy more of the stuff I really want.

HB: You notoriously have a candle closet, but would you ever launch a candle line?

TF: Actually, yes. People were quite obsessed with the fact that I had a candle closet. It became a thing that people either made fun of or were in awe of. And now I have another one in my new home and I love it.

HB: Do you have a favorite scent when it comes to candles?

TF: So many. But Diptyque's Baies is the scent of my house.

HB: What's on your nightstand?

TF: Books. Right now, I've got the Fleabag book next to my bed because I'm currently reading that, and then I've got a picture of me and my husband. It's the only photo of me and my husband in the house. If it was just me, I'd feel douchey. But with it being me and my husband and it's the only one in our entire house, I'm like, "That's lovely." And I have that next to me in my bed because he looks gorgeous in it. I actually hate that photo of me. But he looks handsome

HB: What’s the best style or design advice that you've ever been given?

TF: When we were working on the design of our home, Kelly Wearstler was like, "Forget what's going on online, forget what the trend is. Go for something that feels truly personal to you," which is why our home ended up being so British and Indian, and that's the advice I give to everyone. A few people who have asked me today have said, "There's so much to see online, but so much of it is modern or you can't tell the difference between one place and another." When you make it personal to you and who you are, it transforms that space. Just because your friends or famous people have this style doesn't mean it's for you.

Shop Tan's Favorites

And use Citi Shop to find the best online deals.

Victoria Frame

"One of my favorite items is my picture frame on my bedside table of me and my husband."

Mesa Premium Plastic Drinkware

"My outdoor entertaining essentials are plastic cups that look like glasses! A nice fluted style makes it look like real glass and it's just lovely."

Moon Glass Medium Bowl

"Our centerpiece in our dining room is a bowl with artificial moss in it and my guests often ask about it when they see it. It's become quite the conversation starter. I just think it looks gorgeous."

Baies (Berries) Scented Candle

"For our cozy bedding routine we always light a candle about an hour or so before bed. We go through three candles a week!"

Love knowing what your favorite stars are up to? Same. Let's keep up with them together.

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