Jeremiah Brent's unexpected ins and outs for 2025 include LED-lit pantries, Art Deco, and acrylic furniture

For Jeremiah Brent, design isn't just a practice, it's an all-encompassing lifestyle. The acclaimed interior designer and recent addition to the Queer Eye cast has made a name for himself designing bespoke and unique homes and commercial spaces for everyone from Rachel Zoe to Oprah. However, starring in the beloved TV series has completely changed not only his approach to design but his overall philosophy towards living.

'It definitely snapped me into a type of consciousness that I have not forgotten, but as things happen, life evolves and things change,' he tells Homes & Gardens. 'Sometimes you're not paying attention to everything that you should be that really matters. I like the idea of building your home around the moments that are the most important to you.'

Having recently joined forces with Almond Breeze for a campaign (including a sweepstakes that includes a pantry makeover as a prize), we caught up with the design maven to further discuss his own coveted pantry styling tips, plus his interior design trend do's and don'ts, and the styles he believes stand the test of time.

When it comes to his pantry, Jeremiah points to an interior design (by way of film) North Star that many of us feature on our home mood boards.

'I'd like to go full Nancy Meyers style, that's my dream,' Brent tells us. 'In our pantry, we've got glass containers labeled. I like to have things that pull out on doors so you can see everything. I think with pantries especially, people forget to edit. And the next thing you know, everything you bought is expired and it's been expired for a while.'

He says that an additional way he likes to elevate this part of the kitchen is through illuminating it for easy accessibility. 'I've recently become obsessed with LED lighting you can just add to the top of it, he says. 'It just feels like the luxury you didn't know you needed. I just love to see my pasta lit up, what can I say.'

Beyond the pantry, Brent tells us there are some trends on the rise that he has been loving lately (and they have been on our radars, as well).

'I'm obsessed with Art Deco,' he tells us. 'I have been a big fan of Deco for a long time, but it's definitely having a big resurgence. What's beautiful about Deco in particular is it can really go between traditional and contemporary really beautifully. He also says that oxblood and deep, autumnal colors will be having a moment this year.

While hesitant to express any dislikes in design, there is a major one that Jeremiah says is on the outs.

'I have a hard time with acrylic furniture,' he reveals. 'It's not the most durable. It's just not for me. I feel like it's always dusty maybe it's just the stuff that I've interacted with but I can't get on board with it.'

Above all, as he encourages individual tastes to come through those he works with on Queer Eye, he believes that the ultimate trend is personalization.

'I've been saying this for a while and I hope it continues – I think the days of design being prescriptive, like you have to do this if you want to live beautifully, it's got to be gray and white if you want to sell it, it's not real. People want to buy something that makes you feel something. People want to live in a space that makes you see them. So I think personalization is going to be a big trend that just grows and grows.'

Enter Jeremiah's pantry makeover giveaway with Almond Breeze here.