Some magazine issues are a gentle nudge. The Stylemaker Issue Featuring Drew Barrymore is more like your funniest friend
showing up with a paint swatch fan deck in one hand and a thrift-store lamp in the other, saying, “We’re making your home feel like
youand we’re doing it with good lighting.”
Better Homes & Gardens’ Stylemaker Issue is built around a simple idea: style isn’t just what you wearit’s how you live. And Drew
Barrymore is the kind of stylemaker who makes you feel like you can pull this off even if your “design budget” is currently being
used to keep your houseplants alive. She’s warm, a little quirky, deeply practical, and allergic to anything that feels too perfect.
Which is exactly why her approach to home, food, and everyday beauty hits so hard.
What “The Stylemaker Issue” Actually Means (And Why It’s Not Just a Buzzword)
“Stylemaker” isn’t meant to be exclusive. It’s not a velvet-rope situation. In the Better Homes & Gardens universe, stylemakers are
the people shaping what home looks like right nowacross design, garden, and food. That might be a
designer with a signature palette, a creator who makes entertaining feel less intimidating, or a voice that reminds you your home can
be both beautiful and lived-in.
The Drew Barrymore cover story lands perfectly in that mission because she doesn’t treat “home” like a photoshoot backdrop. She treats
it like a living organism: part sanctuary, part creative studio, part family hangout, andif you’re luckypart snack station.
Drew Barrymore’s Style DNA: Cozy, Colorful, and Comfort-First
If Drew’s design philosophy had a bumper sticker, it would probably say: Make it pretty, make it personal, and please don’t poke anyone’s eye out.
She’s openly obsessed with interior design, and her style leans “eclectic layered” rather than “matchy showroom.” Think: art that feels
collected, textures that invite you to touch them, and choices that prioritize how a space feels instead of how it “should” look.
The signature vibe: “Home should feel like a hug”
A lot of celebrity interiors skew either museum-minimal or “my sofa has never met a human body.” Drew’s is different. Her space is meant
to be used. Kids spread out projects. Pets sprawl like they pay rent. The furniture is designed for flopping, not posing. It’s a house
that’s comfortable with real lifeand somehow still charming.
Her secret weapon: letting personality win
The most Drew Barrymore design move isn’t a specific color. It’s the permission she gives you to make “odd” choices if they make you happy.
A vintage find, a weird little object you fell in love with, a bold pattern you’re not sure you can pull offif it sparks joy and feels
like your story, it belongs.
The House Rules That Make the Stylemaker Issue Feel Immediately Useful
The best part of this feature isn’t just the “look.” It’s the rulesthe kind you can actually steal, whether you live in a studio
apartment, a suburban ranch, or a place where the “architectural detail” is mostly just… outlets.
Rule 1: Treat lighting like décor (and stop relying on the big overhead)
If your home lighting currently says “mild interrogation,” you’re not alone. Drew’s approach: skip harsh recessed overhead lighting and
build a warmer glow with sconces, pendants, and fixtures that feel decorative. The point isn’t to live in darkness like a mysterious
novelistit’s to create light that flatters people and softens a space.
Practical takeaway: pick two to three light sources per room. A table lamp + floor lamp + soft ceiling fixture is the starter pack.
Bonus points if at least one light is something you found secondhand and can brag about.
Rule 2: Round your corners (yes, literally)
Drew is passionate about avoiding sharp edgesespecially in family spaces. It’s a design choice that doubles as a safety and comfort move.
Rounded silhouettes feel gentler. They also make a room more inviting, like the furniture is saying, “Come sitno audition required.”
Practical takeaway: if replacing furniture isn’t happening this century, try softening with what you can control:
rounded accessories (bowls, trays), pillowy throws, ottomans, and even edge guards in kid zones. Your shins will send thank-you notes.
Rule 3: “Bare drywall upsets me”so cover your walls
This one is delightfully dramatic and extremely effective. Drew’s stance is clear: plain walls are missed opportunities. She leans into
wallpaper, tile, plaster texture, and lots of art. Not in a “gallery wall perfection” waymore in a “let’s move things around and have
a hanging party” way.
Practical takeaway: if wallpaper feels scary, start smaller:
- Do one wall (or even just a nook) in peel-and-stick.
- Hang oversized art you love, even if it’s not “fancy.”
- Mix originals, posters, flea market finds, and framed pages from old books.
Rule 4: Decorate “six walls,” not four
This is the most instantly helpful mindset shift in the entire Stylemaker conversation. Drew treats the floor and ceiling as part of the
design storymeaning rugs matter, painted floors can be a statement, and ceilings can handle wallpaper or pattern without collapsing into
chaos.
Practical takeaway: you don’t need a fully wallpapered ceiling to play this game. Try:
- A bold rug that anchors the room (pattern is allowed).
- A ceiling fixture that adds personality even when the lights are off.
- A subtle ceiling color shift (soft white with warmth, or a pale tint).
Rule 5: Let the sunshine in (and stop blacking out your whole existence)
Drew prefers airy curtains over blackout ones because she wants rooms to feel open, not claustrophobic. This is less about “always wake
up at sunrise” and more about emotional architecture: light can make a space feel safer, softer, and more alive.
Rule 6: “Closed-concept” living: bring back doors (and privacy)
Open concept had a glorious run, but Drew’s take is refreshingly honest: sometimes you don’t want your guests seeing your dirty dishes
during a dinner party. Also, modern life often requires multiple people doing different things at the same timework calls, homework,
decompression time, someone practicing guitar badly (we’ve all been there).
Practical takeaway: you can create “closed-concept energy” without remodeling:
- Use a screen, bookcase, or curtain to visually separate areas.
- Create micro-zones: reading corner, work corner, hobby cart.
- Use lighting to define spaces (one lamp = one zone).
Rule 7: Keep big pieces neutral and not too precious
This is the anti-stress rule. Choose sofas and large upholstered pieces that can survive real life: neutral colors, durable fabrics,
and a price point that doesn’t make you panic every time someone holds spaghetti.
Thenthis is keydress the basics up with personality: mismatched pillows, layered throws, colorful accents, and art that makes you smile.
The room becomes flexible: neutral foundation, rotating “fun stuff.”
Rule 8: Make screen time family time
Drew’s take isn’t anti-TV. It’s anti-everyone-in-their-own-digital-silo. The Stylemaker message here is subtle but strong: the way you set
up your home can shape how you connect inside it. A cozy shared viewing setup is less about entertainment and more about togetherness.
Why the Drew Barrymore Stylemaker Moment Matters Beyond Décor
The Stylemaker Issue doesn’t present Drew as a “celebrity who likes throw pillows.” It frames her as someone building an entire ecosystem:
home goods, beauty, food, and mediaconnected by the same point of view: approachable, optimistic, and designed for real life.
“Beautiful by Drew Barrymore”: design-forward, accessible, and color-friendly
Her Beautiful line is one of the clearest examples of her style philosophy becoming a product philosophy. The pieces lean into soft
finishes, pretty colors, and user-friendly designhelping everyday tools look like they belong on your counter instead of hiding in a
cabinet like a shameful secret.
The underlying idea is important: good design shouldn’t be reserved for people with unlimited budgets or huge kitchens. “Pretty” and
“functional” can share the same address.
Flower Beauty and the “no-fancy-required” version of glamour
Drew has long been associated with beauty that feels friendly rather than intimidating. The through-line here matches the home story:
you don’t need a glam squad or a marble bathroom to feel put-together. You need products (and routines) that work for your actual life.
Food as home-making, not performance
The Stylemaker worldview also includes foodbecause the way you feed people is part of how you create comfort. Drew’s cookbook world
leans into the idea that meals can be joyful, imperfect, and still meaningful. If your dinner plan involves a great sauce, a shortcut,
and a lot of laughter, you’re doing it right.
Steal the Style: 9 “Drew-ish” Moves You Can Try This Weekend
- Swap one overhead light for two lamps. Your living room will instantly feel warmerand your selfies will improve, which is clearly the real metric.
- Choose a “neutral couch, chaos pillows” strategy. Keep the big piece calm, then layer in color with pillows, throws, and art.
- Do one bold surface. Wallpaper a powder room, paint a door, tile a small area, or add a patterned rug. One statement changes the whole room’s confidence.
- Curate “weird but wonderful.” Add one unexpected object that makes you happyvintage bust, funky basket, odd little sculptureanything with personality.
- Make a micro-zone with intent. A chair + lamp + small table = instant reading nook. Add a throw and suddenly you’re a person who reads (even if it’s mostly menus).
- Go soft on edges. Swap a sharp-edged coffee table for a round ottoman, or add a padded tray on top. Comfort goes up, injuries go down.
- Hang art like you’re telling a story. Mix frames. Mix sources. Mix “serious” with “silly.” The room should feel like a biography, not a catalog.
- Use sheer curtains to brighten your mood. Even if you keep blackout shades in the bedroom, letting light filter through in living spaces can change how the room feels.
- Create “family screen time” energy. Add a big blanket, stack some pillows, and make your main viewing spot genuinely cozy so people want to gather there.
FAQ: The Stylemaker Issue Featuring Drew Barrymore
Is this a fashion issue or a home issue?
It’s a lifestyle issue in the truest sense: design, food, and garden inspirationplus the people influencing how we live at home. Drew
anchors the theme because her “style” shows up across home, beauty, and daily routines.
What’s the biggest takeaway from Drew’s feature?
Design for how you actually live. Prioritize comfort, warmth, and personality. Make your home functional for family life (kids, pets,
messes included), then layer in color and charm with art, lighting, and collected pieces.
Do I need to redesign my whole home to use these ideas?
Not even close. Drew’s rules work best in small doses: better lighting, fewer sharp edges, more art, and a little more bravery with pattern.
Start with one roomor one cornerand build from there.
What does “closed-concept” mean in real life?
It means creating separation and privacyvisually or physicallyso your home supports different activities at the same time. Doors help,
but so do rugs, bookcases, curtains, and lighting zones.
Experiences: Living the Stylemaker Issue Energy in Real Life (500+ Words)
The first time I read the Stylemaker feature, I did what any reasonable adult would do: I looked around my living room and became
personally offended by my overhead light. It wasn’t that it was uglyit was just… aggressive. Like it had opinions about my life choices.
So I tried Drew’s lighting approach in the simplest way possible: I added a thrifted brass lamp on one side of the sofa and a floor lamp
on the other. That was it. No rewiring. No “design plan.” Just two warm pools of light. The result surprised me. The room instantly felt
calmer, like it had gone from “waiting room” to “come hang out.” Even my regular weeknight routine changed. I stopped hovering in the
kitchen and actually sat down, because the space finally felt like it wanted me there.
The next experiment was the “six walls” idea. I’m not brave enough to wallpaper a ceiling on a random Tuesday, but I could handle the
floor. My rug was a sad beige rectangle that basically apologized every time someone looked at it. I swapped it for a patterned rug with
a little colornothing wild, just enough personality to feel intentional. Suddenly, the room had a point of view. What I didn’t expect
was how much easier decorating became afterward. When the floor is doing some of the storytelling, you don’t need to overthink every
accessory. The rug became the anchor, and everything elsepillows, art, even the coffee table booksstarted making sense. It felt like
the room finally had a “lead singer,” and I wasn’t forcing my throw pillows to carry the whole band.
Then came the “closed-concept” test. I don’t have doors I can magically add, and my kitchen is visible from everywhere (including,
unfortunately, from the couch where I like to pretend I don’t have chores). But I borrowed the concept by building a tiny boundary:
a slim bookshelf that created a visual break between the living area and the dining table. I added a lamp on the shelf, a small tray for
keys, and a plant that bravely tolerates my inconsistent watering schedule. That tiny separation changed how we used the space. The living
room became for relaxing, the dining table became for projects and meals, and the mental clutter of “everything happens everywhere” eased
up. It wasn’t a remodelit was a mood shift.
My favorite experience, though, was the “neutral big pieces, playful layers” rule. I used to think a room needed matching sets to look
pulled together. Drew’s approach gave me permission to do the opposite: keep the sofa neutral and let the fun live in the details.
I swapped two matching pillows for mismatched onesdifferent patterns, similar tonesand added a throw that looked like it came from a
boutique even though it was, in fact, a very good sale. The room looked more collected, less staged. Friends noticed. One person asked if
I’d hired a designer, and I said yes, absolutely, her name is “reading one magazine story and acting dramatic about it.”
That’s the real magic of the Stylemaker Issue: it doesn’t just give you ideas, it gives you momentum. You start seeing your home as a
creative project you can shape in small, doable moves. Better lighting. Softer edges. More art. A braver rug. A room that feels like your
people live therebecause they do. And when the house feels warmer, the daily stuff feels lighter. Even the dishes. Well… almost.