The pandemic is still very much on Bobby Berk’s mind — and it’s changed how he thinks about home design.

You know him from the popular Netflix show Queer Eye, where he’s spent the last eight years transforming homes — and lives. Fans of the show know his expertise is in interior design. His sharp eye helped create the interior for Alterra, a new 62-home community in Newcastle, as part of his decade-long partnership with Tri Pointe Homes. 

New luxury home at Alterra in Newcastle

All photos by ImageArts Productions / Tri Pointe Homes

“These homes are about more than just living — they’re designed to help you thrive,” Berk says. 

His goal is simple: create spaces that work for how families live today, especially after the pandemic. If your guest room doubling as an office isn’t cutting it anymore, Berk gets it. “So many people in Seattle work in tech, and hybrid work models are becoming the norm. You need an actual dedicated workspace, not just a guest room that doubles as an office,” says Berk, who won an Emmy during his time on Queer Eye. One of the most compelling features? A glass-enclosed office right off the living room. “You need to be able to see your kids, but you don’t want to hear them while you’re working.”

The sleek, glass-walled offices designed by Berk let you get work done while keeping an eye on the action.

Berk’s designs focus on mental health, using natural light and outdoor spaces. And forget the oversized, awkward great rooms from older dwellings. 

“There’s no need for these massive family rooms anymore. Instead, we focused on functional spaces like home offices and gyms,” he says. “We designed multiple outdoor areas in the homes, giving people options for shade or sun at different times of day.”

The outdoor spaces were designed to catch light at different times of day.

Photo by Casey Broadwater / Tri Pointe Homes

The homes range up to 4,200 square feet, with five to six bedrooms, and three to five baths. They start at $2 million, and buyers can customize just about everything. Berk even created a quiz to help them figure out their style before choosing from nearly a dozen of his curated collections, with options for finishes and furnishings. 

“We did the quiz because if you’re not in the design industry, it’s not something you’ve thought much about,” he says. “The things that make you happy outside your home are often the things that will make you happy inside your home.”

The airy rooms bring in lots of natural light and use the colors and textures of the Pacific Northwest.

The modern bathrooms are charming and bright.

Berk and Ken Krivanec, president of Tri Pointe Homes Washington, have been working together on this project for three years. Berk has been working with Tri Pointe — a Nevada-based homebuilder that operates in 11 states and the District of Columbia — for a decade. “Bobby’s influence is felt everywhere,” Krivanec says.

This is Berk’s third project with Tri Pointe Homes in the Puget Sound area, following collaborations in Kirkland and the Tehaleh neighborhood in Bonney Lake. Right now, two model homes are ready for viewing at Alterra, with four more under construction. Public tours of the model homes begin Sept. 21. More than 600 people are on the interest list.

Berk runs his own brand, including his lifestyle site. He also just released his first book, Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind.