I’m Done With “Perfect” Spaces— and Drew Barrymore Is Too — Here’s Why

In a new interview exclusive to REAL SIMPLE, Drew Barrymore is even more relatable than I already knew she was.

She jokes about her closet-less home, owns the cracks in her bookshelves (something that would otherwise make an avid reader like me run), and she reminds us that design doesn’t have to be perfect to feel beautiful.

As someone who is constantly bombarded both at work and on social media by homes that are perfectly styled and professionally staged, I often find myself exhausted by it all—too many interiors that feel perfectly curated for Pinterest, but not for regular people with smaller bandwidths and budgets.

Barrymore’s take on design and creating real spaces struck a chord with me, especially since she has used her design chops to contribute to 2025’s REAL SIMPLE Home.

Cracks in the Bookshelves, Clutter in the Closets—And Embracing Flaws

There’s something strangely comforting about the fact that Drew Barrymore—a woman known for selling out her home goods collection at Walmart—openly shares that her home is far from flawless, but that’s just part of her charm. She’s not performing for social media or trying to present a perfectly curated space to a client; she’s just being herself in her own space.

“My bookshelves have cracks in them because they’re separating from the wall,” she told REAL SIMPLE. “My kids’ closet is a sh*t show. It’s not even technically a closet.”

I think this is something many people can relate to—especially renters, who sometimes have to sacrifice closet space for more open space.

According to Barrymore, her friends even tease her about buying homes “with no closets”—but instead of treating it like it’s solely a design flaw, Barrymore sees it more as a quirky detail adding more charm to her space.

It’s a refreshing contrast from the “everything needs a place” aesthetic that dominates so many interiors today. It’s especially realistic for a home with kids—sometimes things can’t be as aesthetically pleasing as we want, and that’s okay.

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A Feel-Good Space (But Just a Little Messy)

Barrymore’s contribution to this year’s REAL SIMPLE Home was a “feel-good” room—her take on a wellness space—and it wasn’t about just the clean lines and blank walls we’re used to seeing in places that are meant to be “peaceful.”

For a wellness space meant to have a spa-like feel, it’s easy to embrace a trendier, minimalist approach. Instead, Barrymore went for what she’s described as an “enveloping, calming, and soothing” space with cozy elements like a striped couch, warm colors, and personalized touches throughout.

“I had to decide what wellness means to me,” Barrymore told REAL SIMPLE. “It means remembering to even put yourself in the mix, let alone first.”

From the photos alone, it’s a place that truly invites you to just sit down, turn your brain off, and just be—even if that means leaving your shoes scattered haphazardly at the door.

The Joy of Making It Up As You Go

When asked to define her design style, Barrymore isn’t ashamed to admit that she’s given minimalism a try, and it wasn’t for her.

“I did try minimalism for a minute,” she said. “But when I tried to take things out, I couldn’t see my life around me anymore.”

Instead, she strays away from using your run-of-the-mill buzzwords to describe her style, opting for her own term that feels right to her.

“People will call me bohemian or eclectic,” she said. “I’ll go with ‘downtown rustic’. I like the feeling of city and country.”

Even her home appliance line was born from making it up as she went along, focusing on what she couldn’t find on the market and working from there.

“If I imagine something and I can’t find it, I want to make it,” she said. “That really lights my fire. And then once the fire starts, it’s hard to extinguish.”

For her Beautiful home appliance collection at Walmart, Barrymore wanted to create high-level tech “but with more color and happiness added to it”—something that’s often not a priority in the design process.

For those of us wanting beautiful spaces while juggling real-life messes and limited square footage, Barrymore’s approach doesn’t just resonate—it reassures.