You’d think that as a host of a baking competition show, Emmy-winning comedian Nicole Byer would be into baking—but you’d be wrong. Or that as a Virgo, she’d be a hands-on, “Let me get that for you” type of host. Wrong again (though true to her star sign, she’s vehemently against wearing shoes in the house and getting into bed with outside clothes on). What the comedian, author, and podcast host is into: maximalism, tigers, and Entourage (oh my!), which you’d gather if you stepped inside her home.

Referred to by a friend as “Pee-Wee Herman’s home but for girls,” Byer’s space is filled top to bottom with personal knickknacks, colorful wallpaper, and patterned rugs. While her humor leans dry, her design style is the opposite of understated.

And while you’re more likely to find her painting her ceiling than poring over a recipe for a homemade cake, Byer has gained some wisdom from Nailed It! that she carries into hosting at home.

Byer’s House Rules

Byer likes what she likes, and that’s the whole philosophy behind how she decorates—an idea as simple as the rules she lives by.

Shoes off at the door. I don’t like shoes in my house. I think it’s weird. I think you’re bringing in all of the outside. It’s gross.

If you want something to drink, go get it. Honestly, just go get it. If you’re in my house, it means we’re friends. It means I know you. 

Throw your trash away, please. It’s so annoying when you have people over and they just leave stuff everywhere. You know where the trash is. It’s by the sink. It’s where most people’s trash is.

Q: Do you have any house rules that were instilled in you growing up?

One of our house rules growing up was shoes off, and I’ve carried that on to my own home. My mom didn’t really leave dirty dishes in the sink, so I try to not leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight. I have a dishwasher, so it’s easy. You just put it in the dishwasher. When I didn’t have a dishwasher, that was much, much, much harder to uphold.

I simply don’t like to see dirty dishes in the morning. Like, when I see my coffee, I don’t want to see old dishes from yesterday in the sink. So before I go to bed, I’m like, ‘Okay, this is gonna take you 30 seconds—just [redacted] do it. Just do it.’ So, yeah, I guess it’s like, if it takes less than two minutes, just do it. Also, I live alone, so I’m like, ‘Who’s gonna see it? Who’s it for?’ It’s for me.

Q: What does making a house a home mean to you?

I think making a house a home means putting all the things you like in your house. People buy a house and then decorate it or renovate it in a way that they’re like, ‘Oh, this is gonna up my resale value‘—and I’m like, ‘Okay, so you’re already thinking about not living there.’

Paint the wall, put holes in the wall, hang up pictures. Make the place yours. And also, who cares what other people like? You have to like it. You have to look at it. You have to live in it. So, I’m all about colors. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. In another room, I have a tiger print couch, and that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But for me, I look at it and it makes me smile.

Q: Would you say you’re a maximalist then?

Oh, absolutely a maximalist. I have tchotchkes everywhere. I have things and pictures hung up everywhere. Truly, everywhere you look, there’s something that brings me joy, and I’ve decorated in such a strange way—like I watched the whole series of Entourage this year. So I bought Entourage DVDs, and they’re just [throughout my house]—I do have a DVD player. I also have a VHS player. Listen, I love vintage. Go thrifting! I hate when people are like, ‘Oh, you know, I can’t afford this,’ but it’s like, you can. Go thrifting. Facebook Marketplace is incredible for finding stuff. Sometimes people don’t know what they have, and they’re selling it for so cheap. Getting rid of stuff too—just because you have a rug that you don’t like, doesn’t mean you have to keep it. Get a new rug, sell yours on Facebook Marketplace, and get a new one.

Q: Have you always had the mindset of ‘I’m gonna do what I want to do’ and put your personal touches everywhere?

I’ve always liked colors. My room growing up was, like, different shades of purple. Yeah, I’ve always been a person that shows my personality through where I live.

Q: How do you turn your house into a home?

Honestly, I truly think you could go to like three different home goods stores, then a thrift store, and spend $50 to $100 and have a lot of style. A lot of people forget that styling your home doesn’t mean a bunch of books that you’ve never read just laying around or whatever. It’s like, what do you like? Do you like peacocks? Get a peacock stained glass thing, frame it, and hang it in your house. Or, if you like flowers, get some flowers, press them, put them in a frame, hang them up. You can also make things for your house.

The whole millennial gray thing, the beige thing—it bums me out. I feel like we lost the recipe in the ’90s to fun stuff. Sure, maybe you don’t like that avocado or gold or brown from the ’70s, but some of it is an aesthetic, and it’s the vibe, and I love it.

Even if you have those gray hardwood floors or faux hardwood or whatever that’s in every apartment, throw rugs over it. I get it; it’s tough. You can’t always pick where you rent, but throw a [redacted] colorful rug over.

Q: How did you earn the title of Wallpaper Queen? 

I literally have wallpaper in every room. I love it. This room has two different wallpapers and a 3D flower wall that’s used for backdrops at a wedding or whatever. But I was like, I like how it looks, and I hung it up, and it took me forever, but it looks stunning.

You could get wallpaper truly anywhere. And peel-and-stick is renter-friendly, and I know that because I’ve removed it and it didn’t damage my walls or anything, okay? And you can switch it out; you don’t have to keep it forever. I just love patterns and texture, and I know that’s not for everybody. Like right now, I have so many different textures in the background of this .

Q: You do! I was going to ask about that stuffed tiger behind you.

I got very drunk and ordered it online. I saw it in a thrift store. So I took a picture, image-searched it, was drinking, and I was like, ‘I think I want a big tiger for myself.’ And then when it came I was like, ‘What is this? Who got this for me?’ Then I had to look through when I bought it, and I was like, ‘Oh, yep, that makes sense.’

Q: Do you have a home project that you’ve recently tackled that you’re very proud of?

I mean, my office looked very different than it does now, and I hung up peel-and-stick wallpaper on this wall, and then I had peel-and-stick wallpaper on the other wall that I had done myself, and I was very, very proud of it. And then I decided to switch it up, because I had a hole in one of the walls, and it got sealed up. And I was like, ‘Oh, well, the wallpaper comes down, so I’ll change it out.’

So I started painting. And I was painting my ceiling, and I did such a bad job that I ended up having to call somebody who then told me how bad of a job I did, and literally, all the things I did wrong. I was like, ‘I get it, sir. I get it.’ Technically, I did not do it myself, but I am proud of how it turned out.

Q: What exactly went wrong, might I ask?

I don’t know! Looking on Instagram, painting a ceiling seemed very, very easy. These people are like, ‘You just do this and this,’ and then they’re doing it. It was so hard. I didn’t tape anything off—I should have. And then paint flecks were flying on my glasses, and I’d go out into the world, but I’d be like, ‘Why can’t I see?’ Then I’d look and my glasses would just have paint all over them.

Q: When you’re designing a space, what do you start with? Where do you look for inspiration?

It’s kind of a free-for-all. I do look at Pinterest and am like, ‘Okay, so that’s the aesthetic I like.’ And then from there, I go, ‘How do I make it my own?’ Like, I knew I wanted a leopard print couch in my living room, but I had to find the perfect modular because I don’t love a sectional. I like being able to move stuff. Then I found this fabulous tiger print one, and from there, I was like, ‘Ooh, maybe I’ll do this wallpaper with it.’ After that, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna paint the ceiling this.’ So it’s just like, chunk by chunk what I think is gonna look good.

Q: Do you have a favorite room in your house?

I don’t know if I have a favorite room per se. They’re all really fun. I have wallpaper in every room. I have tchotchkes in every room. I have a lot of weird stuff. I found three brass giraffes, and I put them in the living room, and then I found two big, giant brass giraffes. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, they’re all family.’ So I like them, and they make me smile. Really, my house is insane. I did have a friend come over that was like, ‘Your house is like Pee-Wee Herman’s house for girls.’

Q: Are there any baking tips you’ve gathered from hosting Nailed It!?

Yeah, read the directions. A lot of times, people don’t read the directions, and that leads to a little bit of a disaster. But I’m not a big baker, really.

Q: What about a boxed mix? 

Absolutely. I don’t want to make a cake from scratch. I mean, I’m sure I could find the recipe, but I simply don’t have ingredients. My pantry is literally aesthetically pleasing: There’s wallpaper in the pantry. The shelves are this incredible orange to go with the wallpaper, and there’s literally dog food, alcohol, and cereal. That’s all I have in the pantry. I don’t have, truly, anything to make.

Q: What’s your hosting style? Are you more laidback or do you like a theme?

I’m not quite a theme girly, but I will host dinner parties at my house. Usually, the theme is, ‘I’m not cooking, so you have to bring something or order something.’ But mostly I’m like, ‘You can cook in my kitchen.’

I had my friend Jess over and a bunch of other girls, and she made us lasagna. She made three different lasagnas, meat and a veggie. And that was delightful because I love lasagna. And then in the summer, I’ll have one or two parties: one for my birthday, and maybe one for the Fourth of July, and that one is like, nobody comes in the house. You all stay outside. If you don’t like the music playing, I take requests. My friend Carl will grill. I’m pretty hands-off! And if you need something, I’ll try to find it.

Q: Do you have a go-to meal or treat that you like to provide when you’re hosting?

Wine. I have booze. I have alcohol, and I’ll have club soda as a mixer, and that’s all you get.

Q: Red, white, or rosé?

I do white or rosé. I’m not a red girly, unless it’s a Lambrusco. That’s nice.