Heather Rae El Moussa Is Ready To Flip Your Home’s Style

Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young) knows homes. Before joining her husband, Tarek El Moussa, on HGTV for The Flipping El Moussas, she spent seven seasons selling multi-million-dollar mansions on Selling Sunset, Netflix’s hit reality real estate show. But even when she’s not tackling massive home improvement projects or closing property deals, she regularly works on her own home, keeping it tidy and chic. “It’s every single day, all day for me,” the reality TV star tells Bustle.

“I have a 2-and-a-half-year-old, and then my husband is almost worse than him,” she jokes, adding, “I knew that going into the relationship and the marriage. He’s not dirty, thank goodness, but he’s messy. He has ADHD, so he’s just always onto the next thing.” To paint a picture, El Moussa shares, “He’ll drop his clothes and the towels everywhere. He’ll get ready in the morning, and the toothbrush, deodorant, and lotions are all over the counter. I walk in and it’s like a tornado.”

As someone who’s built her career on gorgeous, pristine homes, it’s a challenge for El Moussa to keep calm about the mess. “I’m a perfectionist,” she admits. “Throughout these years, I’ve had to just take a step back, breathe. At some point throughout the day, it’ll get done.”

The home and lifestyle expert is now bringing her same home-organizing and decorating ethos and favorites to the masses. On June 16, she partnered with SHEIN Home and curated a collection of home goods spanning 70 pieces, with prices ranging from $2 to $335, for multiple rooms.

Calling it a “really fun collaboration,” El Moussa says the partnership was the perfect logical next step, since she’s “been wanting to do more in the home space.”

“I’m all about luxury, but when flipping houses, you have to be cautious with spending,” she shares, so the challenge is designing luxury homes on a budget. “With SHEIN, they offer so many luxurious, chic products, but the price point is so attainable. That’s my main motive. I want people to be able to design their homes and redecorate and not feel like they’re breaking the bank.”

Below, El Moussa shares some expert decorating tips, what she learned from working with Jason and Brett Oppenheim, and which Selling Sunset cast member she’s celebrating her new collection with.

Congratulations on your SHEIN collection! What key items from this collection would you recommend to elevate a home?

I’ll start in the primary space, which should feel like a sanctuary. You go to bed there, you wake up there. It’s where you start your day, so you don’t want it to be cluttered and overwhelming, but calming and a safe space. It’s hard when you have a family and children, and they’re messy, and you have a messy partner. Organization is really major for me. I just try to keep my space very organized.

Your bed should be cozy, soft, and comfortable. There was this seven-piece faux suede comforter set, which was very luxurious. Neutral tones go with any space. Also, essential oils. There was a glass and wood essential oil holder that I had next to the bed. I love bringing in frames, books, and faux plants. The space next to your bed shouldn’t be overwhelming and cluttered.

I really love laying by the pool, so for outdoors, I chose this umbrella and wood lounge chairs that make you feel like you're in a resort.

The kitchen is where we spend most of our time. It’s the heart of the home. It’s where the kids do their homework and eat their breakfast, so I chose rattan chairs, bar stools for the countertop, and matching chairs for the dining table. They just felt very luxe, very elevated, very comfortable.

Viewers first met you on Selling Sunset and loved you for your personal style. How do you think your style has translated into your interior design?

It’s transformed a lot. You guys met me when I was [32], I’m 37 now. That was a different chapter of my life. I was a completely different person. I feel like I've always been very feminine, very chic. I try to be very put together, even if I’m in cozies and comfies. But I’m not someone who has to be done up and overdone, I’m pretty subtle. I feel like that does translate into my design style. I like to keep things very neutral, chic, put-together, and cohesive.

Do you ever miss doing that level of glam that you were used to on Selling Sunset?

I do. I miss pieces of that part of my life. Transitioning from such a glam space in my life and a glam show to flipping houses where I was like, sneakers, jeans, “What bodysuit am I wearing today?” it was a lot to get used to. But also not, because in my daily life, I'm not walking around in high heels every single day in full glam.

Did working at the Oppenheim Group impact your own sense of style?

I’m still a luxury person. I really love luxury pieces, but I don't feel like it’s always attainable and affordable, and I don’t think that that's fair to everybody. That's why partnering with SHEIN on this was really important to get the word out there that you can have a beautiful space but not feel like it's overpriced. No one wants to overpay. And I had to learn that. I have pieces in my house that were ridiculous. [Now] I do some digging and find pieces that are nicer or as nice that are less than half the cost.

What’s your homewear style?

I like to feel put-together at bedtime, but I’m sure my husband would wish that I would dress differently. I usually wear Skims pajamas. I get cold, so I wear the ribbed long sleeves with the pants, and I have them in multiple colors. Once I find something I like, I tend to get it in multiple colors.

When I’m around my house, after I had Tristan, I started wearing sweat sets more. I used to always wear yoga pants, but after I had the baby, I felt more comfortable wearing a cute sweat set. But it’s always put together. I don’t like to be mismatched.

You worked on staging multi-million-dollar houses on Selling Sunset. What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned from the show about interior design?

Jason and Brett pay such attention to detail. That was probably the first thing I learned.

Have you told anybody from Selling Sunset about your SHEIN collection?

I’m having a party for the collection, and I did invite a few of them. Mary [Bonnet] is coming. I’m excited to see her.

Who from the cast would you want to support the collection?

I would love all their support. Mary bought a new home, not recently, but it takes a long time to pull a house together and find pieces. I feel like Mary’s always been a big supporter of mine. I’ve been a big supporter of her, so I would love to add some of my pieces to her house.

What have you learned from Tarek in terms of designing?

Oh, he learned from me, girl! He is the home expert. He taught me how to flip houses and invest in real estate. But I think I’ve taught him a lot, too, about design and bringing in some luxury and not having to spend a ton of money on it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.