‘Flipping Out’ star Jeff Lewis shares tips and gossip at Lexington home show

“You’re not filming this are you?” designer and reality TV star Jeff Lewis asked a woman pointing her iPhone at the stage. “Because I could get in big trouble.”

The woman with the iPhone shook her head, reassuring Lewis to continue a Q&A at the Central Kentucky Home & Garden Show in Lexington on Saturday about his life and career, design trends, and which Kardashian he’s poaching staff from.

Lewis, a real estate renovator and designer based in Los Angeles, has starred on his own Bravo reality show Flipping Out since 2007. Matching the candor of the Q&A, Lewis’ show features a sometimes brutally honest take on the real estate business post-housing crisis.

“I started making money when I was probably about 31,” he said. “You know, you think the money is going to come forever, you think it’s going to last forever, you think you’re going to make that money forever, and then came 2007, 2008,” he said.

He said it changed how he saw money. Putting money into homes “is a forced savings plan” because he can’t get to it easily, and he said aspiring renovators lose money when they try to tailor a future listing to their tastes.

“I might put in a couple things because I’m going to be living there for a year or two, (but) I’m basically building a house for somebody else,” he said.

At different points in his Q&A, Lewis hopped between questions about the loving rivalry between boyfriend/business partner Gage Edward and fan-favorite maid Zoila Chavez (her new nickname for him is “Maleficent,” like the Disney witch) and trending bathroom fixture colors (gold, gold, gold, like the early ’80s).

“Everyone wants to know if they can commit to gray,” he said in an interview before speaking. Gray still has a few years left, he said.

Cindy Fulkerson of Lexington came with a photo of her guest bathroom to get Lewis’ opinion on her 1980s tub and tile. Fulkerson said she was hopeful but not sure he’d be willing to offer advice.

Lewis told Fulkerson to bring the photo to the stage for a very quick “yes or no” on whether she should get rid of the tile. But he spent much longer thinking out loud with her.

“He said the tile was not offensive and I should change the grout color,” Fulkerson said, still beaming.

She said Lewis was exactly what she expected from TV: open and genuine.

Lewis said before his appearance that he’s a fan of the shows his fans watch. On stage, he didn’t seem annoyed to be talking about the upcoming season of his show rather than his rug line at The Home Depot.

He revels in the laughs he gets when mentioning two new hires who used to work for Kris Jenner (“she burns them out”). He doesn’t flinch when asked if he could tell that former clients and actors Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green would get a divorce.

Brian “The Wall Wizard” Santos incorporates a marriage theme in his painting sessions, which he calls “marriage counseling.”

Santos, who’s appeared on HGTV shows and written 14 books, is hosting hourlong sessions at the Lexington home and garden show teaching tips and tricks on painting.

Santos said new home buyers, especially millennials, have a deep thirst for practical-minded “life hacks.”

“They’re starting to want to do things, but they don’t know how,” Santos said. “You can’t learn to paint on Google, you can’t learn on YouTube, you can’t on Instagram. You have to go to a home show, you have to have someone who really understands paint.”

During one of his sessions, Santos showcased how using rubber cement is better than masking tape, how chapstick can protect door hinges, and how four drops of vanilla is all it takes to neutralizes the smell of paint.

Trilby Trent of Lexington took copious notes during Santos’ presentation on Saturday. Trent said she’s in the process of painting a couple of rooms and made a point of hearing Santos speak.

“The 10-in-1 (painter’s) tool — I thought I knew everything about what to do with them, but obviously there is so much more,” Trent said. “He definitely was worth watching.”

The home and garden show ends at 5 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 6:30 PM with the headline "‘Flipping Out’ star Jeff Lewis shares tips and gossip at Lexington home show."