[This article appears in the January/February 2021 issue of Boston Spirit magazine.]
Patrick Joslyn is ready for a second act.
He certainly has it with Stage Door Home Staging, his new Worcester-based company that specializes in styling interiors to make them as attractive and saleable as possible. But that business name also nods to his other career as a live performer: Under the stage name Joslyn Fox, he sashayed his way through an impressive run on the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The flirty yet quirky queen emerged as an especially lovable fan favorite by rocking the runway in sexy, skin-baring ensembles, charming viewers with silly-sweet charisma and serving up one of the series’ most memorable mottos (“Keep it foxy!”).
Now, though, the diva-turned-decorator is excited to flex some entirely different creative muscles. “I really hope people can see I have other talents,” says Joslyn. “I’m not stepping away from drag, it’s just another one of my dreams.”
In other words, Joslyn Fox fans need not worry—the Auburn, Massachusetts-born creative will continue to work as a drag artist and DJ. But that said, and despite his success on the show, Patrick Joslyn has never handcuffed himself to exclusively pursuing the post-Drag Race fame game, as other past contestants have done. For one thing, he says, he’s too sensitive a soul to endure the sharper barbs slung by the show’s fanbase, which has come under fire in recent years for being uniquely toxic on social media.
“I was strong while filming, but the stuff that came after was hard for me to go through. It was like reliving high school bullying,” says Joslyn. “Some people say to get thicker skin, but I wear my heart on my sleeve. And I’d rather be like that for the rest of my life.”
Of course, Joslyn admits there have been moments of self-doubt about his decisions. He recalls a few past encounters with regular customers at the Worcester restaurant where he was working between tour dates. “Some people would ask, ‘Why are you waiting tables? You were on television!’” he recalls. “It really messed with my ego.”
But ultimately, Joslyn didn’t want his real life to be defined by a reality show. Rather, he wanted to find other outlets for his creativity, and interior decorating was always on his gaydar. Luckily, fate intervened when he met home and retail stager Denise Hein after a gig; the two hit it off and she took him under her wing. With the pandemic-quarantine era suddenly inspiring a lot of itchy homeowners to reevaluate their digs, the twosome spent a busy 2020 getting client properties prettified and ready to sell. Together they’ve tackled everything from a 19-room historic mansion to industrial-chic modern lofts.
Now that Hein is retiring, Joslyn is taking over the newly renamed business—not to mention, a warehouse full of furniture and home décor that he’ll use to put his own indelible stamp on each space. Just don’t expect them to resemble anything a drag queen might design.
“Drag is loud and flashy, while staging has to be opposite,” says Joslyn. “I’ve found it to be a nice balance.” Indeed, on Drag Race, Joslyn was famous for piling on glittery accessories and modeling a more-is-more aesthetic. As a home stager, though, he’s learned to edit: The idea is to imbue every on-the-market property with enough distinct personality to show off its potential, yet maintain broad appeal to as many prospective buyers as possible.
And so, while he may not be painting the walls in stage-ready stilettos, Joslyn’s just as foxy when it comes to implementing design ideas that help homes to move fast on the market. Lately, for instance, he’s been ditching window treatments to show off views and natural light, covering walls in Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter (a warm and versatile gray tone), and making sure that every property showcases a home-office setup—after all, it’s a must-have during these telecommute-heavy times. In fact, the pandemic has put all Joslyn’s skills as a stager in particularly high demand: Every home absolutely has to pop in photos, now that more and more buyers are skipping in-person showings and relying on virtual tours.
By now, though, you’re probably wondering: How does this drag starlet and home stager style his own foxhole?
“When it comes to staging, you want the eye to travel quickly—but for living, it’s whatever makes you feel at home. And so, my apartment is the epitome of what you don’t do for a stage,” says Joslyn, laughing. “I have lots of antique furniture and a mantel loaded with candles and religious artifacts. I’ve always wanted my home to look like a museum of things I’ve collected through travels and gifts.”
“You have to do what makes you happy,” he says. And that’s why he’s taking center stage again, but this time in a whole new spotlight.
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