Stalking Nate Berkus

I regularly stalk, I mean check out, Nate Berkus's website hoping for new photos of his work and this morning I was rewarded with not only photos but I little back story. Seems everyone is on a budget these days including his clients, one of whom asked Nate and his team to outfit "two properties with beautiful, timeless, and affordable finds." He also thinks that although these type of projects are a challenge, they push him to be more creative and I agree. It's easy to go out and decorate if you have an unlimited budget but it takes a little more work and thought to find things that look more expensive than they really are and it helps to start with "furniture with clean lines and classic fabrics."

Nate says, "we found some great deals in our favorite catalogs and ordered up one-of-each from my line at hsn.com. A layer of paint added warmth. A few trips to our favorite antique stores and flea markets for objects and accessories added just the right personality to the each space. The end result was amazing!" And I have to agree! If that's not enough Nate for you, you can watch him give a tour of his Chicago apartment at People.com. I just have to say that it's a good thing that Nate lives in Chicago because I might really start stalking him! Just kidding...sort of!

Photos from Nate Berkus

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Tranquil Townhouse

I was looking for a a living room concept recently and came across the townhouse that Nate Berkus designed for Katie Lee Joel and it reminded me how much I loved this home when I first saw it. While I enjoyed looking at the spread in Domino, I always liked looking at the photos online without them obscured by text or folded in the middle. I'm also sure that everyone has seen it before but sometimes it's nice to revisit an old favorite especially when it has a beautifully serene color palette and simply perfect furnishings. Also, makes me wish I lived in a pretty townhouse in the West Village. Sigh.

Photos by Paul Costello

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Berkus at the Beach

I was checking out interior designer Nate Berkus's website and noticed a few new photos of a beach house. I posted them yesterday without knowing where they were from and in a funny coincidence, they were published in the November 2008 issue of C Magazine (more on C Magazine later) and now I can bring you the entire story.

The 3,400 SF home is tucked away on a beach in Malibu and of course, has amazing views of the ocean. Nate was called by the lucky homeowner who was given a complete house makeover for her birthday and couldn't resist the offer to help her. As I mentioned before, the home is a beautiful mix of black, white and browns mixed with natural fibers since the owner is not a color person which creates a clean and calm interior. It's also nice the decor does not compete with the amazing views. In the living room above, the Corian topped table was designed by Berkus and sits near a 1940's carved giltwood chair and what appears to be a Mies van der Rohe daybed.

A glass desk and wood chair overlook the living room in the study that closes off to become a guestroom.

Petrified wood looks like modern art on the wall of the stairwell.

The downstairs guestroom has a leather topped desk and a photograph taken by a Navy admiral who was a family ancestor.

In the master bedroom, a zebra skin rug adds pattern to the neutral color scheme, as does the Ross Bleckner painting and agate lamps.

Can you just imagine taking a bath with that view? Looks very dreamy!

The dining chairs look blue but are really gray. Another variation on the colors through out the home and take their cue from the colors of seashells and the colors of the beach.

The kitchen has a more industrial feel but Berkus says, "I like things with a touch of the industrial." The floors are softened with seagrass rugs. I think this home is going to have to go into my file of inspiration for my future beach house. It's perfect!

Photos from Nate Berkus and Lisa Romerein for C Magazine

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Love Walking Through Your Front Door

I went onto Nate Berkus' website yesterday to look for photos of his West Village apartment for inspiration for Black gloss trim, his turned out to be blue-black. Anyway, while there I stumbled onto his portfolio for his interior design firm, Nate Berkus Associates, and all I could think was wow! When you think of Nate Berkus, you immediately think of him making over tired and sad spaces for maximum impact on The Oprah Show but what I saw was simple yet elegant, refined yet comfortable and sophisticated but not stuffy.


My litmus test of a great interior designer is if I could see myself moving into their finished design and being completely at home without making any changes and Nate Berkus passed my test. One of the quotes says, love walking through your front door and I would love to walk through the front door of any of his designs.

This photo above is one of my favorites. I wish I knew where all the homes were located but to me, this is the perfect look for a more sophisticated beach house. Not every weekend getaway home needs to be super casual, especially if that's not the way you usually live your life.

This is a detail from the room above and I am in love with those chairs. I wish I could find something similar at the flea market so I could upholster it in a similar fabric.

I think one of the reasons that I'm drawn to Nate's work is that he doesn't seem to use a lot of bright colors or patterns. It's funny that I love looking at fun prints and crazy patterns but in my own home, I like calm and soothing tones. I think it's one of the results of living in a crazy city. When you come home, you want a sanctuary of peace.

Nate may not use a lot of pattern but he does use a lot of great textures and color combinations. There are a lot of colors in the room above but it's still harmonious and soothing.

Great artwork also seems to be a Nate Berkus hallmark. Who knows if he or his clients picked it out, it all seems to flow beautifully into his designs. I love the gallery walls he creates.

The porcelain Nymphenburg rhino on the mantel above looks like the one Nate has on his desk in his New York apartment. I wonder if it's a coincidence or if they borrowed it for the photo shoot.

When you think of beige, you usually think boring but there is nothing boring about the room above. Again, it's the use of textures and tones that keeps it interesting.

The bedroom above and the bathroom below I think are from a private home but they have the look of a fine French hotel like the Ritz in Paris. That bed is to die for and so is the chandelier above the bathtub. Amazing!

And if his great designs and friendship with Oprah weren't reason enough to want to hate Nate, he's also dating the hottest shoe designer around, Brian Atwood. Brian not only designs his own eponymous line but he was also just tapped to turn around Bally, and if anyone can do it, he can. Talk about a designing duo. I look forward to seeing what these two have up their sleeves next!

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