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Nate Berkus: The Natural
By : Saxon Henry
Photos Carter Berg
When a young boy buys furnishings for his bedroom with his allowance, it’s not a stretch to imagine him becoming one of America’s top designers by the time he’s in his mid-twenties. When that young boy is Nate Berkus, the sky’s the limit as to the heights he can achieve.
After graduating from Lake Forest College, Berkus’ early career choices—Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago and a stint as an intern with Dominique Aurientis in Paris, France—cemented his love for the decorative arts and furniture. He founded Nate Berkus Associates in 1995 at the age of 24, designing projects for Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, Barneys New York, and W Hotels. By 2001, he’d been selected by Oprah Winfrey to design a small space for her show. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now an author, international celebrity and product designer for the Home Shopping Network (HSN), he claims he’s just getting started. Though he can’t yet release details on some of his newest projects, look for Berkus to expand his television presence, introduce new product designs and release new books in the coming months. “Our firm has been concentrating in the past five years on high-end residential design,” he says. “One of my books will showcase these projects. The other will dig a little deeper, giving readers a glimpse into what inspires me and how my creative process works.”
How have things changed since he started working with Winfrey? “Design TV was fairly new then and there weren’t many makeover shows,” he says. “For our first segment, I had to call three companies before someone would send me a sofa. Now I have a broad database of companies that will send me products within an hour’s time!” His first prime-time spot—hosting “Oprah’s Big Give”—came his way in 2008 and a successful line of home products for Linens ‘n Things has morphed into his HSN collection, which continues to evolve with new introductions.
“I feel passionate about designing affordable products that are of excellent quality,” he says. “It is so ingrained in my personality that it’s simply something I have to do.” Inspiration comes to the design visionary from nearly every angle. “When I travel, I’m photographing things with my BlackBerry and e-mailing the images to my creative director to modify,” he says. “It might be a metal gate in Europe that becomes a headboard for a bed or a gold orb in India that inspires a pillow covered in gold beads.” These explorations are put into his style guides, which serve as the starting points for future HSN products.
“When I walk down the street, I’m not thinking about my next appointment,” he says. “I’m always absorbing what’s around me—how the light strikes a doorway or how a mixture of lilac, white and green plants reads as the perfect color combination for something I’m designing.” Berkus keeps his interiors fresh by choosing vintage finds. “I like to help clients create interiors that feel as if they have collected what they own over time,” he explains. “I also try to find spectacular things that retain or grow in value—even for young clients.”
One theme that serves as a foundation for each of his residential projects is that a home should reflect the individuality of the people living in it. “When I worked for the auction houses, I had the good fortune of seeing incredible collections coming in for auction,” he remarks. “From what these people had collected, it was evident how they had lived their lives and what their fascinations were.”
Berkus is one of the lucky naturals whose on-screen charisma is effortless. “I didn’t have a day of training; it’s just something that I enjoy,” he says. “I don’t define myself by being on television—it’s just one facet of a career that’s ceaselessly interesting to me.” One of the most satisfying aspects of his television appearances is the opportunity to travel to communities he’d not likely visit otherwise, and some of his favorite places so far have been tucked away in rural America. “Travel fulfills me, and I don’t mean only visiting glamorous places,” he says. “Whether it’s a city of 7,000 or 7,000,000, the initial exploration is all the same.”
The first thing Berkus does when he lands in a new town is Google for local antique galleries, art galleries and auction houses. “Every town has them,” he explains. “It’s where you’ll find the patina and history that every interior needs.” If you’re one of those adventuresome spirits determined to design your own interiors but haven’t had formal training, the self-taught designer encourages patience and vigilance. “Pay attention when you’re walking into a hotel lobby or looking at a magazine,” he explains. “You might see two chairs placed with a table in an arrangement that would work perfectly on a wall that’s been frustrating you or how the color of a particular room is the exact shade your space needs to make it shine.”
If a child develops a passion for design early, as he did, he urges parents to nurture it. “Some people are very sensitive to aesthetics,” he explains. “Children should explore this sensitivity and develop it so that it becomes their way to support themselves as adults.” He knows this first-hand, as it is exactly what he has been able to do abundantly. “I’m fortunate that I’m in a career I’m so passionate about,” he says. “There’s truly no break between my spare time and my work: it’s all the same.” What would Berkus do if he weren’t happily immersed in design? “I’d like to own a hotel,” he answers, “or, though I don’t wear much of it, I’m also a great admirer of jewelry.”
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