It is no secret that we have a small love affair with interior design. A pretty pillow, the perfect rug or a gorgeous gallery style wall can make our hearts skip a beat and bring every-day joy to us. Now, we know not everyone needs, wants or has a beautiful apartment, but to us, having a home you love is a definite must. It is the place you come to after a long day at work, it is where you invite your friends for an evening of laughter, and it is where you hide in bed under the covers when life throws a tough time your way. While we have plenty of interior designers who’s work we admire, there is simply nobody that can compete with Nate Berkus (if you ask us)!
Last year, Nate published his book “The Things That Matter“, which we came across by accident. Not really knowing what to expect and also not really knowing Nate or his design aesthetics, we started reading it on a rainy day in October. It took all of the first page and we were hooked! This first page reads the following:
“I’ve always believed your home should tell your story. That pine table over there? I found it in a shop just outside of Mexico City. The sun was beating down and I was a little hungry, but I saw it and I knew I wanted to look at it every day. Those cuff links? They belonged to somebody I loved; we picked them out on one of the most perfect days we ever spent together. That tortoise shell on the wall? There was one exactly like it in my mother’s house and I can’t see it without thinking about a thousand incredible family dinners. Each object tells a story and each story connects us to one another and to the world. The truth is, things matter. They have to. They’re what we live with and touch each and every day. They represent what we’ve seen, who we’ve loved, and where we hope to go next. They remind us of the good times and the rough patches, and everything in between that’s made us who we are.”
– Nate
Could he have said that any more perfect? We feel so understood by those words and love him for finding a way of expressing exactly how we feel. Some may call it materialistic, but we believe in the things that matter and the stories they tell. Our lamp above the dining table? We found in on a romantic trip to the North Sea, in a tiny boutique and had it shipped home. It has the world map engraved on it and reminds of all the amazing journeys we’ve had together whenever we sit down for dinner. That panama hat that hangs randomly between the framed prints of our gallery style wall? It belongs to the guy we love and he looks so handsome whenever he wears it.
We can’t tell you how to decorate your place, and we can’t tell you what will make you happy. But two things that we try to keep in mind when creating our abode: Take your time and look for things that have meaning to you!
Obviously not everything can be of sentimental value, and sometimes all a sofa has to be is comfortable, and all we want from our dining table is to seat 8 people while still being pretty and sleek. And that is totally ok! But try to incorporate things that are “you” and tell a story. Also, don’t rush into things! We’ve spent almost 3 months sleeping on nothing but a mattress on the floor, waiting for the bed of our dreams (literally!) to arrive. We’ve also hunted down online shop after online shop for 8 months straight in search of the perfect blue patterned rug. So take your time, try to figure out what makes you happy and then build a home you love around it!
And if you’re simply looking for some gorgeous homes decorated by Nate, get yourself “The Things That Matter” and start flipping through 336 pages of pure inspiration. Everything from sleek NYC apartments and hidden cabins in the woods, to beach houses on the east coast is provided. We hope you love it as much as we do!
2 thoughts on “Nate Berkus: The Things That Matter”
Okay that’s a really new and awesome advice for interior design.
I will try to remember it when decorating my new flat.
Thank you :)
Witzig – das “Wohnzimmer” (mit dem gold umrandeten Spiegel) ist vom Schnitt her sehr ähnlich dem von einem befreundeten Paar. Auch Altbau, auch das eine Fenster ein bisschen nach hinten versetzt. Gestaltet ist es farblich mehr in Erdtönen und für mich persönlich etwas harmonischer, aber mir gefällt Nates’ Version auch sehr gut. :-)