The interior designer Nate Berkus has supervised many high-end design projects from the designs of high-end. But to talk to him about his new book, FoundationsWe have discovered that one of his favorite knits for refreshing a room is something that everyone can do: “shop your own house”, as he puts it. Here you can find out how to do it and his best styling tips.
Nate Berkus is a famous interior designer, author and TV personality with 30 years of experience.
3 simple steps to refresh your room
1. Delete each surface
“It will sound crazy, but I'm really there,” says Berkus. “To refresh a room, take everything off every surface – glow, accessories, whatever.” In this way you can look at the room with a fresh eye and reinvent it.
Nicole Franzen
2. Buy your house
The next step is to buy the rest of your house for the room you want to refresh. Berkus is looking for both small pieces with which he can create new vignettes – artwork, decorative ceramics, family photos – and occasionally big ones. “This chest of drawers in your bedroom, for example, would that work in your entrance with a mirror?”
The genius of this approach is not only in the fact that it is free, but that it can lead to a deeply personal space. “You use things that you have lived with and that you have already loved to achieve a fresh look,” he says. For example, in one of his children's kindergartens, he discovered a favorite carcass that worked perfectly as a side table.
3. Edit further
Give back during work and take a look at the vignettes you have created. As he writes: “Find out which objects and books look good together is an attempt and error. You still have to try different combinations and placements until you do it right.”
Berkus' Pro -Styling tips
If you style your space, keep these suggestions from Berkus for combinations that sing.
Heather Talbert
Mix materials
On a coffee table or a bookshelf, a balance of the materials is the key to a successful vignette of objects, says Berkus. The contrast between metallic surfaces, rustic wood and structured stone gives dynamic quality. He also loves to integrate something with a craftsmanship, he says that a woven basket or a structured vase: “I love things that are done by hand – I think there is a lot going on.”
Heather Talbert
Warming up utilitarian rooms
Do not overlook the kitchen, the bathroom and even the laundry room as options for a style moment. “Try non-kitchen things on kitchen counters,” says Berkus. “In addition to your devices and cutting plates, I love a vintage lamp that is connected to the worktop.”
Take a look in your house for interesting small ships that you can play as storage. Berkus uses a special ceramic glass, for example to increase the storage of something as modest as q tips.
Julie Holder
Place family photos everywhere
Berkus asks you not to limit framed family photos to the hallway. “I like them on a bookshelf and on side tables, mixed with other objects,” he says. “I just don't like a blanket of family photos on a wall.”
When choosing family photos, consider those who not only grasp special occasions, but also smaller moments. One of Berkus' favorite photos in his house is a recording of his mother who laughs hysterically with his young daughter.
Heather Talbert
Tell your life story
In the core of Berkus's design process, there is an engagement for the creation of rooms that reflect their owners. “For me, every horizontal surface in the house is an opportunity to tell a little about their history,” he says. To put this into practice, bring objects to the room that not only reflect the colors and silhouettes that give you joy, but also reflect your personal history – when objects are inherited from your travels or by a relative.