Today, AD100 designer Nate Berkus joins Architectural Digest to answer your top interior design questions. How do you decorate if your partner has different taste? How can you save money on a renovation? Berkus shares his expertise to help solve your interior design problems.
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00:00I don't think I care if you live in a Cape Cod style house,
00:07but you don't have bowls of saltwater taffy out.
00:10I don't think your decor has to match
00:12the style of the house.
00:13Hi, I'm Nate Berkus, interior designer,
00:15and I am happy to try and answer the 10,000 questions
00:19that you asked on AD's Instagram.
00:25What makes a house look put together?
00:29Layers.
00:29You have to have layers.
00:31I know we're all like the weekend warrior.
00:33We're like, I'm gonna change my dining room.
00:35I'm gonna go out on Saturday,
00:36I'm gonna find a new table and new dining chairs,
00:39and then I'm done.
00:40But that's not what makes a home feel finished.
00:42What makes a home feel finished are the placemats
00:45that you brought back from Mexico,
00:47or the grouping of pitchers that you found
00:50at flea markets or local antiques malls
00:53that you gather in the center of the table for flowers.
00:56It's the silver, it's the napkin rings,
00:58it's the idea of taking the time to recover the seats
01:01of your dining chairs in a beautiful textile that you love.
01:07And the way that the layers make a home feel assembled
01:10over time, that make it feel put together.
01:13It's not instant and it's never done.
01:16I think when I talk about layers
01:18or making a home feel put together,
01:20everyone's like, I can't afford to do that.
01:22But the truth is, is that I still live with things
01:25that were under $10 that I found at a garage sale
01:29on my way to the bus stop as a kid growing up in Minnesota.
01:32It's not about price, it's about gathering objects
01:36and things that remind you of places that you've been,
01:39of people that you love, about experiences that you have
01:43or aspire to have, and making your home
01:46be the home base for that collection.
01:48Because when your eye travels around the room
01:51and it lands on this geode that I bought on a Saturday
01:56with one of my really good friends
01:57at an antique shop in Connecticut for probably $20.
02:01It sits on my desk now, but when I look at it,
02:03I remember how it feels to have a free weekend
02:05with somebody that I love.
02:07How can I make my bedroom more cozy?
02:11You have to invite more people into it, I think, right?
02:14In all seriousness, I'm really into four poster beds,
02:17iron beds, bed hangings.
02:19If you look at traditional historic design,
02:22people had sort of drapery around their beds.
02:25I think a higher upholstered headboard
02:27is also a really good option.
02:28It gives you the height,
02:29allows you to have some pattern and texture
02:32and really kind of make the bed feel a bit more intimate
02:35and a seating area in the bedroom.
02:37I mean, we all know we need the bed,
02:39we need the night tables,
02:40but if you have room for a pair of chairs,
02:42if you have room for a small settee, a coffee table,
02:45a pair of floor lamps, some symmetry,
02:47give yourself somewhere else to land
02:50besides the bed in the bedroom
02:52and your bedroom will feel more like a room
02:54than just a place to sleep.
02:57I used to like really light monochromatic bedrooms
03:00because to me, they were calming
03:02after being surrounded by fabric and color
03:04and pattern all day long.
03:06Now I'm really reaching for richer, warmer toffees, putties,
03:11deeper earth tones in bedrooms
03:13because I feel like those colors wrap themselves around you.
03:16They have this way of transporting you
03:17into this space that really feels like
03:19you're sort of living inside your own bathrobe.
03:22I think TVs in the bedroom are great.
03:24I think TVs in the bedroom are great,
03:26especially when you have
03:28or are pretending to have the flu.
03:32Chic storage solutions for small spaces.
03:36In a small space,
03:37everything really does have to do sort of double duty.
03:40So rather than just buying a console table,
03:44that console table should probably be a chest of drawers
03:48or a sideboard so that you have storage inside.
03:51Big oversized armoires,
03:53even though it feels a little bit counterintuitive
03:55using things with a huge scale in a smaller space.
03:58I find the larger the piece, the more practical.
04:01I don't like furniture that's designed
04:03for small spaces in a small space.
04:05It's never made sense to me.
04:07I think use less,
04:09but use properly sort of scaled pieces
04:13that aren't designed for a small space,
04:15just less of them,
04:16and you'll have sort of a more gracious way to live.
04:19Don't put in the search engine apartment-sized bed,
04:23like you're not Ralph the Mouse,
04:24like you need a proper bed.
04:26When I had my first apartment in New York City,
04:28it was under 500 square feet.
04:29It had a little alcove as a studio.
04:32I realized that I didn't need as many closets,
04:35which sounds insane, that were in the space.
04:37And so one of the closets, I pulled out the rod,
04:39I mounted a TV in the back of it,
04:42I left the shelves beneath it open
04:43to hold electronic components and books
04:46and things like that.
04:47And it all went behind doors, which made me really happy.
04:50Are gallery walls over?
04:52What do you recommend for somebody
04:53with a lot of different kinds of art?
04:56I think I would edit things differently these days.
04:59We've all had like gallery walls
05:01and there are places for them and they're really beautiful.
05:04For me now, when I see an image of a room
05:06that has a full gallery wall,
05:08my brain sort of just shuts down.
05:10It's like almost too much to take in.
05:12That's for me personally.
05:13But I do think that if you look like at the pages of AD
05:16and you look at the design projects
05:18that are published lately and sort of the movement
05:20of how people are using art,
05:22I think people are hanging smaller scaled things
05:26in unexpected ways and without groupings
05:29or maybe small groupings off center over a headboard
05:32or a row of smaller pieces over a side table.
05:36So, is a gallery wall ever gonna be over?
05:38No, but I think visually we tire of seeing things
05:44and somehow right now, one beautifully chosen,
05:48well-selected painting or photograph
05:50or object hanging on the wall
05:52feels a little bit more fresh.
05:54Do you have any advice on where to start the design process
05:57so it's not too overwhelming?
06:01I think you need to sort of assemble a look book
06:04of what you want your home or your space to feel like.
06:06Spend some time over a couple months
06:10before you actually start a project,
06:13gathering inspiration images of things
06:15that really speak to you
06:17so that when you're standing in front of a bathtub
06:19or a sofa, you can reference on your phone
06:22the things that you've loved
06:23and make sure you're not making a decision
06:25because it's no payment for the next 65 years,
06:28interest only or free delivery.
06:31There's actually this app called Sortly
06:33that I'm obsessed with.
06:35Everything I own is in this app.
06:36I make much fewer mistakes when,
06:39as you're out shopping, you'll know,
06:42does that towel bar fit underneath that mirror?
06:44Will those sconces look good flanking that painting?
06:47You can pull it up on your phone
06:49and sort of you have like the entire visual inventory
06:52and all the information you need to make smart decisions.
06:56So what is the most timeless architectural or design style?
07:00Ooh, people are gonna get really riled up
07:03about this answer.
07:05I think the truth is it's traditional.
07:06It's not an area that I play well in.
07:09Friends like David Netto, Alexa Hampton
07:12do a really good job.
07:13I stress out with a lot of different pattern fabrics,
07:16but I will say that I've always loved
07:19timeless design decisions.
07:21I think you have to really look back on historic properties
07:25and do your research, do your homework.
07:27When you look at things like the Reitzman Rooms
07:29at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
07:31no one's walking in there going,
07:33wow, this would be a lot better
07:34if they just kind of changed the paint color of the walls.
07:37So the most classic, the most traditional interiors
07:40are the ones that stand the test of time.
07:43How do I know the vintage piece is worth the price?
07:47Ooh, this is my favorite question ever.
07:49I started my career at an auction house,
07:51so everything I do somehow touches the secondary market,
07:55vintage, antiques, et cetera.
07:57I have stood outside a jewelry shop in Rome
08:01that sells silver things for the home.
08:03And after I've walked through and shopped
08:06and seen things that I thought were beautiful,
08:08a pair of candlesticks, a bowl,
08:09I've stood on the sidewalk in front of the store
08:12going on sites like the RealReal or FirstDibs
08:15to find out how I could buy something for less money,
08:18the exact same thing,
08:20and what information I needed to know about it.
08:22So if you are curious
08:24whether a vintage piece is worth the price,
08:26if it's signed, that makes it really easy.
08:29If it's not, ask what style it is,
08:32and then step outside and do some research.
08:36It takes two minutes.
08:37It gives you an education,
08:38it gives you also a negotiating tool,
08:41and you feel better about what you're buying.
08:43If you're willing to take a risk
08:44because it's not a lot of money
08:45and you're standing at the garage sale
08:47on the corner of your street,
08:48but you just love something, then just buy it.
08:50How bad can it be?
08:53How do I find common decorating ground
08:55with my partner who has totally different tastes?
08:58You have to marry somebody like I did
09:00who doesn't have totally different tastes.
09:02That's the solution.
09:05If somebody has completely different tastes than you,
09:07you really have to kind of front load
09:09the entire design process with honesty
09:13and being as direct as you can be.
09:16You can pick or have like veto rights on five elements,
09:21and I can have veto rights on five elements.
09:23In our kitchen renovation in our apartment in New York City,
09:27Jeremiah was convinced that he wanted to use the marble
09:30that we ended up using,
09:31which had a massive amount of green and brown in it.
09:34I didn't dislike it, but I was really hesitant.
09:36I was like,
09:37don't you think we're going to get tired of that?
09:39That's really so busy.
09:40It's such a statement.
09:43And Jeremiah was like, well, I ordered it already.
09:47How to furnish a new house so that it isn't only trendy,
09:51but I will actually like it for long.
09:54All right, I'm really going deep with this one,
09:56so I want you to listen closely.
09:57Trends are awful.
09:59They make people feel bad about what they didn't have
10:02to make us buy things that we don't necessarily need.
10:07So rather than worry about how to live with trends,
10:10worry about how to craft an interior that's deeply personal
10:14and reflects what you actually love and will love forever.
10:18Just don't be distracted.
10:20Even if I'm on television telling you
10:22that you have to have a green dining room,
10:24which I won't be, but even if I did, don't listen to me.
10:27How do I make sure my decor matches the style of my house?
10:31Why do you want to do that?
10:33I don't think you should do that.
10:35I think that you should create an environment
10:38that really rises up to greet you,
10:40a place for experimentation,
10:42a place that your own personal style shines through.
10:45I don't think I care if you live in a Cape Cod style house,
10:51but you don't have bowls of saltwater taffy out.
10:56I don't think your decor has to match the style of the house.
10:59I think when decoration is not real,
11:02that's when you notice a real sort of departure
11:06from the architecture.
11:07And by not real, I mean, you know,
11:09signs that say, like, J'adore Paris,
11:12or fake, like, Eiffel Towers
11:15on the wall of a suburban kitchen.
11:17But if you want a French country kitchen at a beach house,
11:20then you should feel the freedom to be able to do that.
11:23It's what you love, that's what you should be living with.
11:26It's a good place to save money during a renovation.
11:29The best way to save money is to obviously create a budget
11:34and try your best to stick to it,
11:37but try not to move that many walls.
11:40And if you are going to move the walls,
11:42try not to move the location of the actual appliances
11:46or the plumbing,
11:47because taking down a wall between two rooms
11:49that aren't utilitarian,
11:51like a living room and a dining room,
11:53is a lot easier than taking down a wall
11:55that separates a kitchen or a bathroom from a bedroom.
11:58And moving a toilet, for instance,
12:01is thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars
12:04of labor behind the scenes
12:07to get the toilet on a wall
12:09across from where it originally sat.
12:12Decor tips for beginners.
12:14How do you find your style?
12:15I think it's taking the time to really go through
12:18and collect images of things that you love.
12:20You don't even have to be able to explain why you love them.
12:23You could look at a picture of a room
12:24and it likely won't be the exact room you love,
12:26but you can notice how the color of the walls
12:29works with the color of the sofa,
12:31and that color combination might be something
12:33you carry with you to the next image that you like.
12:35You can notice the way the room is filled with furniture
12:39or feels more minimal,
12:40and what feels good to you about that.
12:42A floor plan that you wouldn't have thought of,
12:45that most of us wouldn't have thought of.
12:46I still do that, I'm on social media.
12:49Not looking at the fabrics necessarily,
12:50but looking at how they position the sofa
12:52or how they fit another piece of furniture
12:54in a room that I wouldn't have thought of initially.
12:56So finding your style is examining other people's styles
12:59and figuring out what to take from each of those styles
13:02to make it your own.
13:03I found my style, I would say,
13:05a lot of practice and a lot of exposure.
13:08And that exposure came from traveling,
13:11came from being in old buildings
13:13and studying how the hinges looked
13:15and the patterns of the floor and things like that.
13:18Not the most fun person to travel with, apparently.
13:21At Leslie Heinman Auctioneers, the auction house,
13:23that was my first job, I saw everything come in.
13:2719th century French dishes,
13:30silver rugs from all over the world,
13:32whole estates and homes disassembled for sale.
13:36Watching people's collections showed me
13:38and exposed me to so many different ways of living.
13:41But I'm still finding my style.
13:43I hope I always am still finding my style.
13:45I hope I'm always inspired by things that I see.
13:48I hope everywhere I go makes me think
13:51of how to assemble a room
13:53or assemble a space in a different way.
13:56I inherited a house fully furnished, lucky you.
13:58How does one include your own style
14:00without changing the core furniture?
14:02I think if I inherited a house that was fully furnished,
14:05which has never happened,
14:07I would take a real inventory of each piece
14:11and I would start moving everything around.
14:14Maybe I would recover some of the upholstery
14:17if there was anything that I really didn't like,
14:20a pattern, a color.
14:21But when I was younger, before I had my design firm,
14:25before I did anything, I loved moving my bedroom around.
14:29Or we would go to friends' houses
14:31and I would go for a play date
14:33and the mom would come home and be like,
14:34why is my sofa in a different location?
14:36So I think when you have a fully furnished home
14:39that you've inherited,
14:40you've also inherited an opportunity to be really creative
14:43and pull out that chest of drawers that's in the bedroom
14:46and try it in the entry with a mirror hanging above it.
14:48Break up a set of night tables
14:51and use one as an occasional table next to the sofa.
14:54I love a deep inventory.
14:55That's why I have lots of warehouses all over the place.
14:59Thank you so much for all of the questions.
15:01It was really fun trying to answer everything truthfully.
15:05And honestly, I hope I did that.
15:07Have fun on your design projects.
15:09Bye.