Email
Design expert Nate Berkus shares his high-impact, low-cost ideas for getting the most from your home in this Sunday’s PARADE. His No. 1 tip for improving home decor? “Clean your house, people. It costs nothing!” says the boyish, unpretentious Minneapolis native.
Berkus was interested in design from an early age, bringing home treasures that he found at garage sales; when he was a teenager, he obsessively rearranged the furniture and possessions in his basement bedroom. At the ripe old age of 24, he opened his own design firm—seven years later, he gained fame on Oprah. Now one of America’s most popular home design experts, Berkus has a new book out (The Things That Matter) and debuts a collection at Target this month. He recently sat down with PARADE in Manhattan, chatting easily about himself, home design, and how it affects the way we live today. Here are a few of his tips.
Biggest Design Mistake
“I see it every day: People trying to create a home that somebody else tells them they should have. I don’t care if it’s a magazine, a neighbor, or a bossy friend— when somebody says, ‘This is what’s elegant, this is what’s trendy,’ if it doesn’t represent you, you’re not going to be happy.”
The Importance of Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations
“They’re the most expensive rooms to renovate, but they provide the most resale value for the home. I never build in anything that can be considered a trend in those spaces.”
When Do you Need a Designer’s Help?
What are three areas in which you need a designer’s assistance? According to Berkus: Getting the scale right; mixing styles; and accessing resources. What don’t you need a designer for? Find out in this Sunday’s issue of PARADE in the Sunday Journal.
