Nate Berkus’ Style

My work buddy, Michael Penney, kindly took me up on my offer to fill in for his blog post today so I can declare this Nate Day: Round 2.

Last Monday, the Twitter-sphere was buzzing with tweets and blog links dedicated to designer Nate Berkus, the former Oprah designer whose new TV series has been picked up by NBC (It starts on September 13^th).  Joy and Janet, the girls behind Moggit, a blog dedicated to exposing bad decorating and design, thought it would be great if the first live studio audience was entirely composed of design bloggers who are fans. (Apparently he replied that he likes the idea, too!) To promote their proposition they declared last Monday “Nate Day” and encouraged fellow bloggers and tweeters to devote their posts to him. While the first studio audience won't be design bloggers, producers are working on the idea, much to the delight of the blogosphere.

The responses were overwhelming — check out some of them compiled here, thanks to Vancouver designer Karla Amadatsu at Kerrisdale Design. It’s so impressive to see room after gorgeous room designed by Nate — only a small portion of his portfolio, I’m sure. It reminded me why he was my first huge design crush (followed by David Netto, then Brad Ford). So, it may be a week late, but I think it’s worth declaring another day in honour of Nate Berkus’ style.

This is the elegant dining room in his Chicago apartment. He has a thing for round dining tables and this is one of his own designs. I love the purple-y blue and wood palette.

And I love that his kitchen is full of colour, yet has a simple, subdued and industrial look overall. What a great green!

This is his cosy yet tailored and stylish living room. I love the mix of French antiques, such as the Bergère chair and cocktail table, with modern elements like the Mitchell Gold leather chair and metal shelves. The gold faux bamboo chairs are the unexpected element that brighten and elevate the room, in my opinion.

Of course, he was onto the dark, freestanding statement tub before it became the huge designer trend that it is now.

He also designed Brian Atwood’s Milan apartment. (Atwood is his partner and an acclaimed shoe designer). The library features black bookcases, vintage framed posters and a 1970s round table.

I find Atwood’s bedroom stunning, even though it is typically not my taste. I think it’s the dark wall, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Railings (31), plus the massive Serge Mouille light fixture that work best. This room epitomizes what I love most about Nate’s rooms — they always feel uncluttered but not clinical, high-end but inviting, and never pretentious.

More examples of his gorgeous style.

If he didn’t already have you with his designs, you can see that he's pretty easy on the eyes, too! He's also known for being the nicest, most gracious designer. And apparently we will get to see him on the red carpet at the 2010 Emmy Awards. A design great on the red carpet? Amazing!

P.S. You can follow House & Home on Twitter at @HouseandHome.

For more blog posts and photo galleries about our favourite interior designers, click here.

Photo credits:
1. Nate Berkus' Home Rules (2005 Hyperion Books), Amazon.ca
2-5. Elle Decor, photography by Pieter Estersohn
6-7. Elle Decor April 2009 issue, photography by Simon Upton
8. Nate Berkus Associates, via Flickr.com
9. I’m Not Obsessed blog