by Jonathan Hopp
HOME | Design Matters
My Crush On Nate
A celebrity crush rarely leads to a chat on the phone, but this one did. A dream come true.
Photo Courtesy of Random House
Nate’s Chicago-based design firm, which
he founded in 1995, continues to design
interiors across the country and around
the world. In addition, Nate’s line of home
products continue to be sold through HSN
and he debuted The Nate Berkus Collection
at Target, a line of home goods and accesso-
ries sold exclusively at Target and Target.com
in October 2012. Most recently, Nate has
enjoyed a new role as executive producer
on the Disney and DreamWorks film,
The Help.
Based in Portland, Jonathan Hopp has
worked as a residential interior designer for
over 25 years designing homes all over the
US. In 2011, he published Interior Bliss: How
To Decorate Like A Pro Without Breaking
The Bank. A regular personality on Portland's
AM Northwest, Jonathan shares tips and trick
of the trade to create a home that you will be
a delight for years. jonathanhopp.com
Write him at JonthanH@JustOut.com
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JustOut.com
As an interior designer, I find Nate extremely gifted
and his stylistic approach appeals to my design aes-
thetic. Nate’s charm is that he isn’t caught up on la-
bels and is as happy with a flea market find for $2 as
he is with an expensive rug or piece of art. You can
see in his design work that everything he uses means
something. Nate has mastered the art of branding
himself since he first started his interior design busi-
ness at age 23. He came to national prominence in
2001 at the beginning of the home make-over craze
on television when Oprah saw one of his interiors and
suggested a segment on her show. His trajectory ever
since has been nothing short of stellar. Nate has gone
on to develop a line of home linens and accessories
for Linens 'n Things, his own line sold through the
Home Shopping Network and a now a new line of
bedding, linens, and home accessories for Target that
launched October 21. More recently Nate has had his
own show aptly titled The Nate Berkus Show which
aired for 2 years. He was also a producer of last years
Oscar- nominated The Help.
In the end, it all boiled down to my crush on my “Mc-
Dreamy.” Ultimately this was a challenge to summon
the courage to speak to him. How can I make this
happen and speak to him? Through some connec-
tions from living in Los Angeles, I was able to email
his publicist and request an interview. I felt like a
school kid asking someone out. “Will it be ok? Will
he like me? Will he say yes?” His associates couldn’t
have been nicer. When I contacted them I found out
Nate is also writing a new book, The Things That Mat-
ter. Jeez Nate, is there nothing you don’t do? So with a
little faith and perseverance I was able to speak with
my man-crush on the phone.
Jonathan Hopp: Your book, Home Rules, was such an
inspiration for me and many people. It was and still
is a great guide on how to develop a style. The Things
That Matter feels very different. Was your intent to
speak to a larger issue than just design?
Nate Berkus: You know, it really was. When I wrote
Home Rules the point really was meant to be sort of
a design 101 to get people started to understand my
perspective and what sort of ideas that I had around
assembling a home. It was really meant to be a more
technical “how to” and a guide for people who were
starting out. What The Things That Matter is about is a
new way of looking at design. It represents the journey
that I’ve been on the last 6 years since I wrote Home
Rules. And it was about, for me I think, the most suc-
cessful interiors I’ve ever seen are the interiors that
truly reflect the people that live inside them and it was
a way of looking at design as a whole. All these people
are trying to make spaces be beautiful, be functional
and also be interesting. It was me saying to everyone,
“Look, let’s everybody stop, take a beat, take a breath-
er. Let me show you 12 interiors plus 3 of my own that
represent the absolute best of what’s out there, not
with regard to how expensive something is, not tak-
ing into account what we think we need to be living
with. These are people who are very interesting people
who I’ve picked from around the country who live in
a space that reflects the stories that they want to share
with the world. And so I photographed the spaces and
interviewed the people and my main question was,
“Why have you decided to surround yourselves with
these things as opposed to other things and how did
it make you feel to walk into your home every day?”
All the interiors, in the book, reflect beautifully the
individualism and the personalities of the people who
occupy the spaces.
Continues on page 56
November 2012
Photo by Horace Long
It all began innocently enough. A friend of
mine asked “Who do you really admire that
you would like to interview?” Now, I don’t
know if I saw something recently that he
had done, or whether my simmering crush
on Nate Berkus was in the forefront of my
mind, but I immediately blurted out “Nate
Berkus.” Not Meryl Streep, Obama, Ma-
donna, or any others on the “A” through “D”
list celebrities or dignitaries. It was without
a hesitation – Nate. “Why?” my friend asked.
“Because I had a crush on him from when he
first appeared on the Oprah show in 2001.
He is absolutely dreamy. His smile is dis-
arming, his eyes piercing yet friendly and I
covet his thick curly hair.”