Nate Berkus Quotes

"You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things."

"Design, to me, is part psychology, part sociology, and part magic. A good decorator should know what's going on in someone's marriage and how their kids are doing in school."

"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 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."

"Mixing in some rusty oranges is a warm way to update your place for fall."

"Books are the heart of any home, and I spend hours going through books for design inspiration."

"You can find a lot of reasonable buys at Wal-Mart. But one key to making it on a budget is by donating your time and labor to the project. Do-it-yourself projects will always help you save."

"Go outside! I mean, even leaves from a park are beautiful in a clear glass vase. I'd rather see that than fake anything any day."

"In a modern loft, you can't just fill a space with furniture. Each piece has to be perfect."

"In a small space, you want to keep the bedding as simple as possible so it looks clean, calm and collected."

"Everywhere your eye travels in your home, it should land on something that resonates with you."

"The truth of the matter is being gay is the way I was born. I believe this to the core of my being."

"I can look at a photo and the dimensions of any piece and tell you if it's going to sit well with the four other pieces in your room."

"It's my job to know what's available from every retailer, catalog, website, antiques mall, and craftsperson. A good designer or decorator has to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge."

"When you have a bunch of comfortable upholstered pieces, a single bronze or brass chair really turns the energy up."

"I made my parents crazy. As a kid, I redecorated my bedroom every month. I would literally save my allowance and go buy things."

"When you buy things that are expensive, like a sofa or something that really feels like an investment, you need to keep it as plain as possible, as simple as possible. Make sure that it's a clean design that will work with whatever style you want it to."

"My favorite thing about decorating is mixing different periods and styles. If you have something that's old, and you really do want to mix those styles, then you have to add something that's obviously modern with it. You can't put a kind of a mediocre thing in the middle."

"I hate sets. I've always hated sets. I think that if you have a dining room set, break it up!"

"Color is a very personal thing. You need to make sure to choose a color that makes you happy. But I don't recommend accent walls - choose a color you can live with on all four walls."

"Layering in different patterns will keep things from appearing too studied."

"You can change the feel of your sofa by adding a thick, cozy throw and playing a couple of classic pillows off a more Moroccan-inspired one."

"I love linen in soothing colors for any room in the house."

"Everywhere in my house are these little things that have meanings and make me think of great memories."

"I live in a beautiful vintage building that was built in the heart of downtown Chicago."

"I was barely in grade school when I helped my mother rearrange the living room furniture for the first time."

"I think I was the only kid on the block who knew about furniture scale by the time I was 8."

"As a kid, I think I rearranged the rooms of almost every house on the block."

"In a minimal interior, what you don't do is as important as what you do."

"If you actually keep things very organized and clutter-free, you can have more furniture than you think you can in a small space."

"'Priced to sell' - just the phrase makes me smile. When a dealer says all the items in his booth are priced to sell, he means he's tagged them as aggressively as he can to get you to buy them. Don't worry, though, I still haggle. You have to. That's the point of a flea market."