The Nate Berkus Show

Hard to believe that a year ago today, a few (around 90) of us design bloggers landed in NYC for a taping of the Nate Berkus Show.  Remember this post? Fun times!

Over the past year, a number of bloggers have been on the show including fellow Canadians Jennifer and the Moggit girls (Joy and Janet) who are now part of Nate’s Net, a group of bloggers who will be featured on an ongoing basis.

Bloggers such as Rashon, Mr. Goodwill Hunting have been on the show a few times and Tamara was on the premiere episode of  Season Two last week. 

Whether you are a blogger or a viewer, you can submit a video of your home for the House Proud segment of the show.   Most of the homes chosen to be featured have been decorated with a minimal budget and feature vintage finds and DIY projects. You can see all of the House Proud photos here.

A photo from a recent House Proud segment.

My love for Nate is no secret as I blogged about him here and here.  It all started when I watched in amazement as he transformed that teeny, tiny apartment 10 years ago on the Oprah show. You probably all remember how he worked his magic on that space.  It was around that time that I decided to go back to school for interior design and I think Nate had something to do with that.

The shows I enjoyed the most from the past season were ones where he and his crew transformed a room “for real” not just in the studio.   Hoping they have more of the same this year.

Did you catch the episode last week where Nate shared the transformation of his NYC apartment?  (He sold the beautiful Chicago home that we all loved.) You can see the Before photos from the real estate listing here.  I had been waiting to see what he would do with the space and he didn’t disappoint.

Excuse these grainy photos I snapped from the TV as they aren’t on the site.  (Bet that’s because they will be in a magazine soon!)  You can watch the episode here.  Notice in the video how he:

• installed subway tiles directly over the existing marble backsplash.  He also kept the kitchen cabinets but painted them and added beautiful hardware.
• ran the gorgeous herringbone wood floor in a light tone throughout the space.
• didn’t have to do much to the bathrooms (other than paint, a mirror and lighting) as the fixtures and tiles were already white. White in a bathroom is timeless!
• used furniture and pieces from his former homes.  If you invest in quality, timeless pieces the first time around, there’s no need to replace every time you move.
• placed meaningful objects and created interesting vignettes around the space. He does that so well!

And speaking of Nate, he wrote the foreword and has some of his work featured in this book which is coming out in a few weeks.

Do you watch the show? Thoughts?

If you require design help, please contact me at vanessa(at)vanessafrancis(dot)com. I would love to work with you!