Inspiration Everywhere: What Goes Into A Nate Berkus Interior?
There’s a lot more to a Nate Berkus interior – or product or fabric – than meets the eye. And part of that is due to the avalanche of inspiration that’s poured into it thanks to Nate’s never-ending hunt for rooms, destinations, jewelry, and more that influence his choices and designs.
To try and get inside his head, we asked him to share a few of the images and ideas that truly drive his creative process, as well as how and why inspiration seems to strike him.
We see plenty of non-interior images, specifically art and jewelry. How does inspiration cross genres?
Design is about the combination of materials, the study of history, and the translation of ideas. That applies to most creative fields.
Your work is always changing, with new collections and new interiors to work on. How do you keep your well of inspiration full?
It’s the one thing that I never have an issue with! I’m always afraid of people who say they are an expert in something. I’m always looking, learning, listening. I’m constantly amazed at what I don’t know.
How do you catalog your inspiration images?
I actually keep things in photo files in my phone. My photo feed is divided into categories and when I’m working on a project there are multiple folders of ideas. That, and Instagram and Pinterest. I am always scouring!
LEAD COLLAGE IMAGES, clockwise from top left:
An iron bed in Patmos; craft market textiles; a home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; shopping an artisan’s warehouse in Peru.
SECOND COLLAGE IMAGES: Aman Resort Amangalla in Sri Lanka; project by Muriel Brandolini; David Webb jewelry; Taffin jewelry; Constantin Brancusi; Muriel Brandolini; home of Miranda Brooks
