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EXCLUSIVE: Nate Berkus Shares His Tips for Redesigning Your Home

American Express & Dell Nate Berkus at Lincoln Square Veterinary Hospital.

Nate Berkus has been helping his clients create personalized spaces for more than 20 years. The star of “The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project” is now sharing his tips for homeowners embarking on a redesign.

“One thing that I’ve always stood for as a designer over the last 26 years is that our homes and our spaces should reflect our personalities and who we are,” the HGTV star told Heavy.

Instead of simply copying makeovers from television or magazines, Berkus added, “I think for anybody embarking on a renovation, whether it’s their home or their workspace, I think it’s really important to stop and take the time and figure out what design decision you can make that represent the things that are really important to you, the things that matter.”

Berkus founded his design firm, Nate Berkus Associates, in 1995. Since then, he has created a name for himself on shows such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Nate Berkus Show” and “Nate & Jeremiah By Design.”

“I’ve seen a lot of my own clients say to me, ‘You know, my mother was born in Mexico. Is there anything that we can add culturally that is representative of that in the contemporary modern way?’” he said. “So it takes a little bit more time. It definitely takes a little bit more thought. But what you end up with is an interior and a space that’s crafted entirely for you and feels layered and assembled and thoughtfully are thoughtfully assembled.”


Homeowners Are Sometimes ‘Afraid to Take Risks’

American Express & Dell

He acknowledges, however, those new to design can lack confidence. As the 50-year-old explained, “They’re afraid to take risks or afraid that their you know, their mother-in-law is going to be really mean about their decision.”

Berkus continued, “I understand that furniture and decoration can be expensive, so I’m not saying that it’s not important to try and get it right the first time. What I am advocating for is to take a slightly more thoughtful approach. And just because you see something in the pages of a catalog or a magazine doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the right aesthetic for you.”


Berkus Partnered With American Express & Dell to Redesign Lincoln Square Veterinary Hospital


This same principle can be applied to businesses. As a small business owner himself, Berkus recently partnered with American Express and Dell Technologies to redesign the Lincoln Square Veterinary Hospital in New York City.

“I’ve been in an Amex Business Platinum Cardmember since 1996. Dr. Fried has been a member for longer. Both of us have seen explosions in our, in our industries through the pandemic,” the “Rock the Block” alum told Heavy. “I didn’t realize this, but Dr. Fried told me that a lot of people added a new, you know, family member, four-legged family member to their families during the pandemic. And we’ve seen in design just a huge surge in our existing clients and new clients wanting to change their space because they’ve been spending so much time there.”

Dr. Fried brought “a tremendous amount of humor” to even the initial design presentation, according to Berkus. “That led me to go search for things that were representative of the culture of his business. We interpreted that by using blown-up imagery, really cute imagery of animals as part of the design.”

“We are tremendously grateful at Lincoln Square Veterinary Hospital that American Express and Dell Technologies made it possible for us to not only get an incredible new reception area designed by the amazing Nate Berkus but also a much-needed technology upgrade,” Dr. Fried provided in a statement. “This redesign has reinvigorated all of our staff after some challenging times – giving us the energy and passion to continue to do great work for our pet patients.”

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Nate Berkus, of “The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project,” spoke with Heavy about his tips for starting a redesign.