November 25, 2012 / Leslie

Review: The Things That Matter by Nate Berkus

The Things That Matter
by Nate Berkus

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Publish Date: October 16, 2012
Format: Hardcover | 336 pages
Rating: 4 of 5

I thought this would be a coffee table book, filled with gorgeous photos and decorating ideas and not much else. I was wrong. Yes, there are beautiful photos of inviting interior spaces of about a dozen different homes, but the accompanying text tells a personal, engaging story about Nate and his relationship with the individuals featured.

Nate begins the book with some background information about himself. He talks about his family, his childhood, his years in college and how he eventually ended up in the world of design. He also talks about personal relationships and the pain of losing his partner, Fernando, when they were caught in the tsunami in 2004 while vacationing in Sri Lanka. The bulk of the book features a close look at the interior design of friend’s homes and in the final chapter we get to see how Nate’s own apartment is designed and what some of his special pieces of art and furniture mean to him.

One of my favorite sections was the chapter on Dr. Ruth Westheimer, an old friend, who asked him to help her with some design ideas. She is a fascinating woman who experienced much loss in her early years. The items she has in her home all have meaning to her and she did not want to get rid of any of them, but she felt “stuck” and needed some advice on arranging her things. Nate viewed that as a challenge when some interior designers would call it a deal breaker and refuse to help.

I read an advance copy of this book which did not contain the final color photos. (I was able to look through a finished copy at my local library and can confirm the photos in the finished copy are beautiful). None the less, I was impressed with the collections and arrangements and how ordinary items held such special meaning for many of these people. In one sense, some of the rooms appeared cluttered, with many objects displayed on tables and shelves (I would hate to have to dust them, but then again, I bet most of these folks have a cleaning service!), but on the other hand, it’s comforting to be surrounded by things you love, which is really what this book is all about.

It was a joy to see so many of the rooms were filled with book and bookshelves, some very creative ones. I’ve always surrounded myself with my books and was happy to see others doing same. Also pleasing to me was to see a lot of artwork of birds on display: paintings, photos and even Brian Sawyer’s taxidermy collection that he received from his great uncle. Yes, stuffed birds! Both creepy and beautiful, looking down at you from shelves on the wall and perched on tables.

This book has inspired me to consider having some of my own photography printed and framed for display on my walls and to remove the meaningless artwork that’s now taking up space. And as I clean out closets and go through boxes I’ll look at some of these items I’ve stored with a new eye and perhaps put some of them out on display.

Nate’s fans will especially enjoy reading this book, but it will also appeal to those who enjoy design and seeing how others arrange their private homes.