Nathan Jay Berkus (born September 17, 1971)
is an American interior designer, author, and television personality. He runs the Chicago interior design firm Nate Berkus Associates and was a regularly featured guest on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show'', offering design advice to viewers as well as coordinating surprise make-overs for people's homes. He has released numerous lines of products and authored several books.
His talk show, ''
The Nate Berkus Show'', debuted in
broadcast syndication
Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...
on September 13, 2010, featuring make-overs, culture, design, and personal advice. It was co-produced by
Harpo Productions and
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...
, and was cancelled in 2012 after two seasons.
Since 2017, Berkus has co-hosted the
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
reality design series ''
Nate & Jeremiah by Design'', alongside his husband
Jeremiah Brent.
Early life and education
Berkus was born on September 17, 1971, in
Orange County, California
Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
. Nancy Golden, a designer who was featured in multiple series on
HGTV and
DIY Network
Magnolia Network is an American basic cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery in partnership with Chip and Joanna Gaines, the founders of lifestyle company Magnolia. It broadcasts personality-based lifestyle programs related to topics ...
, is his mother. His father, Michael A. Berkus, co-founded the
National Sports Collectors Convention. His parents divorced in 1973. Berkus grew up in a Jewish family mainly in
Hopkins, Minnesota. He attended
Cushing Academy, a boarding school in
Ashburnham, Massachusetts.
Berkus started working in design immediately after leaving high school and interned at
Dominique Aurientis in Paris and
Leslie Hindman in Chicago. Berkus graduated from
Lake Forest College in 1994, with B.A. degrees in French and Sociology. He founded the company, Nate Berkus Associates, in Chicago in 1995. Berkus is related to the
venture capitalist Dave Berkus, architect
Barry Berkus, musician/artist
Günther Berkus, Josh Berkus of
Software in the Public Interest,
casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
manager/author Eric David Berkus, and lawyer Matt Berkus.
Career overview
In November 2005, Hyperion Books published Berkus's book ''Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live into a Place You'll Love'' (), a step-by-step guide to home design and decoration.
In 2005, Berkus began selling his merchandise at
Linens 'n Things stores throughout North America.
Berkus was the host of the short-lived reality show ''
Oprah's Big Give'', which premiered March 2, 2008, but the series ended on April 20 that same year. On May 13, 2008, it was announced by
ABC that it would not be renewed for a second season.
On September 13, 2010, he debuted as the host of his own syndicated daily show, ''
The Nate Berkus Show'', which was co-produced by
Harpo Productions and
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...
. It was recorded in Studio 42 at the
CBS Broadcast Center
The CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is CBS's main East Coast of the United States, East Coast production hub, similar to Radford Studio Cen ...
in New York, but aired in the nation's largest markets on the ten NBC-owned-and-operated stations.
His guests included sex therapist
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, whose living room and dining room he redecorated, after 50 years. In December 2011, Sony Pictures decided not to renew ''The Nate Berkus Show'' for a third season.
Berkus is also an executive producer of the 2011 film ''
The Help''.
Berkus appeared as himself on the October 12, 2011, and October 13, 2011, episodes of ''
Days of Our Lives'', a United States daytime television soap opera, designing the offices of MadWorld Cosmetics for
Madison James.
His book ''The Things That Matter'' was published October 16, 2012, by Spiegel & Grau. It became a ''New York Times'' Best Seller and was named "One of the Best Interior Design Books of the Year" by the ''Washington Post''.
In October 2012, Berkus collaborated with Target stores to launch his Target Home collection, a 150-piece line that includes bedding, bath, accessories, lighting, rugs, and window treatments. Since then he has released many different collections for season changes as well as holidays. He recently released a line of stationery and office essentials alongside his 2015 Cali-inspired spring collection.
In January 2013, Berkus introduced his own fabric collection at Calico Corners.
In March 2013, television journalists noted Berkus began working on a primetime series with NBC, initially titled ''Renovation Nation''.
By May 2013 the title was changed to ''American Dream Builders''. Berkus was the host and one of the producers of the show in which, according to NBC, "American top designers, builders, architects and landscapers go head-to-head each week, putting their talents to the test on extreme home renovations." The show was not renewed after its first season.
Alongside his husband, interior designer
Jeremiah Brent, he launched in 2017 the TV show ''
Nate & Jeremiah by Design'' broadcast on
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
network. On August 30, 2017, it was announced that ''Nate & Jeremiah by Design'' had been picked up for a second season. They have been on the
HGTV Show ''The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project'' since 2021.
In 2020, Berkus helped rebuild
Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its ...
in
Gordon Ramsay's special.
Personal life
In December 2004, Berkus and his then-partner, photographer Fernando Bengoechea, were vacationing at a beach resort in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
when the
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hit. While Berkus survived, Bengoechea was missing and presumed dead. Berkus appeared on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show'' on January 17, 2005, to talk about the ordeal and the loss of his partner.
In April 2013 Berkus became engaged to fellow interior designer
Jeremiah Brent after nearly a year of dating. They were married on May 4, 2014, in Manhattan. They have two children born via surrogates: a daughter, Poppy Brent-Berkus, born on March 23, 2015, and a son, Oskar Michael Brent-Berkus, born on March 26, 2018. Berkus and his family currently live in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.
In early 2014, they were featured in clothier
Banana Republic's "True Outfitters" ads in ''
InStyle'' and ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'', among other magazines. ''The New York Times'' noted they were the first same-sex couple to be featured in ads for the magazines. Their Manhattan apartment was featured in the October 2015 issue of ''
Architectural Digest'' magazine, where Berkus and Brent appeared on the cover with their daughter Poppy.
Further reading
Who is Nate Berkus?Your Life, ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' March 23, 2006
"Gay designer returns home from tsunami-ravaged region" – article from Advocate.com
See also
* Interior design
References
External links
*
The Nate Berkus Show*
Nick Berkus' Facebook PageNate Berkus' (Fanmade) Latest Updates Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkus, Nate
1971 births
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews
American gay writers
American interior designers
American LGBTQ broadcasters
Artists from Minneapolis
Gay Jews
Lake Forest College alumni
LGBTQ designers
LGBTQ people from California
LGBTQ people from Minnesota
LGBTQ television producers
Living people
People from Orange County, California