DeepSummary
The episode begins with Malcolm Gladwell introducing Nate Berkus, a famous interior designer, whom he was going to have a freewheeling conversation with. They discuss their love for travel, their mothers' influence on their respective careers, and Berkus' process of designing spaces that cater to his clients' needs and preferences. Berkus shares how he can instantly visualize changes to improve a space and create something meaningful and livable for his clients.
They delve into Berkus' philosophy of not following trends but rather focusing on what truly resonates with the homeowners. He expresses his disdain for people with a lot of money and confidence in their bad taste, emphasizing the importance of creating spaces that feel great even after 25 years. Berkus also reveals how his mother's love for vintage and craft items inspired his approach to sourcing and design.
Towards the end, Gladwell prompts Berkus to imagine a scenario where he is melancholic, and Gladwell offers to fly him to a place that would cure his sadness. The episode concludes with Gladwell thanking Berkus for the engaging conversation.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Nate Berkus emphasizes creating meaningful and livable spaces that resonate with homeowners' true selves, rather than following trends.
- He values sourcing unique, vintage, and handcrafted items to bring character and history to a space.
- Berkus believes in allowing himself to get lost and explore while traveling to experience the local culture and crafts.
- He has a strong aversion towards individuals with wealth who are overconfident in their poor taste, seeing it as a waste of resources.
- Berkus aims to create homes that surpass the experience of even the most luxurious accommodations, tailored to his clients' preferences.
- Parental influence, particularly from his mother, played a significant role in shaping his design sensibilities and approach.
- He emphasizes the importance of having a dialogue with clients to understand their desires and create spaces that truly resonate with them.
- Berkus values experiences and connections over material possessions, as evidenced by his appreciation for a home-cooked meal over a dining room's design.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “What really makes me ragey is people who are really confident in their bad taste. It makes me insane. And it usually is tied to a great deal of money, like a huge fortune wasted.“ by Nate Berkus
- “My whole philosophy has always been like, if you actually spend the time to get to know yourself well enough to know what you really do, enjoy what really makes your heart sing, when you look around a space, then you can shut out all that noise and build something that matters.“ by Nate Berkus
- “If you're going to have really terrible taste and be confident about it, you need to say, everything is fabulous over and over. So you yourself apparently believe it, but that makes me insane.“ by Nate Berkus
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Episode Information
Revisionist History
Pushkin Industries
2/15/24
Malcolm Gladwell sits with interior design legend Nate Berkus in a live conversation covering everything from travel, to their moms, prestige TV, and finding the places that can cure us of melancholy. This episode was recorded at the AC Hotel New York Times Square, and is brought to you by AC Hotels.
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