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The Things That Matter (2012)

by Nate Berkus(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0679644318 (ISBN13: 9780679644316)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Spiegel & Grau

review 1: This book made me pull out the silhouettes that my mom had done of each of us four children over forty years ago and find a place for them on my wall, it made me root out the iron bulldog bank my grandmother gave me and place it on a tray with two brass candle sticks(wedding gift of 33 years ago)- also ferreted out of a closet to sit with the dog on the tray."As I've said over and over again, our homes should tell the stories of who we are. Not who our decorator is. Not who our friends sometimes think we should be, not who our family occasionally wishes we would be,and not who any number of style magazines tell us we must be."Nate Berkus begins by telling us who he is, where he grew up, what life was like for him as a kid in Minnesota and then a boarding student in Massach... moreusetts, then on to college and his favorite and life-changing year of college in Paris. The telling of his life throughout the book is what takes it from a clever book to a poignant beautifully photographed and inspiring story. He tells of the death of his partner, Fernando Bengoechea, when the two of them were in Sri Lanka as a tsunami hit and swept them into the swirling ebbing and flowing flood. Berkus lived; Bengoechea perished.As he walks us through the treasures of his house, he tells why the things he has mean so much to him.Nate Berkus then walks us through some funky, fun homes of people: Brian Sawyer, Barri Leiner Grant, Kelly Framel, Stever Berg, Dr. Ruth Westheimer- as in the sex doctor- Barbara Hill. Thirteen in all.Barri Leiner Grant loves sea shells. She's a hunter gatherer of the "smalls;" she could care less about the big stuff. Above her living room mantel, she has hung a simply framed chalkboard that her two daughters are welcome to draw on as the mood hits.The photos are fantastic for inspiration, the stories are fascinating. Some of the homes are austere, like Barbara Cusack's.Nate Berkus chose the title of this book- The Things That Matter- "because if it is about nothing else, it's about how the prints on our wall and the rough-hewn rocks we swiped from the Marfa farmer's market give our everyday lives shape, texture, and a sense of who we are, who we've been, and where we may be heading."This is much more than a coffee table book; it is full of inspiring stories, little bits and pieces in the homes of people that remind them of and tell a story. And it is about making these things tell a great story in your home. You can see how Nate Berkus helped my home tell a story: pinkpeppersDOTcom/2012/10/08/the-things-that-matter/
review 2: Interesting book on decorating your home by way of meeting Nate Berkus and his friends. I love the way he admires his friend's homes because the way they choose to decorate shows him the real person living there. Reassures me that my decorating style is not as eccentric as I imagine it is . Well, maybe it is , but I am not the only one :-) Nate Berkus comes across as a likable guy with a good heart . I enjoyed the book and the photos are beautiful. less

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