The mecca to Nate and back

Thanks to the Moggit Girls (lifelong friends Joy and Janet were behind me in line and are seen in picture above) Boston designer Julieann Covino of the blog CreateGirl (not pictured here but I did get a chance to finally talk to her in person but my camera was all the way across the room!) and the power of twitter, I had the opportunity to be an audience member at a taping of The Nate Berkus Show yesterday. And it wasn’t just any old audience that walked in off the streets of New York to be there. Just about everyone there was invited because we share a love for Nate, inspired design, and a hard-to-put-into-words passion for social media. Big time gratitude goes to everyone behind the scenes at the Nate Show for hosting with stylish grace and
lots of humor (that would be Dena), and for
sharing Nate with us for the day!

Bloggers traveled from both near and far, leaving work/school/families/and their computers behind to be a part of this special Nate Day audience. Having the opportunity to meet so many fun, creative (and well-dressed!) personalities from the same industry *in person* was well up there on the list
of highlights from this trip.

I chose my outfit based on a recent post collaboration with Fashion Coach Susan Kanoff that featured the color purple. The silver rose pin from Stella & Dot is my favorite way to dress up a strand of pearls.

New York native and design blog author of Focus on Design, Rosanne Palazola, was the perfect traveling companion. She kept me entertained on the 4 hour journey with stories about her career in design, her close encounter with Nate this summer, and life in general. We also talked about our joint venture at the new lifestyle boutique New England Fine Living which will open in Middleton on October 1st. She also knew exactly how to get where we had to go in the city in the shortest amount of time, which certainly came in handy with all of the traffic in NY this week!

Friends Sara and Harold were behind us in line at CBS studios where the show is taped. Both were quite charming and appear to have bright futures in design.

Met through the blogs: Marcy of Pine Creek Cottage lives in Connecticut now, but loved my posts and pictures from the historical design show in Danvers
(which happens to be her hometown).

The audience was just as captivating as the host.
So many star sightings for us design bloggers! Our collective stories could probably be a design show series in itself (will send memo to HGTV!) which may explain why Nate could not call attention to all of the creative efforts of those gathered in NY to enjoy this amazing opportunity to meet and greet. Did I mention Emily Henderson was there??? Be sure to watch the show to catch her segment on how to showcase the treasures in your home. Oh, and she blogs, too.

Souvenirs from the trip: my VIP ticket, a gift card to Payless (perfect for budget-conscious fashionistas), a stunning necklace provided by Send the Trend and promoted by Project Runway star Christian Siriano who shared a few of his fashion tips with us. My box of new business cards also came home with me as they were not needed thanks to a new blog friend, Chanee, who went out of her way to create an entire Who’s Who of faces and contact information for each of the bloggers invited to the show, which was extremely helpful in putting names with faces and blogs!

As bloggers, we are a diverse community of many voices, but we all share a passion for design. Almost everyone in this shot lives in the Boston area.

Sabbespot, Everything LEB, Perfectly Put Together,
Deliciously Organized, Haven and Home

The weather was perfect. The city was full of life.
I wish we could have stayed longer. Next time!

Even though “our driver” was picking us up at 7pm, we still managed to enjoy some food and beverage at Affina before making the trek back to Boston. And even though we missed a couple of blogger events (please don’t remind me!) that we just could not squeeze into our quick trip to New York, I was happy to spend the day in a different kind of reality!

I will post the air time of this show when I know the details, and will link to more photos that Rosanne took from her point of view. She may have caught me talking with a few women involved in ProjectUDesign like social-media extraordinaire Leslie Carothers, Maybelline Te of Snug Furniture, and Nicole Nachazel from BiOH. I hope she caught me in deep conversation with both CreateGirl and Jonathan Legate (a rising star in Canadian design) as we amazed at the fact that it took about 140 characters to make
this dream our reality.

And thank you, Nate, for bringing us all together. Some people have the ability to draw a crowd and shine a light on others at the same time. You have that gift along with a generous spirit and big heart! Best of luck with your new show (insert virtual hug here!)

xoxo
yvonne

Showing some love for Nate Berkus

Nate’s Oprah Show Farewell

When my boys were all little (and before I had DVR ; ) I spent many an afternoon from 4pm to 5pm, tuned in to the Oprah show. Like many other stay-at-home moms, a really good day would involve a guest appearance by “cutie-pie decorator” (as Oprah calls him) Nate Berkus. If Nate was on, I would telephone other friends who were home (we did not talk via email or text back then) and I would snuggle on the couch (usually with a baby in my arms), put my feet up (without a bit of guilt!) and dream of Nate
knocking on my own door some day!


{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

Nate’s first makeover for the Oprah show, in which he gives a tiny Boston apartment star treatment, is still one of my all-time favorites. His philosophy of appreciating what you have to work with – and making it work for how you live – is what made me fall in love.

Home Rules by Nate Berkus
Photograph by Fernando Bengoechea

While Nate has only been a “virtual” guest in my home, I actually have seen him in person at Oprah’s “Live Your Best Life” tour when it came to Boston. I wasn’t blogging back then, but if I was, I surely would have made every effort to get a snapshot with one of my favorite design stars! Instead, my sister and I listened to him share his decorating tips and techniques, and when it came time for the audience to ask him questions I was TOO SHY to raise my hand
(what would you have done????)


Nate’s book was a part of my designed space at the
North Shore Design Show: Favorite Spaces


I do have a copy of Nate’s book, however, and here are a few photos of my favorite Nate-designed spaces ...

{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

Even Trading Spaces host, Paige Davis, knew Nate could help her live beautifully. He combined her love of modern and rustic in a big way when he made over her small space apartment. Using organic items to decorate a space is a common feature in Nate’s work.



{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by Fernando Bengoechea

This makeover incorporated sacred moments
to celebrate the passed life of a loved one.


Let the sun shine in featured on Oprah.com
Photograph by Fernando Bengoechea


Recently Nate announced on Oprah that he will be launching his own talk show on September 13th.
The Nate Berkus Show “will apply his approach to decorating to every part of life.” Sign me up! What I have always loved the most about Nate is that his style is always about people and not things. Objects are cherished for the memories that they represent. Every space is more about the unique presence of individuals than it is about following trends or having
the latest and the greatest.



{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

I love that this child’s room is super sophisticated,
yet visually playful at the same time.


Go inside Nate’s home as featured on Oprah.com

Nate’s own home appears thoughtful and subdued. I am beginning to appreciate his desire for white walls!

{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

Nate is an avid collector and loves to shop the antique markets. For his new venture, I hope that he plans
to take us along for the ride on his shopping
- and life - journeys.

In my own home: a pretty, yet functional, Nate Berkus item
from a collection that he designed for Linens-N-Things

Herringbone Throw from Nate’s collection

for the Home Shopping Network. Love it!


Nate has certainly been very busy over the past eight years, taking on over-the-top decorating makeovers to small space challenges to creating products for us at home to hosting a talk-radio program and even a charitable reality show (remember Oprah’s Big Give?) I am sure that whatever Nate takes on next will be guided by his warm and caring nature and his “big ole heart” (another Oprah quote!) Best of luck and heartfelt wishes to you, Nate! Your devoted audience awaits and is so ready to cheer you on : )

To keep up with Nate, follow him
on twitter by clicking here.




For a list of design bloggers who are sharing their love for Nate today, click here. The list is being posted by Joy and Janet of the Moggit girls, who strongly suggested that the audience at Nate’s first show should be completely filled with design bloggers ... nice!



And be sure to follow Boston-based design blogger CreateGirl, designer Julieann Covino of Jace Interiors by clicking here. She was the one with the bright idea to designate today as #NateDay on twitter. Smart!


And to follow me on
Twitter, click here : )