Nate Berkus on decorating a home with souvenirs

Ask the interior designer Nate Berkus about a piece of dcor in his New York home, and youll very likely discover its a souvenir from one of his travels abroad.

The 15-pound black geode sitting on his coffee table? A memento of Paris Left Bank. It may not be as typically Parisian as, say, a watercolor of the Eiffel Tower, Berkus conceded. But when I look at it, it brings me back to the day. He added with a laugh, Ill never forget lugging that thing around in my backpack in Paris.

Your home should tell the story of who you are its a decorating adage Berkus often repeats to his clients and, these days, on American Dream Builders, the design-competition reality show he hosts on NBC. And I cant think of a more personal, interesting way to do that, he said, than with the things you brought back from the places you were lucky enough to see.

Recently Berkus gave tips for finding those kinds of souvenirs textiles, pottery, furniture that double as dcor. Following are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Q: How do you learn about markets?

A: Taxi drivers are the holy grail. I always ask taxi drivers and hotel concierges where they buy their pots and pans, where they sell their furniture, when that market is. No matter where you are Sri Lanka, Rome, Mexico theres always a market where the local population brings their things.

I was in Naples, Italy, and we had this driver, Signore Palladino, who had been driving for 40 years. Everyone knew him. Hed honk his horn, and the gates would open. A driver can really introduce you to things you would never have had access to. But you dont find that out unless you ask.

Recently I did a buying trip to Peru for One Kings Lane, and we had appointments with all sorts of artisans. But then the bus driver told us about this local artisan market in Cuzco where we found textiles, bowls, pottery, woven rugs, jewelry, everything we needed. So when you find out about something great, cancel your itinerary.

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Nate Berkus on decorating a home with souvenirs