Nate's CHEAP & EASY Design Tips!

There isn't a person alive who doesn't know who Nate Berkus is. He's a well-known interior decorator, best known for his guest appearances and "before&after's" on Oprah's show. I am a HUGE fan of his work, and his design eye. I wish I had it! But I did realize he has a pretty basic set of design rules that are CHEAP, and EASY to follow! Here they are:

STEP 1: Display COOL Lamps.Lamps are an essential part of decorating. Ask Nester. She'll tell ya. If you find a lamp you HAVE to have, then GET IT. I've never known anyone who ever had too many. I am a huge fan of cool lamps.

STEP 2: New Wall Hangings
Consider putting up unique items on your wall. Whether it's plates, a collection of keys, or (as Nate's showing above) consider your wall to be the place to store your favorite tray.

STEP 3: Sea Life
Nate tells each of his clients to display some sort of sea life, but you can also take this a step further, and say display ANY sort of nature in each room. I recently helped a coworker transform his office, and it was missing something, so I took a glass vase and filled it 1/3 of the way with rocks. It is really beautiful, and even though ROCKS aren't and never were a LIVING thing, it's still a piece of nature that his office needed. So, take a look around your room...what part of nature have you brought in?

STEP 4: A UNIQUE CHAIR

Nate feels strongly about putting into a room a piece of the unexpected. It goes without saying that you should NEVER try to find matchy-matchy furniture, buy the whole set, and expect it to look great. The eye will always rest on that one item that "is not like the others." Maybe it's that Sesame Street song that brings that out in me...!

STEP 5: Framed Notes
Honestly, I've never framed a note in my life. But I really like the idea, and while I don't know that this is a step that HAS to be done in each room, I like where he's going with this rule. You should always put a bit of personality in each room, and if you have your grandma's old recipe for biscuits and gravy, in her handwriting, why not at least display it for all the family to enjoy?

STEP 6: INTERESTING BOOKS
I know what he says about placing interesting books around your room, but don't forget to put books that you LOVE around the room. Too many Pottery Barn books, and a few about sailing, when you obviously don't sail, and your friends will think you're into false advertsing. This decorating tip is definitely speaking to me this summer, being since I have vowed to spend less on decorating, yet love what I have. And I've got the books, sister. Oh, I've got 'em! Don't like the books you have? Wrap 'em.

STEP : Vacation Mementos
This is yet another great way to personalize your space, all the while creating little ways to subliminally luring your guests into talking about your amazing vacation (LOL) - - think back to the 70's and early 80's, when you had to sit at your parents' friends house and, with the lights low, endure their two-hour vacation slideshow without falling asleep. Wait, did I say that out loud? Anyways, seeing a really neat pair of slippers you got from your trip to Greece will give you a conversation starter, without dimming the lights and causing your guests to fall asleep. . . . ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...

There is a way to enjoy your home without spending a fortune. Even Nate says it. And, if Nate says it, it must be true. So GO -- find those amazing vacation mementos and old books, and grab a twig or two from the back yard, and make your house a HOME! Thanks, Nate, for some cheap and easy design tips to commit to memory!