Nate Berkus Associates
Funky and Fun, yet Rooted in Place
His genius for composing striking modern interiors reflective of his clients’ lives has made Nate Berkus a design star. But how to transform a friend’s pandemic-bought spec house into a singularly stylish home without taking it down to the studs? For the highly visible dining room, his design partner in Chicago, Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, commissioned a Jean Cocteau–inspired floral mural from artist James Mobley. Fresh in spirit but rooted in history, it “envelopes the room with warmth and texture,” Gordon says of the mural, which provides a perfect backdrop for the relaxed but elegant Art Moderne–inflected furnishings, all sourced on 1stDibs. The Nusom dining chairs, made of stainless steel wrapped in Italian leather, are new but harmonize well with the Italian travertine console table, the green mid-century Swedish table lamp and the antique giltwood mirror. But, Berkus and Gordon say, it’s “the funky contrast” of the mural with the pair of Sun Murano glass chandeliers from Galerie Glustin that gives the room its edge.
