Quotes from Nate Berkus

As a kid, I think I rearranged the rooms of almost every house on the block.

I can look at a photo and the dimensions of any piece and tell you if it's going to sit well with the four other pieces in your room.

I'm interested in fashion; I buy fairly good pieces, and I think as I've gotten older, I've pared down a lot.

Color is a very personal thing. You need to make sure to choose a color that makes you happy. But I don't recommend accent walls - choose a color you can live with on all four walls.

You don't have to paint your walls lime green just to try to have your home feel decorated. If you're a classic dresser or preppy dresser or a modern dresser, you wear a lot of black - whatever it is - your home should reflect that as well.

Mixing in some rusty oranges is a warm way to update your place for fall.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on stuff when you have amazing architecture.

When I see a wall that's hung with different objects, framed or unframed, what I like about it is its fluidity and rule-breaking nature. Just experiment a bit.

It's my job to know what's available from every retailer, catalog, website, antiques mall, and craftsperson. A good designer or decorator has to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge.

Everywhere in my house are these little things that have meanings and make me think of great memories.

It's important how we feel in our homes, because feeling good makes us more gracious. And that makes it easier to welcome others not only into our homes but into our lives.

I always want objects in my home that have a connection to me or something I've loved. It's still stuff, but it's stuff that has meaning.

Everywhere your eye travels in your home, it should land on something that resonates with you.

Books are the heart of any home, and I spend hours going through books for design inspiration.

I don't believe in having spaces in the home that don't get used. We pay so much for square footage that to waste it is criminal.

Home has always been one of the most important things. If I don't feel at home in my space, then I feel really unmoored.

A lot of guys go in immediately for status, as opposed to comfort and allowing their home to tell a story about them.

Twitter is a place where you share your thoughts, yourself... you don't want a plain white backdrop for that. You want the entire page to say something about who you are. Designer or not, if the urge strikes you, go for it. Put up that watercolor you've never shown anyone. Take a photo of that hat you just knitted... whatever it is, share it.

I didn't grow up thinking I'd be a decorator. Design is my greatest passion, and it naturally just pulled me down the path. Same with TV. Being famous or having a show was never the motivation. I got a call and was swept up by the challenge of that first small space redesign.

I do shop online! But I'm shopping online mostly in the home categories - One Kings Lane and Gilt. At a lot of architectural websites, I buy a lot of hardware for cabinetry like hinges and things like that from England. So, you know, for me, I shop at Net-A-Porter, but I don't really shop that much for clothing online.

I can change a light fixture, and I can do certain things. But I'm really bad in terms of construction. I can't do any of it on my own.

The truth of the matter is being gay is the way I was born. I believe this to the core of my being.

In design-speak, 'a library' means a room lined with books, floor-to ceiling, but it all depends on the space you have. You may have a free-standing bookshelf of your favorite books if that's all you have room for.

Some kids spent their allowance going to see 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'; I spent mine on a great-looking lamp I'd found at the flea market and a ceramic bowl from a neighborhood garage sale.