A writer who lost their home in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, is currently rebuilding. The experience has taught them the importance of understanding the meaning of home. While deciding on the layout of their new house, their builder made a comment that resonated with them: “The best design happens when you think about the life you want to live here.”
This idea is reflected in the work of interior designer Nate Berkus, who has built a career on the concept that homes tell the stories of their owners’ lives. Berkus’s debut book, The Things That Matter, explores this idea, and in a recent issue, his design for art collector Cassie Rosenthal’s Greenwich Village apartment is featured. Berkus says, “You need the option of landing in your own environment that you’ve created, that you’ve edited, that you’ve chosen.”
Nate Berkus’s philosophy is also evident in other homes featured in the issue, including a Jersey City brownstone, a Toronto bachelorette pad, a cabin outside Nashville, and an Oklahoma lake house. Each home is unique, yet they all reflect the lives of their owners. As author Annie Meyers-Shyer notes, “At the end of the day, a beautiful house only matters if it supports the life happening inside it.”
The idea that a home should support the life of its owners is a key theme in the issue. It highlights the importance of creating spaces that tell the story of the people who live in them. The writer who lost their home in the Eaton Fire will be keeping this concept in mind as they rebuild their own house. They will consider how their new home can be designed to support their life and tell their story.
A digital copy is also available on PressReader. Readers can access the issue and explore the various homes and designs featured in it.
As the writer rebuilds their home, they will be thinking about the life they want to live in it. The issue provides inspiration and ideas for creating a home that reflects the life of its owners, and the writer will be using it as a resource as they rebuild their own home.
