You won’t often hear Nate Berkus speaking about big-box retailers. Instead you’ll find his most common descriptors are things like “1950s Italian,” “1880s Louis XV style,” and “mid-century French.” When he talks about his personal design heroes, he rattles off such names as Angelo Mangiarotti, Alberto Giacometti, Axel Einar Hjorth, and Gae Aulenti. That’s because when Berkus wants to make a home feel truly special, he shops vintage. 

Naturally, 1stDibs asked the interior designer to curate a list of some of his favorite pieces on the online marketplace. In honor of Pride month, Berkus honed in on items listed by LGBTQ+ sellers. Meanwhile, the company will be making a donation to nonprofit advocacy group Housing Works, which provides funding and lifesaving services to those affected by HIV/AIDS and homelessness.

Throughout the month of June, Berkus will be spotlighting 30 of his top finds. Here’s a look at some of his selects so far and why he picked them out from the crowd.

Folding Screen 100 Designed by Alvar Aalto 

Folding Screen 100 Designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek, 1stDibs ($20,377)

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This “terrific architectural staple,” as Berkus calls it, recently made its way into one of his projects in Massachusetts. But if this divider gets snapped up soon, never fear: They’re all over 1stDibs. Depending on the condition and what year it was produced, you can get one for closer to $6,000.

Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Dining Chairs

Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Dining Chairs, Italy, 1970s, 1stDibs ($4,200)

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There’s something sporty about the sledlike base of these sleek chairs, but the cream-colored upholstery isn’t for the faint of heart (or those with little ones present at the dinner table).

Cast Resin Plaster Dado Table Lamp

Cast Resin Plaster Texture Dado Table Lamp, Kacper Dolatowski, 1stDibs ($3,250)

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One ingredient to a great entryway, according to Berkus, is a good lamp—even better if said fixture doubles as a stylish sculpture, like this geometric resin one.

Duanye Hatchett Abstract Painting

Huge Mid Century Modern Texas Artist Abstract Expressionist Action Painting (1992) by Duanye Hatchett, 1stDibs ($7,899 was $9,750)

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Berkus’s designer husband, Jeremiah Brent, previously revealed to us that when the couple searches online for art, they use terms like contemporary, mixed medium, transitional, and geometric. This piece by Duanye Hatchett meets their basic requirements.

Neoclassical Wrought-Iron and Bronze Bench

Neoclassical Wrought-Iron and Bronze Bench, France 1950s, 1stDibs ($9,500)

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We know exactly what it was about this bench that caught Berkus’s attention: The iron and bronze base is designed in the style of Alberto Giacometti.

Large 19th-Century English Pine Cupboard

Large 19th-Century English Pine Housekeeper’s Cupboard, 1stDibs ($11,875)

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We can see Berkus situating this freestanding cabinet against a wall clad in antique mirrors, much like the ones in his NYC dining room.

Mid-Century Modern Lacquer Waterfall Nesting Tables

Mid-Century Modern Lacquer Waterfall Nesting Tables – Jean-Michel Frank Style, 1stDibs ($4 was $5,880)

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Jean-Michel Frank has always been one of Berkus’s favorite designers. “The simplicity of these tables in his style would work in any room,” says the designer.

Hermès Victoria 43 Travel Bag

Hermès Victoria 43 Travel Bag, 1stDibs ($3,040 was $3,800)

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Black and tan is one of his go-to color combos because it’s both classic “and yet not supercommon. The Victoria has always been a great value in comparison to other Hermès styles. And you can fit a lot in it!” shares Berkus.

Gold Leaf Mirror Classical Shape

Gold Leaf Mirror Classical Shape, Midcentury, France, 1stDibs ($2,800)

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There are already seven active offers on this gold leaf-plated bentwood and plaster mirror, and we only have the squiggly decor trend to blame.

Burgundy Glazed Chinese Pottery Jardiniere With Ram’s Horns

Burgundy Glazed Chinese Pottery Jardiniere With Ram’s Horns, 1stDibs ($1,590)

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Leave it empty or fill it with a fern—either way, this pot is a star. Plus Berkus is a sucker for this color and a ram motif.

Dinner Set for 6 by Bottega Vignoli

Dinner Set for 6 (12 pieces) by Bottega Vignoli, Hand-Painted Italian Majolica, 1stDibs ($2,484 was $3,105)

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Adding fancy dishes to your wedding registry seems like an outdated concept until you realize you can go the hand-painted Italian route.

Brutalist Solid Elm Bench, France 1960s

Brutalist Solid Elm Bench – France 1960s, 1stDibs ($5,500)

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“This rough-hewn French Brutalist–style bench works easily in so many locations: the Alps, at the beach, or in Ohio,” Berkus suggests.

Deborah Lea Dresser by Kate Duncan 

Deborah Lea Dresser With Leather and Brass Accents by Kate Duncan, 1stDibs ($18,000)

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Despite its higher price tag, this Brutalist-inspired dresser is already sitting in two customers’ carts, probably because it’s a lifetime investment. The piece is crafted from solid hardwood, leather, and brass.

The post The Nesting Tables That Nate Berkus Says Work Anywhere appeared first on domino.

While everyone else was in the comments section of Jenna Lyons’s recent Instagram video debating if Brooklyn is “the city” or not, we were zeroed in on another detail. No, it’s not how close the RHONY star’s red fingernails were to her microplane, or any other unexpected touch Lyons is a fan of, but a little nook off to the left of her shiny brass countertops.

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Tucked away in its own neatly sized home is a roll of paper towels, flush on both sides (we applaud the contractor here). If you’re planning a kitchen renovation or have the room to incorporate built-in storage without a full gut, it’s a smart way to save precious countertop or cabinet space. We like to think you could even remove the roll when guests are over and display knickknacks there instead; they wouldn’t even know it was meant for the latter. 

The petite pocket got us thinking of all the discreet ways we’ve seen paper towels dealt with, whether that’s incorporated into cabinetry, nestled under a shelf, or installed beneath a shelf. Or you can go the opposite route entirely and just proudly put it on display.

Pretty Paper Towel Holders

NewMade LA Paper Towel Holder, West Elm ($68)

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Spool Paper Towel Holder by Sam Stewart, Areaware ($50)

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Undershelf Paper Towel Holder, Yamazaki Home ($14 was $20)

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Perkins Paper Towel Rail, Schoolhouse ($149)

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Alessi Mattina Paper Towel Roll Holder, Nordstrom ($76)

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East to West Magnetic Paper Towel Holder, Stainless Steel, Amazon ($10)

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If you have ever made tortilla española in olive oil until you end up with a crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside delight, then you know the process culminates with a flip. This is the crucial moment where you either end up with a perfect Spanish omelet or a deconstructed breakfast. But when Gwyneth Paltrow recently shared a video of her nailing the move, she made it look fairly easy. We have to think she’s partially indebted to her pan.

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In her Instagram Reel of each step, Paltrow’s Our Place Always Pan Pro makes a handful of appearances. The titanium cookware is touted for its coating-free nonstickiness. In other words, its unique titanium lining prevents food from clinging to the pan—no toxic PFAS necessary. Fun fact: The pattern pressed into the metal also naturally creates a slick surface. 

Titanium Always Pan Pro, Our Place ($195)

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Of course, there’s still some skill involved in Paltrow’s making of a flawless tortilla española. As the eggs begin to cook in the pan, she runs a spatula around the edges to help loosen the sides. Afterward, she gently slides the omelet (still face up) onto a dinner plate. Then for the flip: Placing her Our Place pan on top of the plate, almost as if it’s a lid, she turns the whole thing back onto the skillet so it can cook that last little bit. Leave the tossing-in-the-air technique to pizza dough.

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Like most designers, when it comes to plants, Bobby Berk prefers his to be real. But not every room in his house agrees. The designer recently admitted in an Instagram Reel that two of his fiddle-leaf figs died in his living room due to a lack of sunlight. So as a last resort, Berk decided to give a faux tree from Costco a try. The catch is, it’s not the one he originally wanted. 

“First impression is not a good impression,” Berk says jokingly in the same video. The tree he ended up buying was a 10-foot-tall faux fiddle-leaf fig in a dark gray round pot. As the story goes with almost every faux plant, Berk could tell some of the details were a little off—he gave it a 5/10. 

But as the designer states from the very beginning: This was his second-choice viral tree. The one he really wanted was apparently not in stock at the time he made this crucial swap. So what was his first pick? 

Faux 8’ Olive Tree, Costco ($500)

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What Berk really wanted was the 8-foot-tall faux olive tree that was so popular earlier this year—Reddit and TikTok were especially obsessed—that it sold out. Curious to see what all the hype was about, we went to check out said tree on Costco’s website and noticed the “add to cart” button was alive and well. We even plugged in a range of zip codes just to make sure we weren’t being duped. Online, Costco lists the piece for a cool $500, but according to TikToker Dylan, if you can hunt it down in-store, it’ll probably be a whole lot cheaper (he scored his back in March for $379). 

Consider this a PSA for Bobby Berk, and really anyone out there whose living room isn’t hospitable to big indoor trees: The faux olive tree is back and ready to go viral again.

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Open. Closed. Open. Closed. It seems like no one can ever agree on which one is best for a kitchen layout. Some homeowners prefer a setup that allows them to watch the game on the living room TV while they’re standing at the island; others want to do all their cooking (and mess making) behind the scenes in a cozy galley. But by the looks of Drew Barrymore’s Hamptons home, which the actor and talk-show host recently listed with Kathy Konzet at Sotheby’s for a cool $8.45 million, you don’t have to choose between the two.

Barrymore’s farmhouse-style kitchen, featuring butcher block countertops, milky white cabinetry, and industrial black track sconces, is only partly open to the adjacent living space. Two glass doors flank the island and offer the opportunity to divide—or open up—the two areas. 

For added flexibility, there are small accordion doors running along the island topped by a half-wall of windows. It’s basically a traditional kitchen pass-through window—a feature that renovation platform Sweeten saw spike during the pandemic as homeowners started to crave the best of both worlds—with a twist. You can push the doors fully open when dinner is served or crack them just a bit when you simply want to hear what everyone’s chatting about in the other room. 

Perhaps the most genius part of Barrymore’s arrangement is that even with the accordion and two side doors closed, the space is still flooded with natural light, addressing the common worry that a closed-off kitchen will feel cavelike. As someone who is slowly reimagining every small countertop appliance in our kitchens, we should have known Barrymore would have the answer to this debate, too. 

The post Drew Barrymore’s Hamptons Home Is for Sale, and It Has the Ideal Kitchen Layout appeared first on domino.

Nate Berkus has a question for all his Instagram followers out there: “Why does everyone think I don’t like color?” the interior designer asked in a recent Instagram Reel.

The misconception likely lies in the fact that in any one of his projects, you’re bound to find a creamy linen sofa, a light gray seagrass wallpaper, or a slab of Carrara marble. Berkus admits there are so many other designers out there who work wonders with bright colors, and he isn’t one of those people. But he’s ready to set the record straight. “I do like color,” Berkus confirms in the video, “and I’m going to give you a color right now that is one of my all-time favorites.” He has our undivided attention. 

When the designer reaches for a non-neutral color, he goes for something that he describes as “muddy, like a non-color, a little bit softer, a little bit deeper, maybe even a little bit moodier.” This isn’t the first time Berkus has explained his love of muddy colors, at least to us. When he and his husband, Jeremiah Brent, made over a family’s living room for The Jennifer Hudson Show, they landed on a Behr color called Tranquil Gray, which Berkus told us has undertones of putty and taupe in it. But that’s not the hue he’s obsessing over right now. “For me, regardless of what anyone else says, the color of the moment is Nitty Gritty by Portola,” Berkus reveals in his Reel. 

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He isn’t just using this dark green in client projects—it has appeared in his own homes, too. Specifically, he swathed the kitchen cabinets in his family’s Manhattan townhouse in the paint color. “There’s something about it for me that reads really elevated. I just think it’s beautiful,” he says. Want to up the moodiness of this color even more? Opt for the textured Roman Clay treatment instead.

Nitty Gritty (Ultra Flat), Portola ($70 per gallon)

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When Brynn Whitfield was living in her cozy one-bedroom Manhattan apartment, getting dressed was sort of like going to one of her Barry’s Bootcamp classes. Anytime she wanted a pair of heels, she’d have to scale up a ladder leading to the lofted storage space over her bedroom door. If she wanted a sweater? She’d probably have to crawl underneath the bed and sift through a few bins (or potentially trek to her Manhattan Mini Storage unit). Those days are gone. Because, in case you missed it, The Real Housewives of New York star recently moved into a much larger space, one outfitted with a walk-in closet that can actually hold her stuff. 

But before she could fill up her new closet with her wardrobe, Whitfield had an important upgrade to make: paint. “My journey to get to the color was bumpy, to say the least,” she tells Domino. First, she had the built-ins painted in an orange lacquer finish. The idea was that the space would read as Hermès inspired, but in reality “it looked like a pumpkin patch,” she admits. She quickly pivoted to a Prada-esque mint green, but that turned out to be a hot mess, too. “At this point, I hired a painter off Craigslist and went huffing and puffing to Farrow & Ball on 22nd Street,” she recalls. 

Whitfield is no stranger to the British brand’s colors. She painted both the kitchen in her old apartment and the bedroom in her new place Sulking Room Pink. As she browsed the fan deck, she found herself drawn to a color she had seen her friend Jason Saft recently use: Brinjal, a reddish eggplant hue. “I thought I’d give it a shot, too, because his came out beautifully. Also at Starbucks, they usually misspell my name as ‘Brin,’ so I thought it was meant to be,” she says with a laugh. 

Brinjal, Farrow & Ball

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Once the color was decided, Whitfield was strategic about which finishes she used where. On the wood cabinets, ceiling, and trim, she opted for the company’s Full Gloss treatment. Meanwhile, she had the walls done in a Dead Flat (or matte) finish. “The most surprising and delightful thing about Brinjal is how the color looks so different between the two finishes,” she shares. “It still looks beautiful and matches but [there are] more reddish undertones in Full Gloss and more deep purple on the Dead Flat.”

More Recent Brinjal Sightings

Whitfield isn’t the only one who has become smitten with the moody hue. Lately, we’ve been spotting it in all types of projects. Marie Cloud, the Charlotte, North Carolina–based interior designer behind Indigo Pruitt, drenched a whole home movie theater in Brinjal for the 2023 Southeastern Designer Showhouse in Atlanta. The merlot-tinged color made sense in a space she envisioned people gathering with a glass of wine. Plus “when you use jewel tones, it adds a sense of ease to your body,” she says. 

The paint color is also DIY-friendly. Ryia Jose showed us as much when she renovated the bathroom in her Houston home and swathed the chair-rail molding in the color. At first, she was nervous the dark shade would make the tight, windowless space feel smaller, but in reality it added depth. 

It only seems like yesterday that Farrow & Ball’s Dead Salmon was everywhere: in laundry rooms, kitchens, playrooms. Oh, how the color wheel has turned.

The post The Paint RHONY Star Brynn Whitfield Used in Her New Home Is About to Be Everywhere appeared first on domino.

“I’m planning on her being very mature when she’s born,” says writer and entrepreneur Erin Foster of her daughter-to-be. “She’s going to be very intellectual—no kids’ stuff.” Peek into the nursery she designed in collaboration with Pottery Barn Kids, and you’ll notice that Foster is only partly joking: There’s a very grown-up palette and certain items you’d definitely want in your own bedroom, too. (We’re looking at you, rattan lamp.)

“I didn’t want it to be cutesy,” Foster says. “I’m not a girly-girl, so I didn’t want a girly-girl room.” Instead she went the peaceful and calming route by eschewing pink for sage green and incorporating multiple pieces made from the material of the moment: rattan. Unsure about where to start, she chose the grid rug first and let it inspire the entire room’s color scheme. From there, she incorporated woven pieces throughout, like the side tables, lamp—”It’s going to become mine one day,” she says—and baskets that hold extra blankets and pillows.

Foster also specifically shopped for items that were Greenguard Gold certified. “I’m all about nontoxic stuff, and it is important for my daughter to have a room that’s really clean,” she says. Everything from the mattress and the crib to the glider and dresser meet the eco standard.

But mostly, she’s proud of her own good taste. “I have fancy fashion friends who I always feel nervous to show things to because I don’t want them to judge me,” she says. “And two of my friends—one’s a stylist and the other has her own high-end fashion brand—said this was the chicest nursery they’d ever seen.” And she expects her daughter to be impressed, too: “She better know how lucky she is not to have a dorky nursery.” 

Erin’s Non-Cutesy Nursery Picks

Grid Border Rug, Pottery Barn Kids ($399)

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Amelia Woven Floor Lamp, West Elm ($399)

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Malibu Rectangular Woven Nesting Table, Pottery Barn ($599)

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Dawson Convertible Crib, Pottery Barn Kids ($799)

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Paxton Power Swivel Glider Recliner, Pottery Barn Kids ($1,349)

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After The Rain by Alex Cole, Pottery Barn ($299)

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The post Erin Foster Purposefully Designed a Non-Cutesy Nursery for Her Daughter appeared first on domino.

A little over a decade ago, Martha Stewart built her dream vegetable garden. Framed by a 10-foot-tall powder-coated fence, the planting space measured a grand 150-by-96 feet, and with the help of two other detail-oriented gardeners, she filled the area with thriving produce. “The geometry was excellent; every lettuce was perfect,” recalls Stewart. Then the moles came. Not one for using toxic pest repellents, Stewart was forced to move her veggie garden to a different spot on her Bedford, New York, farm, near her chicken coops. But last year, a new solution came to mind: raised garden beds. Stewart and Ryan McCallister, the head gardener at her estate, decided to move everything to the old donkey paddocks and construct 56 raised beds in the fertile half-acre plot. 

Within a month and a half of completion, they had artichokes. A few weeks later, there were 10-pound cabbages, pristine cauliflower, and more peas than Stewart knew what to do with. “I couldn’t believe what was happening in this garden,” she says. “I vowed I would never plant any [other] way than raised beds for vegetables.” Ahead, we asked Stewart to share a few of her holy grail products that helped bring her new veggie garden to life.

Miracle-Gro Raised Bed & Garden Soil

Miracle-Gro Raised Bed & Garden Soil, The Home Depot ($10)

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After constructing the raised beds out of 2-by-10-inch white oak boards, Stewart and her crew filled them with Miracle-Gro’s Organic Raised Bed & Garden Soil: a peat-free blend made from upcycled green waste with quick-release fertilizer. In every state except Alaska and Hawaii, the soil is locally crafted within 150 miles from the stores in which it’s sold. 

A Long Bamboo Stick

1/2 in. x 6 ft. Natural Bamboo Poles, The Home Depot ($40)

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The same bamboo canes Stewart buys in bulk and uses as stakes for her tomato plants are also what she uses to create straight rows of plants within the beds. By lightly pressing the sticks into the soil, she’s left with a long, level indentation that she can sprinkle the seeds into. 

Okatsune Pruners

Okatsune 103 Bypass Pruners, Amazon ($27 was $29)

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When it comes to trimming leaves and picking herbs, Stewart will reach for these pruners first. “They’re the best, sharp as can be!” she says. The sharpness can be credited to the hardness of the steel as well as the angle of the blades. The two curved parts bypass each other, sort of like a pair of scissors, resulting in a clean, precise cut. 

A Hori Hori Knife

Barebones Hori Hori Classic, Terrain ($48)

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This multiuse stool not only slices through thick stems, it’s also a digger. Stewart’s version has measurements engraved on the blade, which is especially helpful when you’re, say, planting Galanthus bulbs and need to bury them exactly 3 inches down.

Twine on Twine on Twine

#30 x 190 ft. Twisted Jute Twine, The Home Depot ($5)

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There are two things Stewart consistently shops for when she travels: seeds and, more surprisingly, twine. She collects all different kinds of twine (ply jute, sisal, etc.), mostly to see how they compare to one another when she’s tying up her tomato vines. “When you start to become a serious gardener, you find uses for things you’ve never dreamed of,” says Stewart. 

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With the record rainfall Los Angeles has seen so far this year, interior designer Bobby Berk is in the market for a sturdy umbrella—and a few house checkups. “In our offices, the goal right now is water management,” Berk says. “We literally had more rain in one day than we had in the entire year of 2019, so we’ve run into some issues.” Luckily, through Thumbtack’s new app, users can better understand their home’s needs and manage all its repairs in a single space. “My favorite thing is your ability to set goals,” explains Berk, who is not only a recent customer (he booked a contractor to check out his offices stat) but a pro, and he’ll be giving out two free virtual consultations later this month.

Apps and tools are handy, but even with them, the world of renovating is overwhelming—even the smallest tip on where to start can make all the difference. We asked Berk for his thoughts on one topic in particular: curb appeal. “I think, sometimes, people tend to go a little crazy in the front of their house,” Berk says. “A good rule of thumb is to mix no more than three materials. It adds detail and dimension, but you don’t end up looking like a Vegas casino.” Stone, board-and-batten, stucco, brick, tile, shingles—what’s your magic trio? 

Add even more depth by working in plants—and they don’t need to look super-manicured. In fact, Berk prefers a more natural look. “I like wild lavender, rosemary, and things like that. [Things that] create flowers that bees really, really love,” he says.

If you’re stuck with the exterior materials of homeowners past, don’t fret; a simple coat of paint will help. For something that will catch eyes, go dark. “I love black on the exterior of a home,” Berk says. “Years ago, people would be like, ‘A black house? What is this, The Addams Family?’ And now they’re like, ‘Oh, black houses are supersexy.’” No matter the style of home you have—Victorian, farmhouse, mid-century—the shade will make your landscaping pop. The designer suggests taking it a step further and coating the door and window frames in the same hue.

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