The Things That Matter and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more



or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
Sell Us Your Item
For a $7.74 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading The Things That Matter on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Things That Matter [Hardcover]

Nate Berkus
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)

List Price: $35.00
Price: $26.94 & FREE Shipping. Details
You Save: $8.06 (23%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Friday, June 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Hardcover $26.94  
Image
Looking for the Audiobook Edition?
Tell us that you'd like this title to be produced as an audiobook, and we'll alert our colleagues at Audible.com. If you are the author or rights holder, let Audible help you produce the audiobook: Learn more at ACX.com.

Book Description

October 16, 2012
Does your home tell the story of who you are?
 
In The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus shares intimate stories from his life, introduces us to people who influenced him and helped him forge his sense of style, and opens up about the remarkable experiences that have left him forever changed, all of which find expression in how he lives today. From his most cherished flea market finds, to his beloved books and photos, to the many extraordinary mementos he’s collected in his travels, every piece defines who he’s become and what endures in his world.
 
Berkus invites readers into his own home as well as into twelve others, including a sleek steel-and-glass high-rise that soars above Chicago, a rustic cottage in the Hudson Valley, an ultra-chic atelier that maximizes every inch of space, a Greenwich Village townhouse that holds multiple art collections, and a study in meaningful minimalism in Marfa, Texas. The distinctive interiors beautifully displayed in this book offer revealing portraits of their owners’ lives and the inspiring choices that have made them who they are today.
 
The Things That Matter convincingly lays out Nate Berkus’s philosophy that things do matter. Our homes tell our stories, they reflect the places we’ve been and the people we’ve loved along the way—and there can be no more beautiful design for living than that.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE SEATTLE TIMES

Best Value

Buy The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs and get The Things That Matter at an additional 5% off Amazon.com's everyday low price.

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs + The Things That Matter
Buy together today: $54.58

Show availability and shipping details



Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Samples from The Things That Matter

Homes tell stories of who we are
Interiors: Objects that bring joy
Things matter
 
Objects that bring us pleasure
The hunt
Importance of things

About the Author

Nate Berkus is founder of the interior design firm Nate Berkus Associates. For two years he was the host of The Nate Berkus Show, an Emmy Award–winning, nationally syndicated daytime talk show. His work has appeared in Elle Decor, O: The Oprah Magazine, InStyle, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and House Beautiful. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Home Rules. He lives in New York City.
 
Roger Davies arrived in New York at the age of twenty-two, after studying photography and film in England. His work has taken him around the world and inside some of the most amazing interiors imaginable. His photographs have graced the pages of Architectural Digest, AD (France), Conde Nast Traveler, Harpers Bazaar UK, and Elle Decor. He lives in Laurel Canyon, California, with his wife and son.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (October 16, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0679644318
  • ISBN-13: 978-0679644316
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 1.1 x 10.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
72 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This book made me pull out the silhouettes that my mom had done of each of us four children over forty years ago and find a place for them on my wall, it made me root out the iron bulldog bank my grandmother gave me and place it on a tray with two brass candle sticks(wedding gift of 33 years ago)- also ferreted out of a closet to sit with the dog on the tray.

"As I've said over and over again, our homes should tell the stories of who we are. Not who our decorator is. Not who our friends sometimes think we should be, not who our family occasionally wishes we would be,and not who any number of style magazines tell us we must be."

Nate Berkus begins by telling us who he is, where he grew up, what life was like for him as a kid in Minnesota and then a boarding student in Massachusetts, then on to college and his favorite and life-changing year of college in Paris. The telling of his life throughout the book is what takes it from a clever book to a poignant beautifully photographed and inspiring story. He tells of the death of his partner, Fernando Bengoechea, when the two of them were in Sri Lanka as a tsunami hit and swept them into the swirling ebbing and flowing flood. Berkus lived; Bengoechea perished.

As he walks us through the treasures of his house, he tells why the things he has mean so much to him.

Nate Berkus then walks us through some funky, fun homes of people: Brian Sawyer, Barri Leiner Grant, Kelly Framel, Stever Berg, Dr. Ruth Westheimer- as in the sex doctor- Barbara Hill. Thirteen in all.

Barri Leiner Grant loves sea shells. She's a hunter gatherer of the "smalls;" she could care less about the big stuff.
... Read more ›
Was this review helpful to you?
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than a coffee table book November 3, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I honestly thought I was just going to skim though this book looking at the photos of other people's houses, which I love to do in magazines, but I actually ended up reading the book because it was so interesting. The photos in the book were beautiful, but the book is much more than that. We learn so much about Nate's life, which is very interesting, yet he's really relatable. Then, we learn about the lives of 12 other people (the only one I knew of was Dr. Ruth) through the decorating Nate does of their homes. The book reminds us that that the things we have in our homes should be things we love, not just for show and, like the people in the book, tell a little bit of a story about ourselves. There is much more writing in the book than photography, so I'm not sure if this book would be super helpful in looking for decorating ideas, but it's definitely worth looking into for the stories.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I have a feeling if I was more of a Nate Berkus fan, I would have enjoyed this book just a little bit more. That's not to say I don't like him, I just don't know enough about his personal life to care about why he's in design or what types of design matter to him.

I had thought I'd get more of just design tips, photos, and the like from this, instead of so much of him. If you're a fan of this design personally, you'll probably love it. If you're looking for something to satisfy your need for design info, this perhaps is not the book for you as I just found it "okay."
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Love. November 2, 2012
By Ladybug
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I was sent a copy of this book to review as part of the Amazon Vine program. Unfortunately, the copy was really bad--all black and white, and not even printed evenly so that it was barely legible in some places. I decided, for a book like this, I wanted to see it in person. So I went to Barnes and Noble and bought it, fully intending to return in after I was finished reviewing it. (Sorry B & N.)

First, this book is really beautiful. The pictures are crisp but also dreamy. The variety of homes photographed is amazing. From a very minimalist (yet warm!) family-sized home, to a one-bedroom, teeny-tiny apartment in New York, to very unique, extremely small backyard cottage, there is something for everyone in here.

Second, the stories of the individuals or couples featured in this book are really wonderful--Berkus's included. (His account of losing his boyfriend, Fernando, in a tsunami was extremely moving.) I loved looking at all the pictures, sure, but the meaning behind the unique trinkets and headboards and lamps and bookcases really made the photos special.

I also liked that Berkus addressed the issue of "things." I was worried that this book was going to push the idea that your entire identity is wrapped up in the crap you buy and fill your house with. But he doesn't. His approach is pretty common sense, actually. He says:

"I think people sometimes confuse loving things with being materialistic, or grasping, or lusting after things that tell the world who you are. But to me, surrounding yourself with the things you love has nothing to do with impressing other people or gaining status...
... Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just another decorating book January 7, 2013
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
The best part of this book is Berkus's memoir of how he became a top decorator and a tragedy that befell him. The rest of the book, though, still has photos unlike those in most other decorating books, including Berkus's first, rather pedestrian, book. You see homes big and small, full of interesting items, creatively and tastefully displayed, in a variety of styles. The rooms do not look overly styled; they look like someone actually lives in them, and lives well. It made me go out and check out a local antiques and collectibles market, even though I favor fairly minimalist interiors. If you want ideas on how to have your "stuff" out and around you without looking like you are auditioning for Hoarders, this is for you!
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Got for my daughter for Christmas. Great read and wonderful hints. Beautiful pictures. Nate's story is an inspiration. Also great coffee table book.
Published 2 days ago by chynas grammy
5.0 out of 5 stars THE THINGS THAT MATTER- BOOK
I liked the way it was written. It tells about the feelings of the author but also in his design work how Nate Berkus has discovered what things/items mean something to each person... Read more
Published 12 days ago by L. K. Czerw
1.0 out of 5 stars Book
I was expecting a book with photos of rooms in homes. I found the text boring and was disappointed and sorry I ordered it.
Published 17 days ago by A Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't help but love Nate
Great to read about his childhood and his start in the business.
Love Love Love Love Nate Berkus. Thanks for sharing your story
Published 22 days ago by Mighty Mouse
3.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly what I was looking for
The premise of this pretty book is spot-on but I was looking for more DIY advice. The book about the sociopsychology of design and descriptions of why certain things are special... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Grover Bagby
5.0 out of 5 stars The real Nate
As a fan of Nate's, I'm pleased both with his own story and his view of the various friends whose homes are featured in the book.
Published 25 days ago by Nori in Oregon
4.0 out of 5 stars The Nate Berkus show
The book is a guided (quite guided) tour of a dozen homes with the items on display called out with the philosophy that the images and curios in one's home are, or should be, a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael A. Duvernois
5.0 out of 5 stars i've lived like this for decades and love it
i've been an artist most of my adult life so i have always lived like this in my own spaces. i intersperse my own art with others' art with an odd assortment of comfortable... Read more
Published 1 month ago by carol irvin
5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous
Love Nate Berkus and found this book really useful for decorating the home as well as being a beautiful book to look at.
Published 1 month ago by Mortimerk
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insights on what makes a home a HOME
I love Nate Berkus's designs and his view on what makes a home reflect who you are. I agree with his philosophy. Great read.
Published 1 month ago by Healthnut
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category


Want to discover more products? You may find many from sky mall catalog shopping guide.