Foundations: Timeless Design That Feels Personal

by Nate Berkus, Heather Summerville (primary_contributor)

From one of the world’s most influential designers, a rich tour-de-force that explores how history, character, and vision come together to make a home at once timeless and personal.

Nate Berkus is beloved for his elegant, narrative-driven interiors that are layered and deeply personal.

In this beautifully photographed book, filled with Nate’s warmth and years of knowledge, he shares his Four Tenets of Good Design. They are not a recipe to follow, as much as they are inspirational ideas to help get you

Make it Personal—Draw inspiration from the places you’ve been, what you love, and who you aspire to be at home.

Embrace History—A room feels most complete when it has old things in it; think about where you can bring in objects and details that have stood the test of time.

Build Character—Consider introducing architectural details, classic materials, and timeless finishes that will make your home unique.

Develop a Vision—Turn your inspiration into a design that embodies who you want to be at home and how you want to live.

For Nate Berkus, enduring design is honest, emotional, and tailored to the people who live in it. That means creating rooms that can grow and evolve with you. Foundations is an invitation and inspiration to design a space that is unequivocally yours.

400 pages, Hardcover

Published November 18, 2025

Reviews

[Sloan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love nate and i love this book. this is not only such a resourceful design book with so many tools but a great story experience of his experience in design and life

[elizabeth sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chuckled as I noticed a typeset error page 54. “Primitive” is on bottom right instead of on the upper left heading page 55 where it should be. Yet, a little thing like that is almost a lovely period on exactly the sentiments Berkus has expressed in this amazing design book. His theme throughout foundational instruction is to embrace the imperfect, yet in the process creating a curated design that reflects intentionality and wholly reflective of your self/family. Comments about contrasts of him & Jeremiah were relatable. A fan of Berkus’ style since the Opera days, savoring his latest book today made my creativity buzz with inspiration… and crafting a list of things to really hunt for over time. The photography & words blended into a warm hug on a cold day in the NW, which is my only complaint that he didn’t go to the NW on tour. This book will be featured on my shelf and referred to before any interior project in future.

[Five 5 Five Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true distillation of a clearly wonderful career. Discernment takes time, with this book you get the secret code. Somehow the book brings design to the ground accessible level for us all and still helps us elevate our understanding while we go on the journey. You can read the book front to back (I did) and/or you can skim around to get nuggets of inspiration and awe as needed. Invest in the book, it’s an investment in you.

[Nicole Faust Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is both a gorgeous coffee table book on interiors, and also a practical ‘how to’ make your home functional, comfortable and appealing. Nate takes you through different rooms and explains his design choices and offers suggestions for all budgets. As a design enthusiast, I loved this book and learned a few tips that I’m incorporating into our home.