Nate Berkus & #Nateday921 #Nateshow921 #Nategate #designbloggers

I'm going to try this again. I wrote a post already on the Nate Berkus "event": the, approximately, 100 design bloggers who gathered in New York city from all around the country, for the purpose of being in the audience for a taping of Nate's show. I deleted the entire post, due to a suspected troll in the comment section, when I should have just removed the single comment. I want to put down my take on this event once again.

This was begun by the (twitter handles) @moggitgirls and @creategirl by declaring a "NateDay" in which design bloggers would blog about Nate Berkus in support of him and his forthcoming show. Mission accomplished and major kudos to these ladies for their hard work and vision!

Later, word spread that a date was set by the producers of the Nate Berkus show to accommodate us bloggers in appreciation for NateDay. We came en masse...a force of 100 or so design bloggers to celebrate Nate. Supporting/celebrating Nate via attending a show taping was the first reason to gather together. A secondary, but, surely, more important reason to gather was the opportunity to meet one another, a fantastic benefit of the trip. That was by FAR, for me, a wonderful experience, seeing so many blogging buddies, seeing old friends and making new ones!

My Feeling About Nate Before the Taping

He's a design talent; there is no question about that. His work is wonderful. He's GOOD. He seems approachable, kind, with a big heart, and for me, there is really nothing not to like or respect. 

The Day of Taping

We watched the taping of the show, which, to me, was very interesting, especially all the behind the scenes action. How fun is that? It was an experience.

Here's my take: The show, both the producers and Nate fell short in not acknowledging on air that a) he had an audience of design bloggers (not 5 pharmaceutical sales bloggers, but 100 interior design bloggers) who paid him a pretty incredible show of support by blogging about him en masse on one given day about his forthcoming show and b) that design blogs are a good thing. To me, personally, it shows a lack of awareness of the importance/relevance/power of social media and a lack of basic manners that in this case, transcends corporations, stars, and doing business as usual.

When done en masse, as this was done (probably representing millions of unique visitors to our blogs combined) in support of the Nate Berkus brand, a very public thank you is appropriate, which could have lasted all of 10 seconds. They have to be kicking themselves about this. "Look what this audience did for me, many thanks...and aren't design blogs amazing?" He SHOULD brag about this tribute to him, why not? At the same time, throw a crumb to design bloggers.

I do want to note that I am one of the ones who did not expect the show to be about design blogs. I expected it to be a regular Nate style show. Once I realized the force that was sitting in the audience, I then thought, hmmm...we should be mentioned briefly, of course.

It simply needs to be said. What am I feeling now? Mild annoyance which will be ancient history very quickly, but again, it must be said, in my opinion, given the efforts, albeit unsolicited, that people made for him and his brand.

Another reason why it is appropriate to make mention of design bloggers is because bloggers give back. In my case, I'm a design professional and have been blogging for 3 1/2 years. I share my professional expertise, tips, resources, how tos, and so much more, with many, many people. I help many people who cannot afford a high end designer via my blog and via my one hour consulting service. I know my blog is appreciated and valued because I get lots of emails saying thank you, you helped me figure "it" out!

Blogging takes an enormous amount of time away from my business and it brings in very little income each month, nothing to speak of, actually, in my case and in most cases. There are countless design bloggers who have this similar situation/model. You don't have to be a professional to help people and those who are not design professionals contribute valuable insight and information to the public as well. We give back every day and perform a free service to an enormous number of people. 

I'm not emotional about this. They dropped the ball, not me. This incident does not affect me directly in any way. But, it's a good opportunity to talk about how we design bloggers play a vital role for many people who aspire to have, simply, well designed, homes that they can feel proud of and comfortable in. It's a public service that we provide, yes it is.

My Feeling About Nate After the Taping

My positive feeling hasn't changed. Nate is a person of authentic talent. Speaking of authenticity, after the show, Nate came out on stage, sat on a stool and took questions for a good 20 minutes. My perception is that he spoke from his heart, he was a good listener, and he shared experiences with us. His answers were thoughtful and not rushed. I liked him more than I did before the taping and I still feel that way as I write this. I think he's a good guy, a smart guy, that could have received better advice, and could have asked his staff to tell him about/research the value of design blogs. Doesn't make him a bad person. Nate being in a position of having reach to millions of people warrants this (fair and balanced) analysis. I hope he understands that. 

Say la vee...(yes, I know it's supposed to be cest la vie..someone once corrected me on that!) everyone makes mistakes and I'll put my mistakes up there with ANYONE...just try me, mine will be better than yours!! This one was a good one, though, given how we gave to Nate and how we do give back to the general public as a group. 

Moving on, I'd encourage Nate to engage with design bloggers again. His brand can go to new heights that he never would have imagined, influencing a whole other category of people who may not (currently) watch his show but may hear of him in another way, via online initiatives, within segments of his show, from the show's website, or other interesting ways to showcase the value of design bloggers. His new and old fans will love him even more! Just some suggestions...

Comments are closed here due to the previous troll, but please comment on my facebook page, where this will show up shortly...and "Like" me while you're there!!

Decor8

One thing I can surely say...I've admired Holly Becker, Founder and Editor of Decor8, well before I started blogging in February, 2007. Holly's blog was, and is, more than ever, a top model for super creative and relevant online interior design content. I definitely do not know how she does it, seemingly, with such ease and always with style. The quality of the content is amazing. I know Holly, as we have cross paths here and there, to be focused, yet wide open to inspiration! 

I asked Holly if I could pose a few questions to her. I was curious to find out what her current design aesthetic is, how or if it is changing, and a few questions about kitchens, of course! Let's get to know Holly a little better...

But first: Holly is featured as an ex-pat American blogger living in Europe in the premier issue of Rue Magazine! Holly's feature is on page 41. I must add that I was thrilled to see Copenhagen as a very favorite place...it's mine as well...home is #1, Copenhagen is #2!

How is your personal design aesthetic changing, now that you are settled into Europe, Germany in particular?  

The light is so much different here in northern Germany - much cooler - and I love it. It has given me the opportunity to finally embrace the color palette that I love - white walls, wood floors and colors that make me happy like pale grey, lavender, blue tones, yellows, greens, pinks, gold and silver... I felt in New Hampshire I was very limited since the light was very warm and the windows in my 1875 carriage house were quite small. Here, at least in northern German cities, the buildings are large and rooms have large windows and often high ceilings, so this is ideal for me. I also have the old Jugenstil architecture in my city, Hanover. 

I live in a district called List and we have some gorgeous buildings here with amazing places to live - either to rent or own. Most rentals here do not have closets, in fact none do, so you have to bring your own closets in the form of wardrobes so I've had to change how I approach storage. Some rentals have closets off of the kitchen; these are for food storage usually, but that is only common in the buildings built in the 1800-early 1900s. 

I also have acess to very different products and supplies here, from paint manufacturers and colors, to wallpaper vendors, furniture showrooms, you name it - it is completely different from my life in the states. Back home, I'd drive into Boston and know exactly where to go for lighting, flooring, furniture but here I'm still learning and sampling new brands so that has also impacted my design decisions.

Having seen countless images of kitchens over the years via the amazing quantity and depth of posting that you do, what is the general type of aesthetic and/or design elements that "speak" to you, and are there any kitchen images that you can think of that you're crazy about? I know your fans would love to see that!

Oh yes, the older I get (I guess it has to do with staying home and entertaining more now in my thirties over socializing at bars and restaurants as I did a lot in my twenties) the more influenced I am by having the right space for cooking and storage - the kitchen is becoming more and more a part of my life like never before!

I've recently embarked on going from a renegade experimental cook to one who follows cookbooks (most people start cooking the other way around!) and I guess as a result I'm finally learning about all of the gadgets needed to make some of these new recipes! I usually cook the same things over and over again and they usually do not require more than my two hands for rolling out dough, pots, pans, a spatula, a blender, a whisk and some good wooden spoons! With cookbooks come responsibility and breaking your own rules, which I am trying more and more now, mostly because I became bored with my meals.

I'm suddenly excited to get involved in this whole new world of lingering in foodie shops and am finally putting thought into purchasing a Kitchenaid stand mixer. I want a kitchen that feels authentic and real, not fussy, and I think counter space is critical. I also like it when stove tops are separate from the oven, I find it easier to bake with a wall oven, for instance, but I also like having less visual clutter by keeping cabinetry unified below. I love open shelving, but not for everything, just for glassware that is used daily along with some plates and bowls, again, things that are used and washed regularly.

I was storing wine glasses (I drink wine maybe a few times a month) on open shelves and that was a huge mistake because they became huge dust magnets. I also stored mixing bowls and it was the same thing -- dust, dust, dust! Now I store only items on my open shelves that are either eaten (I put nuts, seeds, dried fruit, cereal) in clear storage containers with white lids (keeping healthy foods visible is better than showcasing the candy, I keep that tucked away in my "no no drawer") or items that again, are used daily like my mugs, glasses, bowls and plates.  

Opinions! Yes, that's what makes a highly personal kitchen function perfectly!  ...Susan

Coming Next: Holly's personal design aesthetic described, and her dream kitchen!

My World of Kitchens!

And, I'm back! I'm more immersed than ever in the world universe of kitchens...maybe slightly underwater may be the better term due to my recent posting absence (I'm so ashamed!)

I honestly have four full time jobs right now: my design practice, all of the social media areas that I touch including the NEW blog I started, Scandinavian Kitchens & Design which is another labor of love, the coming launch of my new product line, www.bornholmstudio.com, and another top secret beeeeeeg project I'm involved in, not to mention appointments, events, and jobsite visits which are on the calendar, one of which is taking me to Madrid on a speaking engagement the first week of October and to a GE summit two days before I leave for Madrid!

Besides that, part of this summer was spent with my dear and youngest son, who unpredictably came home for a couple of days from the city to look for a car with us and ended up staying for nearly 2 weeks, as his girlfriend had also left to visit her family out of the country for that time period. It was such a gift to have this quality time with him in July. Then, we moved him and his girlfriend to Columbia, MD, near DC, in August, to start their next 5 year adventure, his girlfriend attending a PhD program at U of MD. Of course, the move, and a subsequent visit to DC, was surrounded by multiple visits to IKEA and learning to eat crabs! 

Meanwhile, I've never been so stimulated in my life, professionally, by the new people I am continually meeting, materials I am seeing, and new information acquired, and I do love every minute of my busy day and now it's WAY past time to check in here, say a very warm hello and thanks for your patience. I will try to do scheduled blogging (a regular note on my calendar, saying "blog today!") rather than on the fly, which has not been working very well. The point is, it's a very busy time, but I'm happy as a clam, immersed in the kitchen universe, and am just trying to perfect the juggling! 

This ended up being a bit of a hello again post, so next time, I'll be letting you in on some of the pretty amazing things I've been seeing and hearing around the kitchen universe.