Between 2010 and 2020, Jeremiah Brent and his husband, Nate Berkus, moved 10 times in 10 years. The thing is—Brent couldn’t tell you why. “Nate and I looked at each other and we’re like, ‘What is happening? We’re broken,’” Brent says. Suddenly, the acclaimed interior decorator found himself fascinated with people who have happily lived in their homes for several decades, despite the financial means to move if they wished. What kept them there?
So, he asked some of his clients and friends—and quickly found out that design was just a small part of it. “Design doesn’t keep you—don’t get me wrong, as a decorator, I have nothing but respect for design,” he says. More often than not, however, it was tied to memories. They spoke of sofas that people piled on, bookcases stacked with their favorite novels, or tables that they danced around with their children. “Most of the beautiful homes that I’ve ever been in had nothing to do with how much money people have spent, but how their homes are really bolstering the moments that matter,” says Brent.
In 2021, it occurred to him that he should turn these stories—and these homes—into some kind of project. Now, two and a half years later, Brent is publishing The Space That Keeps You, an interiors book that explores the deeper meaning of home.
A Jeremiah Brent-designed living room for a New York City couple, Michael and Brooke, as seen in The Space That Keeps You.
Courtesy of Jeremiah Brent
Originally Appeared Here