The One Overlooked Room That Nate Berkus Loves Designing With Vintage Items

Award-winning interior designer and HGTV star Nate Berkus is a proponent of what he calls meaningful design. He and his husband, Jeremiah Brent, love to incorporate a client's beloved personal pieces into a redo, rather than consigning them to an out-of-the-way space. This design vibe extends to the often-overlooked kids' rooms, where Berkus repurposes vintage items into useful, but timeless, design elements. Rooms that you think are fine as long as they meet the functional needs of a child are transformed into spaces you won't mind showing off to visitors.

A prime example of function and design working together is a vintage dresser. Add a padded, waterproof topper when the child is an infant and it can be used as a changing table as well as a space to store onesies and booties, and to keep diapers within reach. As the child gets older, removing the topper turns it back into a dresser. The vintage piece doesn't have to be a prized antique that needs to be treated with care. A hand-me-down dresser or a chest of drawers from a thrift shop that's seen better days can be repaired and refinished, or you can update a dated dresser with paint. When you're looking for furniture pieces to use in a child's room, think ahead to what will age well as the child gets older.

You may have a collection of artworks that your favorite older relative created that became yours after the will was read. You may love the artist, but the art isn't suited for the living room. Budget-friendly frames turn up frequently at thrift stores, and they're not all stodgy relics from the past. Make a picture wall in your child's room with playful, brightly-framed and matted artwork. When your kid starts gifting you their own masterpieces, switch out the old pictures for new. Repurpose them again as they reach the age when celebrity photos or concert posters become a thing. If there comes a time when the photo wall no longer works as a design element in the room, use them to create a sentimental, newly vintage picture wall in a hallway or stairwell.

An old trunk is always useful, whether to hold extra bedding or as a place to put away toys. Vintage light fixtures and mirrors are functional additions to a child's room, but stay away from pieces that are too fussy or ornate; make sure they're child-proof and that vintage lamps are safe. Your kid doesn't want to feel like they're living in a museum. Safety and design preferences aside, there are some vintage items you shouldn't put in a child's room. That antique toy or doll may look perfect sitting on the shelf, but sooner or later a kid is going to want to play with it.

For the walls, Berkus recommends tying everything together with toned-down primary colors. If you want bright colors, use them in curtains or in vintage pillow covers. Choose neutral, durable rugs that will work with any future design change.