Nate Berkus is opening up about a recent moment with his daughter that left him and his husband, Jeremiah Brent, emotional. The designer, who recently returned to HGTV as a guest judge on “Bachelor Mansion Makeover,” shared how their 11-year-old daughter, Poppy, expressed herself during a school assignment, giving the couple a glimpse into how she sees the world.
Berkus, 54, spoke about the experience in an interview with People while discussing family life and his latest projects.
Nate Berkus Reflects on Daughter Poppy’s Emotional School Moment
Berkus said both of his children—Poppy, 11, and Oskar, 8—are creative in different ways, but a recent moment with his daughter stood out.
“Our daughter is incredibly artistic, poetic and deeply thoughtful,” Berkus said. “She did this talk about what it means to be a girl at school this past week. And it was like, Jeremiah and I just stared at each other and burst into tears.”
He shared part of what Poppy said during the assignment.
“It was like, ‘Well you should be smart, but not too smart,’” Berkus explained. “We were like, ‘Oh my God, okay, all of that’s in there. You are a young lady.’”
Berkus added that both of his children express creativity differently.
“Their creativity comes out in lots of different ways,” he said, noting that Poppy gravitates toward fashion and design, while Oskar prefers building projects.
“Oskar could care less about clothes, but he spends hours building stuff. So he definitely has that side to him as well,” Berkus said.
Berkus Also Shares Family Rituals and New TV Role
As his children grow older, Berkus said maintaining family routines has become a priority.
“We are very ritualistic as a family,” he told the outlet “We set the table for every meal — even if it’s a sandwich that we had delivered to the house — it’s on a place mat, on a proper plate with a proper napkin.”
He explained why those small habits matter.
“I think what all of that does is, it just gets you to slow down long enough to appreciate the moment,” he said. “The idea that your eight-year-old kid is reaching for a linen napkin while he’s having his breakfast burrito. It’s just that he set that table before he sat down and he’s getting his backpack and brushing his teeth, but that’s his job.”
In addition to sharing details about his family life, Berkus also returned to HGTV. He appeared as a judge on the new series “Bachelor Mansion Takeover.”
In a teaser for the show posted on Instagram, Berkus explained his approach to design.
“Really great interior design is not about what’s expensive or the fanciest option, it’s about what tells a story,” he said.
The series also featured other guest judges, including JoJo Fletcher, Sean Lowe, Rachel Bilson, and Christina Haack, with Tayshia Adams and Tyler Cameron serving as the main judges.
Berkus previously appeared on “The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project” for the network.
