What I’m loving right now: Raw Swedish furniture from the 1930s, specifically the work of Axel Einar Hjorth, an important Swedish designer who was the chief designer and architect for the department store Nordiska Kompaniet in Stockholm from 1927 to 1938. I love the simple materials like oak, rosewood, and birch; the deeply architectural lines; and how easily they blend with contemporary paintings and furniture from different eras, such as French 1950s pieces. 

I’d recommend it to someone who also likes…mid-century European furniture, American design from the ’60s and ’70s, and the work of George Nakashima and Charlotte Perriand.   

Where I’ve spotted it in the wild:

• Several dealers on 1stDibs, both in and outside of Sweden, like Studio Designboard.
• The Winter Show (above right) in New York City in January.
• If I’m lucky, auction sites such as LiveAuctioneers. 

Two real-life ways I’d try it:

1. The pieces are so strong, so I prefer to mix them with the work of other designers, such as Jean-Michel Frank, Jacques Adnet, and Maria Pergay.
2. With intricately carved plaster moldings and high ceilings. I really like the juxtaposition of the style’s simplicity against very formal architecture.

A Perriand table. Photography by Julien Fernandez

It looks great with…everything! 

If money, time, and space were no object, I’d…add Hjorth’s iconic Lovö pine cabinet as storage in a bathroom.

My shopping criteria: Keep searching until you can find pieces at a good price—there are still deals to be had with some time and research.

My elevator pitch to skeptics: Having come from an auction house background before starting my design firm, Nate Berkus Associates, I am always on watch for things that will retain or grow in value. The best part is you get to live with these things in the interim.

What’s the next…

• Paint color you want to use: Farrow & Ball’s Dead Salmon.
• Decor item you’re on the hunt for: Signed English silver by Paul Storr.
• Vintage score of your dreams: A Hermès Birkin HAC 50 travel bag.
• Design destination on your bucket list: Scandinavia.
• Home project you’d like to tackle: My Virgo personality doesn’t allow for any future lists of projects. They are already done!
• DIY you might actually do: Glue my own decorative trim on a store-bought lampshade.
• Trend you hope makes a comeback: Detailed trims and passementerie on upholstery.
• Projects you’re working on: The newest collection for Living Spaces in collaboration with my husband, Jeremiah Brent; a brand-new rug collection; and my third book, which is a collection of images and ideas gathered over 30 years. 

What’s the last…

• Thing you bought for your home: Custom lampshades from Illumé (above left) for a pair of glass-block lamps I found at a Paris flea market.

• Post you saved: Galerie Half owner Cameron Smith’s home.

• Account you followed: Chloe Hartstein, a men’s fashion stylist based in NYC who I met while in Las Vegas with the cast of Queer Eye.

• Photo in your camera roll: My design partner, Lauren Buxbaum Gordon, and I at the Elle Decor A-List party.  

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