TiVo Alert: Oprah’s Designer Gets His Own Show

Home design guru Nate Berkus offers inspiration for DIY decorators on his new syndicated show.

As fairy godmothers go, you can’t get much better than Oprah Winfrey. She turned Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Rachael Ray into household names with TV shows of their own, and now her latest protégé, design guru Nate Berkus, is following suit with The Nate Berkus Show, a daily syndicated series. We’re setting our DVRs — Berkus is telegenic, charming and has quite a way with room makeovers.

Home redos “will be a big part of the show because it’s something I’m really passionate about. But we’re going to go really far beyond that,” Berkus tells us. “I’ll be talking to regular people who have compelling stories. It’s about living well, and giving real information that people can use to make their lives better.”

Berkus debuted a new technology he calls his 3D Instant Design Studio on the premiere episode. “With the tip of my finger I can put everything I’m thinking into a space, redo a chair or change the space architecturally,” he explains. Berkus is equally excited about the eco-friendly “living wall” of plants on the set, fashioned from recycled plastic bottles. “I’ve always said, ‘Have something natural in the home,’ ” says Berkus, a big believer in carbon-footprint reduction and the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra.

“I’m a vintage boy. Eighty percent of what I use in my interiors is recycled, reclaimed, reconditioned or found as is. I try not to buy anything new,” he says, adding that he has searched garage sales for goodies since he was 10. “I’ve never been a snob about where something comes from. I’ve only cared about the quality.”

The biggest mistake home decorators make “is that they don’t stop and take the time to ask themselves the question, ‘What do I want this space to be?’ They don’t ask how they want to be perceived and what really makes them happy. You have to do a little homework before you start the process,” he advises.

After what amounts to a nine-year mentorship, Berkus is eager to go solo, though he’d welcome Winfrey as a guest. Having lost his boyfriend in the 2004 tsunami disaster while on vacation in Sri Lanka, a harrowing experience he shared with Oprah and her audience, “it took me a while to get back on my feet,” Berkus admits. “But once I did, I wanted to do things that I felt were important and would make a difference.” While he never thought he’d have his own show, “I’m really grateful that I do what I love and so many people seem to enjoy it,” he says. “That’s a really special place to be.”

Which room in your home could use a Nate Berkus makeover?