Nate Berkus Shares How He's Entertaining This Summer

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This summer, generic, convenience-driven design is the enemy of your outdoor scheme. Or at least, that's how Nate Berkus sees it. Homes & Gardens sat down with the iconic designer to discuss his most innovative tips for how (and how not) to entertain in the upcoming season.

For Nate, design is about timelessness and investing in pieces that you will still love for years to come. His recent partnership with Pepperidge Farm, where he designed a beautiful serving board for their Chessman cookies, embodies this philosophy.

Nate explains: 'Great design starts with something timeless. Chess patterns have endured for generations because they’re classic, much like Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies. I loved the idea of building on something so familiar and giving it a new point of view. The Pepperidge Farm x Nate Berkus Chessmen Cookie Board is about honoring that heritage while reimagining it in a way that feels modern, elevated, and unexpected. And yes, you can absolutely eat cookies off it.' Of course, this board will be a bold centerpiece of his garden parties this summer.

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Nate explains how, as the non-baker in his family, he's generally tasked with making the table look beautiful. Just like the chess board, his outdoor entertaining tips revolve around elevating items that you already have and love. He likes using pre-made things that can still be elevated and beautiful. As you might suspect, he's a huge fan of decanting items from their original packaging to display them in a more elegant way.

nate berkus with his pepperidge farm chessman board — Nate Berkus with his Chessman serving board and Pepperidge Farm Cookies

Nate also takes the perspective that a home should tell the story of who we are over time – and so do our tablescapes. He loves the idea of incorporating games as a part of decor and incorporating things we enjoy into design. Hence, a chessboard is a tray.

Shop The Outdoor Entertaining Edit

Whether it's Nate's original design or another inviting, textural piece, adding unique decor to your summer tablescape is the most striking way to upgrade a garden party this summer.

Nate-Designed

Pepperidge Farm X Nate Berkus Chessmen Cookie Board

In accordance with the latest release of chessman cookies, Nate designed a new checkerboard cookie plate. It takes inspiration from the warm flavors of the treats.

Seagrass

Navy Woven Seagrass Charger

Chargers help to define each person's place setting and add a pop of color, particularly if your crockery is plain. I love the wavy movement of this hand-woven seagrass placemat from Terrain, which is available in many vibrant hues.

Lightweight

Green Outdoor Lattice Iron Side Table

Rather than heavy wooden or cement side tables, look for a lightweight iron material like this surprisingly stylish piece from Amazon. I love the lattice design and soft green hue for added elegance.

Melamine

Tangier Oasis Melamine Dinner Plate

Made from durable, decaled melamine, Anthropologie's new drop of mix-and-match floral outdoor dinnerware is super stylish. I'd love to see a tablescape set with a mismatch of every colorway and print.

Bamboo

Natural Bamboo Flatware Sets

I predict you're going to see bamboo flatware on every stylish tablescape this summer. And you don't need to spend a fortune to replace your plain knives and forks. This set of 5 from Pottery Barn is currently on sale, but you can also grab this Bamboo Plastic 20 Piece Flatware Set from Amazon for under $20.

Cotton

Peter Dunham x Hudson Grace Starburst napkin

We love the collab between LA designer Peter Dunham x Hudson Grace and this cheery starburst napkin, inspired by block printing, is one of our favorite prints. They come in different colorways too, if you want to mix and match.

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Rather than choosing fast outdoor furniture trends, Nate prefers to dress the outside of his home as he does with the interiors. 'I don’t like sets of outdoor furniture,' he tells Homes & Gardens. Instead, he recommends trawling your local antique stores, flea markets, and secondhand dealers to find unique pieces in long-lasting materials like wood iron and rattan. Not only do these pieces have more character, but they're designed to last for longer in your outdoor space.

To achieve truly timeless design, personality, warmth, and character must always be priorities. You can bring this to life on the outside of your home just as much as the indoors.

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Sophie is a writer and News Editor on the Celebrity Style team at Homes & Gardens. She is fascinated by the intersection of design and popular culture and is particularly passionate about researching trends and interior history. She is an avid pop culture fan and has interviewed Martha Stewart and Hillary Duff.

In her free time, Sophie freelances on design news for Westport Magazine and Livingetc. She also has a newsletter, My Friend's Art, in which she covers music, culture, and fine art through a personal lens. Her fiction has appeared in Love & Squalor and The Isis Magazine.

Before joining Future, Sophie worked in editorial at Fig Linens and Home, a boutique luxury linens brand. She has an MSc from Oxford University and a BA in Creative Writing and Sociology from Sarah Lawrence College.