The Popular Home Design Choice Nate Berkus And Jeremiah Brent Wouldn't Recommend

In the case of HGTV and TLC stars and partners Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent, design is a family affair. This power couple of the demo site and screen is known for their multiple design shows as well as their respective design firms. One area these two tend to agree on is style. Through their designs, they focus on creating fresh takes on the classics and often embrace a traditional style. Berkus admits that his sense of style continues to evolve, but the idea of achieved timelessness keeps him consistently fascinated and is always present in his work. 

With a passion for fashion that will stand the test of time, it's no surprise that some of Berkus and Brent's biggest pet peeves are those that are rooted in trendiness. One trend that they have dually disavowed is the accent wall. This design feature is far from new and novel, and after many years in the interior designosphere limelight, it has begun to feel tired. But while they are against the one-wall highlight , they have named their fair share of interior designer-approved bold wallpaper prints.

So, how do you do a Berkus and Brent-approved statement wall? The main issue they have with accent walls is that they are static. They have a stark beginning and end, and they can easily and often disrupt the flow of the room. The idea behind the accent wall was originally to allow you to add some fun to a room without fully committing, but this pair has argued that reasoning is part of the problem. Accent walls are often pretty contrasting to the room around them. While this does create a focal point, it's not one that is cohesive with the rest of the room. Having a wall-sized "focal point" can feel confusing, overwhelming, and disjointed. 

Instead of opting for a single wall, Berkus and Brent recommend diving right in. If you want to make a statement on your wall, make it on all your walls. This not only makes the room feel more cohesive and connected, but it is also a great tactic to transport your room by creating an atmosphere. Now, this can be achieved in a couple of different ways — one perfect example exists in their own bedroom. They have surrounded the room with a wallpaper that is both highly patterned and has an organic feel. They then balance out the busyness of the wallpaper by using mainly neutrals in the rest of the room. The other reason that this works so well is because the pattern invokes a mid-forest feeling, which is reflected in other elements of the room. These colors also work in Feng Shui to create a peaceful-feeling environment.

Though wallpaper is a pretty easy home upgrade, there are a couple of rules you will want to abide by before you begin. First and foremost, do not choose a pattern that you are not obsessed with. The last thing you want to do is to renovate a room, especially one you spend a lot of time in (like your bedroom), and find yourself overwhelmed, annoyed, or just dissatisfied with the results. Once you find a pattern you particularly like, you want to find ways to connect it to the rest of the room, similar to what you may find in a bed-and-breakfast. You can do this easily through your furnishings. A great way to keep the room feeling calm and open is to use a majority of light neutrals (especially a bed-and-breakfast favorite, beige) and intentionally bring in pops of color rather than splashing the brightest colors willy-nilly around the room. 

That said, sometimes going bold is not something you want to shy away from. While the concept of color drenching has been around for a while, pattern drenching is one of the newest additions to design rhetoric. Although this is inspired by vintage trends (and often uses vintage patterns), a great way to make it feel fresh is to mix your patterns rather than match them. If coating your room in an array of patterns makes you a bit nervous, but you are still interested in giving it a shot, consider sticking to an almost strictly neutral color palette,  as this can give you the freedom to explore while remaining timeless.