Pulling up to Nathan’s storefront… you can’t help but notice that the stretch of street he inhabits is nestled within the La Cienaga Design Quarter and directly across from Urth Cafe on Melrose… a (a scene to be “seen” at). But when entering his shop, the rest of LA seems to fade away and a sense of ease persists. There is nothing fussy or stuffy here. In fact, Nathan’s dogs Daisy and Nacho can usually be seen lounging about the warm, inviting space filled with Nathan’s personal picks from scouting, travel, etc.
Nathan was a part of the Season 1 cast of the hit Bravo show Million Dollar Decorators… and he could also be seen in Season 2 playfully jarring and giggling with Mary McDonald, or Mums, as he calls her (seriously some of my fave scenes). His charming attitude and wit left me wanting more…
… and when I had a chance to grab a copy of his book, American Style, I was even more sold on Nathan and his design aesthetic. He mixes antiques and “high style” with a truly California kick-back vibe that works so effortlessly. You can see why clients Adrian Grenier, Amanda Peet and Ione Sky are such big fans.
He is also a masterful entertainer… and besides some truly useful decor tips and tricks… the book is also filled with recipes and picturesque party ideas, many of them DIY and delightfully pretty and attainable.
I hope you enjoy this interview with Nathan as much as I enjoyed spending some time with him. Due to the length and the fact that I have now been sidelined by the flu (thanks hubs)… I have decided to split the story into Parts 1 and 2. Leave a comment below today or on tomorrow’s post and one lucky reader will be chosen at random to win a signed copy of his lovely book!
Dee: Nathan, this is your first book. Was this on your bucket list of things to do? How long have you thought about gathering your “story” together?
Nathan: I had been talking to Rizzoli a few years ago, but at the time I just didn’t feel like I was ready in a weird way… even though I had started to put all of my stuff together. When I saw Mary’s book, I was like… OMG… there is just so much stuff and so many projects… do I have that? When I went with Abrams I realized that I did in fact have more than enough (10 years of content!), and they (Abrams) were great because they “got me” and were adamant about me creating a lifestyle book, as opposed to just a decorator’s monograph.
D: Which is what I love about the book, btw… that there are recipes and DIY ideas from your fabulous get togethers, etc…
N: I feel that as a decorator we are all “lifestyle” people. A great decorator knows how to set up a really well appointed home, and that translates into all aspects of the way you live, you eat, you entertain… EVERYTHING.
D: Why did you decide to call your book Nathan Turner’s American Style?
N: Good question! Well… I am just so American. I am such an All American person. I love American style, because it is a little bit of everything, but with a heavy Anglo base, which is the way that I live and decorate. The great thing about American Style is the fact that it can’t be fully constrained… it is a mix of culture and design by nature… that translates into decor, into the food we eat, etc. We are truly a melting pot!
D: You speak about how this shop (especially at the beginning), was such a great tool for experimentation, a blank canvas that allowed you to hone your skills because the backdrop was constantly in motion (items moving in and out, rearranging, etc.). I am always rearranging my own home… which drives my husband a bit nuts!
N: I always tell aspiring designers to do that at home. Your home is a lab, if you will, where you can make mistakes and not have your client pay for it! That’s what this shop did for me. I never worked for another decorator, so I never gained that practical knowledge… the shop was my training ground. Back in the day I would paint a color on the wall and just hate it… and there I was re-painting at 10pm at night to remove that color before I opened again in the morning! That’s how I learned.
My inventory is my playground, and how I buy adds to the playfulness. If I have a response to something I buy it, because I feel like somebody else will have that response too. I have no method other than that. But in doing so, I will sometimes have this kind of crazy mix in the shop and I need to figure out how to put it all together, and make it look appealing, and have it sell. It taught me so much about mixing periods and styles and it really is my favorite aesthetic.
D: What are some of your favorite Los Angeles design stores (besides your own of course ;))?
N: I go to Hollyhock, Mecox, Kristen Buckingham, Hollywood at Home, Harbinger, Lee Stanton, Blackman Cruz, Nickey Kehoe, and I’m obsessed with Joel Chen. Oh and I LOVE Lief… a gigantic warehouse of Swedish antiques. They used to be my neighbors when I was on Almont.
D: What do you like about the Los Angeles design scene, and is there something truly unique about it?
N: I really like design in LA because there is a freedom, where you can kind of do anything that you want here. We aren’t as dictated by architecture, like other cities that have more history. You drive down the street in Beverly Hills and there is a really bad Mediterranean ;), a great Spanish, a really amazing mid-century modern, and a Tudor fantasy…
We create what we want, and I think that comes from Hollywood in its hey day. I like that. You make your own world and live in it the way you want to… and that to me is uniquely LA.
D: What do you think is distinctive about present day design vs even 10-15 years ago?
N: Accessibility. People have so much more information and such a better selection of products available to them. Ten years ago, what was available… that wasn’t “to the trade” only… was so limited. Home has finally caught up with fashion… where the “good stuff” is accessible. Whether through a Mass Market chain like West Elm, or through the showrooms on Melrose… there is good design to be had by all.
I leave you today with this shot of Nathan’s Lab Nacho’s back-end, because it just makes me laugh… or maybe that’s the NyQuil kicking in… which is a sign for me to go to bed.
Come back tomorrow (Part 2) to learn more about Nathan’s experience on Million Dollar Decorators, his friendship with Mums, and to find out if Martyn Lawrence Bullard really thinks everything is so delicious… (and don’t forget to leave a comment today or tomorrow for a chance to win Nathan’s book!)…
xoxo
Dee
