Jeremiah Brent | Shelf Portrait | Marie Claire
Jeremiah Brent's stunning townhouse is home to his extensive book collection, filled with artsy reads and inspiring design titles.
Here, the interior designer shows off his favorites, from Picasso to Vervoordt, that shaped his own style as well as the books that helped him raise a family with husband Nate Berkus.
Here, the interior designer shows off his favorites, from Picasso to Vervoordt, that shaped his own style as well as the books that helped him raise a family with husband Nate Berkus.
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00:00Hey, I'm Jeremiah Brent. We are here at our townhouse in the West Village. I'm about to
00:05give you a look into our personal library, the things that mean the most to us, the books
00:10that have changed our lives. This is Shelf Portrait.
00:18The beautiful thing about this bookshelf, which is double height, it's about 30 feet
00:22of shelving, is it really houses some of the most important things to us. Looks have changed
00:27our lives in so many different ways and have been such an integral part of our story as
00:31a family, individually, and you know, you can kind of see behind me, it's everything
00:36we've collected from travels, the books that mean the most to us. So I'm excited to share
00:41with you a few of my favorites. So it's really hard for me to pick just five of my favorites
00:46because all of these books are here because they mean something to us. But here's my best
00:51shot. The first book I want to share is something deeply personal to me and to my husband. It's
00:57James Brown's handbook. James Brown was a prolific artist. He's one of our favorites.
01:04His use with organic materials and his thoughtfulness with around everything he did. There was always
01:11a story and one of the things that I connect the most to him and his wife, Alexandra, was
01:15the tenacity for life. They moved through the world so beautifully and they had such
01:21adventure in everything that they did. It really was remarkable. They were dear friends
01:27of ours who tragically died a little over a year ago in a car accident. But this book
01:32is something that we've had and traveled around with. And it's the first chapter is called
01:37The Obligation of Looking Deeply, which I feel like really sums up everything about
01:41who he was as an artist and what he represented. And he was prolific in the fact that everything
01:46kind of had this organic form to it. And he did everything from cast bronze to wood to
01:51ceramics to paintings. Some of the most important pieces that we own, the things that we value
01:58the most are actually his. So they kind of serve as a timeline of our family and the journey.
02:03Actually, one of the last things he gave to us was some painting for our daughter that he signed
02:08in the back. So this is a really beautiful book. You have to check it out. So it goes without
02:14saying that one of the most influential people in my life has been Axel Vervoort. It was the
02:21first time that I was really exposed to an interior designer with such a clear perspective,
02:26something that he never waived from. He always stuck true to who he was and what he believes
02:31in. And it was the first time that I understood that you could create spaces that really felt
02:35emotional and not less practicality, so to speak, but more about evoking an emotional feel.
02:43His spaces, even in photos, you can feel them. And I think that's really interesting. You know,
02:48he's all about playing with light, different texture. He blends different design aesthetics
02:53so beautifully. It was the first time that I really understood my own design aesthetic, which
02:59is far more monastic than my husband. But I love it. I love everything. I love the ceremony of his
03:06design. This book in particular, which is called The Story of Style, just kind of takes you through
03:12his journey, everywhere from his memories and what's influenced his design. You know, it's so
03:19visually beautiful. And just to kind of get a glimpse into who he is and why he connects the
03:25things the way he does. Hard copy or e-reader? Always a hard copy. I love the smell of the book.
03:33One of the things that's really interesting about books and the power that they have to not only
03:37educate you, but they transport you. You know, a lot of these books, the first date I had with
03:42my husband, we stayed up until 4 a.m. going through books and talking about what we thought
03:46was beautiful. Now, fast forward 10 years later, after using these books to educate myself and
03:51understand things and see things and understand what a 19th century was, what neoclassical was,
03:56these artists from all over the world, these books now are being used for our children.
04:00Our kids pick them up and look at things and tell us what they think are beautiful. So I think that's
04:04the really beautiful rhythm and cycle of books to keep things that really matter to you, like
04:09these behind you. Goodbye, Picasso is so good. I mean, listen, Picasso was a crazy, crazy genius,
04:19and that's just what it is. And controversial in so many ways. But this book, which is a series of
04:25letters, is so special because it kind of walks you through the Spanish painter's last couple
04:35years of life. And there's all these beautiful letters to Picasso and vice versa from Picasso.
04:42You kind of get a glimpse into his studio, some of his paintings, the inspiration behind his paintings,
04:50the story of his wife and their marriage, the complexities of their marriage.
04:55But Picasso, again, is one of those artists that
04:57knew who he was so beautifully, artistically, and communicated it so authentically.
05:06And it just shows the, you know, how authenticity stands the test of time, because he stuck true to
05:11what he knew, he believed in it. And now, you know, how many years later, it's still, it's still so,
05:18so important. I mean, look at this picture of him in the studio. I mean, come on, I could sit down
05:23for 30 minutes and just look through that picture. So it's really fun visually. It's really
05:28interesting from a creative standpoint, but it's a good read. Where do you usually buy your books?
05:34I highly recommend if you're in the West Village going to Three Lives. It is a West Village staple.
05:40They've got every book you could ever imagine. Our children know it very well. I think we probably
05:44go there once a month, but check it out if you're in the city. What book have you read the most in
05:49your life? I have actually read The Alchemist probably five times. If you haven't read it,
05:56I highly suggest you do it. It was, it has been influential for me in so many different parts of
06:02my life. When I was coming out, it gave me the strength and the confidence I needed to come out.
06:08When I was trying to reconcile all of the damage done from being closeted for so long, it gave me
06:14that strength again. It's kind of just popped up in so many different ways. And every time I read
06:18that book, I get something new from it. But it was the first time I had ever had it articulated
06:23to me in, by the way, a really beautiful way, that the only thing getting in my way was fear.
06:29But it's a really special book, so you should check it out.
06:32So this book, which is an Edelhoff, Alcho, Giacometti, is, again, one of my all-time
06:37favorites. Giacometti was one of the first artists that I discovered, like on this journey of a
06:43designer and as a creative. And, you know, one thing to point out is the books behind me have
06:48really served as a school for me. I was not educated with design, but these have been my
06:53education. They allowed me to travel. They allowed me to expose myself and educate myself on a lot of
06:58these creatives who shaped so much of what we have now in the design business. Giacometti was
07:04incredibly prolific. He worked with bronze and paintings. His first bust, I think, was at 14
07:11years old. His father was a painter. It's just beautiful. And everything about his pieces are,
07:18they've just, they've stood the test of time in a way that few people can. You can kind of see
07:23just the sculpture, the ceramics, the bronze, the paintings, the sketches. I bought a Giacometti
07:31sketch. It was one of the first, like, nice things I bought. And I'll never forget it. It's just,
07:36he's one of my all-time favorites. What's your favorite place to read a book? I love cracking a
07:42book open on our roof here in the city. We have a little roof deck upstairs that's all green,
07:49and you look out at the village. There's just the right amount of breeze. That's my favorite spot.
07:54I know you didn't expect to see this, but this book is called Entangle Makes Three.
08:01And this is probably one of the most important books kind of in the timeline of our family,
08:07so to speak. You know, when we made the decision to move back to New York, one of the things that
08:11we tried to do is really find ways to make our children feel a part of the community. And this
08:15book actually takes place in the New York, the Central Park Zoo. And more important about this
08:22book is it's the first time that I ever was given the words to articulate and describe surrogacy to
08:28our children. It's such a beautiful story about two male penguins that fall in love in a zookeeper
08:34that gives them an egg that they can't produce for themselves, even though they're sitting on
08:37a rock trying to pretend like they can do it. And they end up raising this beautiful daughter,
08:43and they have this family, and she makes them. It takes two to make a tango, and that's the name of
08:48their daughter. But it was the first time that I was able to put into words the beauty of surrogacy
08:54to our children, to make them understand the amount of love and care and kindness that it
09:00took to bring them into the world. It's a really special book. As you can see,
09:05I get emotional every time I talk about it, so check it out.