Nate Berkus on his new tribal-chic home accessories collection

"If you take just five minutes to put something great on top of that one chair or table in the corner, you can brighten up the whole room."

Q: Do you have a favourite item from your new collection?

A: I do! One of my all-time favourites is the kilim cloth basket. I stand firewood up in it and use it by the fi replace, but it’s also great for toys, extra bedding, towels. You can also buy a couple and line them up under a console in your entryway. I’m a Virgo, so I like everything in its place, but I also like it in something that’s pretty to look at, which makes me a big fan of boxes, trays and baskets.

Q: Your new collection seems to have a tribal influence: Where did that inspiration come from?

A: I don’t set out for inspiration; it’s just something you are always open to; you can’t shut it off . But part of the new collection comes from a recent trip to Peru, and the other part is from my love for natural materials like stone and rattan and a lot of metals.

Q: Go-to paint colour?

A: Do I have one? No. Right now I’m back into white. I like the idea of taking the colour away from the walls and bringing it in with different objects and pieces to let my furniture tell its own story. You have to take the time to figure out your own story in your home, and colour is a really effective way to do that.

Q: If you weren’t a designer you’d be . . .

An estate jewellery dealer. I’m fascinated by it.

Here's what our editors nabbed from Nate Berkus' new home collection for their own homes:

Colourful bath mat: Nate Berkus chili bath mat, $25, Target.

Pillows with personality: Nate Berkus gold painted pillow, $25, gold plates pillow, $25, Target.

Versatile side table: Nate Berkus burnished brass and antique mirror accent table, $80, Target.

Cloth catch-all: Nate Berkus round cotton kilim basket, $30, Target.

Multi-tasking light: Nate Berkus task lamp, $50, Target.

Read more: Five gorgous rooms by Nate Berkus