Nate Berkus on His New Collection for Target and "The Things That Matter" Bruce Buck for The New York Times PROLIFIC Nate Berkus is about to unveil a book and a collection for Target. The interior designer Nate Berkus first appeared on the national scene in 2002 as a guest on "Oprah." He was such a hit with the audience and the star that he became the show's featured design expert. Since then, his career has boomed. He has written a book, "Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live Into a Place You'll Love," and starred in his own television program, "The Nate Berkus Show," which ended this spring. In October, Mr. Berkus, 40, will have two major introductions: a 150-piece collection of furnishings for Target, and a new book, "The Things That Matter" (Spiegel & Grau, $35). Speaking from his office in Chicago (he has another in New York), he spilled details about both projects. Your new book is extremely personal. It's as much about the people themselves as it is about interior design. Why did you decide to write it? It's a reaction to all the information and the misinformation that is out there on television, in magazines and on Web sites telling people what to do: how to decorate. For me, the home should tell a story about the people who live there. It's a different way of looking at design. My goal was to tell how people made their choices. I hate when people say there are no rules to design. There are rules about things like scale and proportion. And of course a home needs to be utilitarian and functional, but there are many roads and directions to achieve this. How did you select the projects in the book? I picked the interiors because they are far-flung: a studio apartment in Brooklyn; a San Francisco apartment with a 10,000-square-foot terrace; a minimal ranch house in Marfa, Texas. But all really reflect the people who live there. The 14 projects in the book are triumphs of personal style. There's a big chunk of your own biography, too. I didn't set out to do that when I started, but I learned so many personal stories that I felt it was only right and appropriate for me to tell mine. Before Target, you designed a 2008 collection for Home Shopping Network. Are you philosophically committed to the mass market? I am a fan of the mass market. I have a responsibility to my custom clients to know as much as possible about antiques, rare carpets and fine art, and a lot of what we do is custom for high-end clients. But I get a rush finding a beautifully designed object at a great price. How would you describe the style of your Target collection? I don't strike a chord with any one style. I love everything from Swedish antiques to midcentury modern to Milan design from the "70s. I love crafts, basketry and metalwork. All these elements are incorporated in the line. I did design with a point of view using natural materials, knitting and textural finishes. I don't want people to buy the entire collection. I want them to be able to buy pieces and layer them into their homes. The line will have a long life. I'll be able to constantly refresh it. I don't want to totally overhaul every season. The whole is focused on accessories and objects. I see every horizontal surface as an opportunity. A lot is drawn from pieces in my home that I've been collecting over the last 25 years. There's a lacquer tortoise shell like one that's hanging on my wall. What about color? I'm influenced by fashion, painting and photography. My colors for the fall are deeper and earthier. Then they will lighten up in the spring. I only used two colors in each product because they're easier to incorporate. Who are your design heroes? In design, Axel Vervoordt and Jacques Grange. Grange's interiors are so intensely personal and so layered. I admire Andrée Putman and an architect I have worked with, Ahmad Sardar Afkhami. I love Verdura jewelry, Gio Ponti, Fornasetti and Gabriella Crespi. In the mass market you need to know what the best things are. You were an executive producer of "The Help." How did that come about, and are there more films in your future? Tate Taylor, the producer, is a friend of mine and he sent me a galley of the book before it was published, looking for financial backing. I read it in a day and a half and loved it. So I signed up to support it in any way I could. It was a thrill to sit at the Academy Awards. I love the idea that it reached so many people. And I'm currently working on a second movie project but I can't tell anyone yet what it's about. I can say that it's another adaptation of a book. You've built an amazing career in a very short time. What do you want to do next? I want to go back on TV in a meaningful way. I'm working on a new show and hope to find a home for it in a year or two.