You already know Nate Berkus has an impeccable interior design style. He and his husband, Jeremiah Brent, create beautiful homes for their clients—some of which we see on their various TV shows—and the couple's charm is nearly as captivating as the spaces they create. But what you may not know about Berkus is that he's very into organization. And with a young son who loves LEGO, this poses a dilemma: encouraging his creativity while keeping his room from looking like the aftermath of a plastic brick explosion.
Burkus's solution for organizing his son Oskar’s LEGO collection was a labor of love, as he explained in a video he posted to his Instagram.
"I didn’t speak to anybody, I don’t remember eating, or stopping for a meal—I sat on the carpeting in this bedroom and sorted these," he said of the weekend project.
The result is a color-coded, 15-section system that makes it easy for Oskar to find what he needs and clean up when he’s done playing. Berkus took pride in his work (as he should) and mentioned that he completed it 11 months before he shared this post, indicating his son has kept his system in place.
Commenters were impressed by Berkus's solution. “Shout out to Oskar!!! Great job, buddy, on keeping creativity neat and tidy. That’s impressive! Great job on the leg work, Nate,” one wrote. “You, Nate, are my spirit animal,” gushed another, and many others agreed.
Others had additional thoughts to share: “The toughest dilemma, by color or by type. We need an entire wall at this point and will never fully have the best solution!” someone noted. “Sorry, Nate, but true adult fans of LEGO will know that sorting by type of piece is the way to go. Sorting by color is fastest, but it’s hard to find a particular piece within a pile of all the same colors,” another said.
“And do not forget to save the instructions for assembly of the original item,” one person helpfully suggested.
While Berkus's organization skills were the topic of the video, many people were equally as impressed by the stunning wallpaper used in his son's room (Sur le Nil by La Maison Pierre Frey). It may be that living in an exquisitely-designed space inspires Oskar to put his toys away, but if not, it’s a good bet Berkus is teaching him why color coordinating and symmetry matter, starting with his LEGO collection. It’s never too early to start learning how good it feels to be organized—or appreciate design.