Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent have built more than a successful design partnership. They have created a marriage, a family and a home life that has become just as interesting to fans as their work in interior design.
The couple first knew of each other through overlapping social circles, but their romance did not begin right away. Years later, they reconnected at a birthday party in New York City, and that meeting changed everything.
Berkus and Brent married in 2014 at the New York Public Library. Since then, they have welcomed two children, daughter Poppy and son Oskar, while working together on television and building their individual design careers.
Their relationship has also included several major moves, career changes and personal milestones. Through all of it, the pair have often described themselves as each other’s biggest supporters.
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent Did Not Date When They First Met
Berkus and Brent were part of similar social circles before they became a couple.
Their first meeting happened at a time when neither was in the right place for a serious relationship with the other. Brent has explained that Berkus was dating someone else, while he was also involved in his own relationships.
So, despite meeting, there was no immediate romance.
That changed several years later when they crossed paths again at Rachel Zoe’s birthday party in New York City.
This time, the circumstances were different.
Berkus approached Brent and suggested they go antique shopping together. What started as a simple invitation eventually became their first date.
Brent later recalled feeling unexpectedly comfortable around Berkus. He said there was something about being with him that immediately felt safe.
Berkus has also described the beginning of their relationship as a moment when the energy between them suddenly changed.
Their First Date Quickly Became Something Serious
The connection between Berkus and Brent developed quickly.
The two designers discovered that they shared more than an interest in interiors and antiques. They also had similar ideas about building a life together.
Brent has said that before meeting Berkus, he had not necessarily pictured himself having children. But the relationship changed his perspective.
He eventually realized that he could imagine creating a family with Berkus, something that had not felt possible to him before.
For Berkus, the feeling was similarly strong.
The couple did not spend years wondering whether they should take their relationship to the next level. Instead, their romance moved forward relatively quickly.
Nate Berkus Proposed at Machu Picchu
Less than a year after their first date, Berkus proposed to Brent.
The proposal took place in Peru at Machu Picchu in April 2013.
The location added an especially memorable backdrop to an already important moment in their relationship.
Berkus later explained that he knew very early in their relationship that Brent was the person he wanted to spend his life with.
Their engagement came just months after they had begun dating, showing how quickly the relationship had developed.
For two people who had initially crossed paths years earlier without becoming a couple, their eventual romance moved at a remarkable pace.
They Married at the New York Public Library
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent got married on May 4, 2014.
Their wedding took place at the New York Public Library in Manhattan, a location that would become especially meaningful to the couple and their family over the years.
The ceremony was attended by about 220 guests. Among those celebrating with the couple were longtime friends and familiar names from the entertainment, fashion and design worlds, including Oprah Winfrey.
The wedding was also notable because Berkus and Brent became the first same-sex couple to hold a wedding at the iconic New York landmark.
Their marriage marked the beginning of another important chapter, one that would soon include children, television projects and several different homes.
Poppy Was Their First Child
Berkus and Brent became parents for the first time when their daughter, Poppy Brent-Berkus, was born via surrogate on March 23, 2015.
The arrival of Poppy transformed the couple’s life.
Berkus announced the birth with an emotional message about finally becoming a family of three. For Brent, becoming a parent was especially meaningful because of how much his relationship with Berkus had changed his view of having children.
Poppy has grown up with two designers as parents, so it is hardly surprising that family life and home have remained major themes in her childhood.
The couple have occasionally shared glimpses of their family, while still protecting many private moments from public attention.
Their Son Oskar Was Born in 2018
Three years after welcoming Poppy, the couple became parents for a second time.
Their son, Oskar Michael Brent-Berkus, was born via surrogate on March 26, 2018.
His name carries a deeply personal meaning for Berkus and Brent.
Oskar was chosen in honor of Fernando Bengoechea, Berkus’ former partner who died in the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. Oskar was Bengoechea’s middle name.
The couple have spoken about how important it was to honor Bengoechea’s memory while building their own family.
Brent explained that Fernando’s story was an important part of Berkus’ life and therefore also became part of their shared love story.
Naming their son Oskar allowed them to remember someone important to their family history in a meaningful way.
They Have Built a Strong Design Partnership
Berkus and Brent are not only married. They also work in the same industry.
Both have established themselves as respected interior designers, and their careers have frequently overlapped.
They became television stars through projects such as Nate & Jeremiah by Design and The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project.
Their on-screen partnership works partly because they have different design personalities while sharing a similar appreciation for creating meaningful spaces.
Working with a spouse can be complicated, particularly when both people have successful careers. Brent has acknowledged that the pair have made a conscious effort to support each other without taking over one another’s professional lives.
He has described Berkus as one of his biggest supporters.
They Say Supporting Each Other Is Key
Brent has often said that being each other’s biggest cheerleader is one of the things that keeps their relationship strong.
The couple work in the same field, which could potentially create competition or tension. Instead, they have tried to give each other room to develop their own identities.
Brent was still establishing his design business when he met Berkus. He has said that he wanted to create his own professional identity while also building a life together.
Berkus supported that process rather than overshadowing it.
That balance has remained important throughout their marriage.
New York Has a Special Place in Their Relationship
New York City has played a major role in Berkus and Brent’s love story.
They lived in a Fifth Avenue home beginning in 2013, around the time they became engaged and before their wedding.
The property eventually became much more than a residence. It represented the early years of their relationship and the life they imagined building together.
In 2016, they sold the apartment and moved to Los Angeles, where they renovated a Spanish Colonial-style home.
After several years in California, however, they realized they missed New York.
They eventually returned to the city and later had the opportunity to buy their former Fifth Avenue home again.
For Brent, the house carried memories of their engagement, wedding planning, family dreams and difficult periods in their lives.
Their Family Has Its Own Traditions
Life at home is also important to Berkus and Brent.
The couple have created family traditions over the years, particularly around holidays.
One tradition involves a special jalapeño-glazed ham that Brent makes during the holiday season.
Berkus has joked about their household roles, saying that Brent handles the cooking while he is more of the eater and takes responsibility for the dishwasher.
It is a small detail, but it offers a glimpse at their everyday family life behind the television cameras.
Jeremiah Brent Joined Queer Eye
Brent’s career reached another major milestone when he joined the cast of Queer Eye following Bobby Berk’s departure.
The move placed him in a different kind of television role while allowing him to continue working in an area he knows well: transforming spaces and helping people create homes that feel personal.
Berkus has supported Brent’s career throughout their relationship, and Brent has repeatedly spoken about the importance of having his husband in his corner.
At the same time, they continue to maintain separate professional identities.
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent Have Built a Life Together
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s relationship began with a delayed romance, developed quickly once they reconnected and eventually became a marriage and family.
They married in 2014, welcomed Poppy in 2015 and Oskar in 2018, and continued growing their careers side by side.
Their story also includes a meaningful connection to New York City, a shared design career and family traditions that have developed over more than a decade together.
Perhaps the most consistent detail they have shared about their marriage is the importance of supporting one another.
They are partners at home, parents to two children and professionals working in the same creative world. Through career changes and moves between cities, Berkus and Brent have continued to build a life that reflects both of their personalities.
For a couple who first met years before they actually fell in love, their relationship has become a long-running story about timing, family, creativity and finding a person who feels like home.