“Every artist dips his brush in his soul, and paints his own nature into pictures,” Henry Ward Beecher. Nick Berman, Co-Founder of Berman-Rosetti Furniture in Los Angeles, CA has been painting his own nature for decades. He has been designing high-end furniture for the better part of 30 years. For Nick, it is vital to get a true understanding of what “home” means to an individual so that he can design pieces that evoke that feeling when one sees, feels, and inevitably uses them. Nick personally describes the feeling of “home” as being nurtured, and it is far more than just selling a piece of furniture that keeps him going these days. His focus has always been on how a piece makes someone feel when they decorate their home, office, or establishment with his “artwork.” Designing and building some of the most exquisite furniture though, was not where Nick began his illustrious career in art.

As Nick describes it, “it has been quite the journey.” After receiving his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts, he ventured off to Europe for Art School. Shortly thereafter, he found himself painting in a Northern California studio. It was in those moments where Nick felt being alone with a canvas was incredibly daunting. He quickly realized that that particular medium certainly was not his calling. Soon after that realization, while looking for other outlets for his creative genius, he was given an opportunity to work in a design office in Los Angeles. Nick and drawing go together like a palette and paintbrush, so the opportunity to draw for a design firm ended up being a great fit. He quickly realized the high demand for skilled drawers, so he decided to open his own office a few short years later.

Initially, Nicks office was strictly focused on interior design, but as a self-proclaimed perfectionist, he wanted to be able to steer all elements of a project. His office began designing the house’s structure as well as the interiors. After designing a store for a young client who loved the feeling Nick designed so much, they asked Nick to design a new house for their parents in the Malibu Colony. Nick will frequently tell you, that looking back on this project, is really what gave him the confidence and technical skillset to deliver consistently. Nick constantly reminds people that through his own struggles and triumphs, one of his favorite quotes from Henry Matisse is, “creativity takes courage.” Courage is exactly what Nick has had his entire career, which ultimately led him to end up designing truly epic furniture for more than 30 years now.

It was back in 1987 when Nick was asked by Mimi London to design a collection of furniture for her Los Angeles showroom. She had previously seen some of his published work and believed in Nick and his abilities to properly execute the collection. At the time, Nick had a thriving design business, so the thought of a new design challenge truly interested and inspired him. Gennaro Rosetti, who has been Nicks partner for many years, was the one who physically built many of the pieces in the project for the Mimi London collection. Because the two had such symbiosis when working together, Nick asked Gennaro to become his partner. “Thirty years later and we are still going strong,” Nick says. Gennaro runs their factory while Nick is more the “front-of-house” guy, and the two love it that way. Their early projects led them to find their true DNA. They both believe this laid the foundation for such a strong identity. Nick truly believes that energy is what silently calls to him and lets the team know what to do next. 

Nick will be the first to tell you that no partnership is easy. Early on in their career together, Nick and Gennaro would clash over direction, but as Nick has reminded people, “age gives wisdom, and now it is not really important whose idea it is but if it fits their quality and substance. Things of quality have no fear of time.” Their pieces truly stand the test of time and with their own factory here in Los Angeles getting your hands on a piece of Berman-Rosetti furniture is not just a dream, but also a reality too. Their factory comprises of a large cabinet shop, upholstery department, state of the art finish shop and an area for their metal fabrication. Their style is more expressed through a strong point of view that truly stands out. As Nick says, “We have nurtured our vision into a collection that is idiosyncratic and recognizable.” 

Berman-Rosetti furniture is represented 14 showrooms across the United States and Canada, which truly showcases how well respected and revered these two men are in the world of design. When asked about tying the “home” back into the design work Nick has accomplished throughout his career, he left us with this: “Home, like life, is a process. Someone’s house really shows where they reside both mentally and physically. Personally, I strive for a sanctuary and everyones definition of such is different. Obviously being surrounded by spaces and objects you love reinforce who we are. As simple as possible, but not simpler. When starting a design project I would ask the owner to start a file of what they love, be it literature, art, furniture, or houses. This becomes like a diary and makes it easier to find the clues into one’s nature. If someone can afford it, hire a professional because the love of beauty is good taste, but the creation of beauty is art.” 

Could you say that any better? I do not think so! To get in contact with Nick, visit them on instagram, send an email, or check out their website at https://bermanrosetti.com