If you still don’t know about Nate Berkus—he of the gigawatt smile, the preternaturally good hair, and the soulfully elegant design aesthetic—you have only yourself to blame. The interior designer has gone from Oprah regular to powering The Nate Berkus Show. Now that he has a best-selling book and a home-furnishing line for HSN, there’s nothing stopping him from szooshing up the world. We asked Berkus (who will be heading home to be with family this Thanksgiving, spending quality time with “a yam casserole with marshmallows that has become my drug of choice”) for a few quick ways to add festive spirit to the dining room amid the holiday chaos. With typical good taste and some well-placed grosgrain ribbon, he obliged.—Rachel Sanders

Q: Of course we’d love to redecorate the dining room before everyone comes over, but that’s not going to happen. What are three holiday updates we can make—this week?

If you still don’t know about Nate Berkus—he of the gigawatt smile, the preternaturally good hair, and the soulfully elegant design aesthetic—you have only yourself to blame. The interior designer has gone from Oprah regular to powering The Nate Berkus Show. Now that he has a best-selling book and a home-furnishing line for HSN, there’s nothing stopping him from szooshing up the world. We asked Berkus (who will be heading home to be with family this Thanksgiving, spending quality time with “a yam casserole with marshmallows that has become my drug of choice”) for a few quick ways to add festive spirit to the dining room amid the holiday chaos. With typical good taste and some well-placed grosgrain ribbon, he obliged.—Rachel Sanders

Q: Of course we’d love to redecorate the dining room before everyone comes over, but that’s not going to happen. What are three holiday updates we can make—this week?