Natural Mom

Nicole Berrie has made a name for herself in the world of wellness and even with two kids in tow, she doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The founder of healthy living website Bonberi, this plantbased mom recently opened her reimagined version of a New York City bodega in Manhattan’s West Village, slinging fresh juices, smoothies, salads, grain bowls, and a myriad of other wellness-inspired goodies from homeware, to beauty, to skincare products.

photography by ANA GAMBUTO

MINI | We’re thrilled to be in your beautiful home! How would you describe the place?

NICOLE BERRIE | I would say mid-century meets Japanese pop art meets real life. My husband definitely veers towards minimalism and neutrals where I love color and a little quirk, so I think it’s a balance of the two. We mix found and hand-me-down objects like my parents’ Turkish oriental rug, Takahashi Murakami artwork with Eames-style dining chairs and Oeuf kids furniture. I want it to feel well-designed, but also [like] a home.

MINI | Do you have a favorite room?

NICOLE BERRIE | I love the kids’ rooms. I really focused on making them bright and happy and I think we accomplished that! I took care to find pieces I truly loved like cribs from Oeuf and shaggy rugs from ABC. Pierre Frey makes the most beautiful wall coverings and their children’s versions are the perfect mix between cute and chic. The artwork is personally collected over the years from Wes Anderson’s brother Eric Chase Anderson who illustrates all his films to a Space Invader print. The funny thing is my husband and I collected these years ago before our kids and now they’re perfect for our children’s rooms.

MINI | What are some of your favorite elements in your home?

NICOLE BERRIE | When we were renovating our home, we had super low ceilings and wondered what we would do if we broke above them. It turned out there was a type of beam that we could just cover to create a geometric ceiling of sorts. They’ve become a beautiful design element in the space and now other tenants in our building have done the same.

My husband, who previously studied and worked in architecture, designed the floating staircase and glass wall. I was definitely a shabby chic “Domino” girl before I met him and he kind of Kanye’d my life into loving minimalism and clean lines. His dream is a perfect, clutter-less, mid-century home... I’m getting there.

I also like our open pantry. To me, walking into a home and seeing the massive bowls of fruit and vegetables, spice bottles, oils, and kitchen tools out on display means that nourishing our family comes first.

MINI | What are your favorite elements in your kids’ rooms?

NICOLE BERRIE | I love the Pierre Frey wallpapers we chose for each room. I love that it’s such a historical house but it has fun with many different prints. For their bathroom, we chose a graffiti wallpaper that we collaborated on with a NYC street artist. Everyone thinks someone came in and actually spray painted the room! I think the thing I love the most are both of their bookcases. They’re a mix of books I grew up with and new ones we’ve found. Growing up, books were truly my greatest treasure and I’m so excited to pass down that passion to my kids.

MINI | Let’s talk motherhood! What has surprised you most about motherhood?

NICOLE BERRIE | Everything! There is a vision you have about how life is going to look as a mother and then you become a mom and your kids smash everything. Some things in the best way, some things you have to come to terms with and pivot. I’ve become a master pivoter since becoming a mom. Whether it’s finding out your kid has severe allergies to not hitting milestones on the timeline you thought. It’s the biggest lesson in going with the flow, which is a beautiful lesson that I’ve also taken into my life and work.

MINI | What is your greatest parenting worry or fear?

NICOLE BERRIE | I try not to let worry or fear run the way I parent. You can do a deep dive into Google and drive yourself crazy (and believe me I have), but I focus on the positive and making sure your children feel safe, cared for, loved, and heard. If I let fear run the show, my kids will pick up on that.

MINI | What is most important to you in raising your kids?

NICOLE BERRIE | Making sure my kids feel love and that they’re taken care of— whether it’s through physical and verbal acts of love, setting firm guidelines, nourishing food, or joy.

MINI | What is your greatest joy of motherhood?

NICOLE BERRIE | Seeing my kids grow from tiny babies to little people with personalities of their own, which they were born with, is truly mind-blowing every day.

MINI | What have you found to be hardest aspect of motherhood thus far?

NICOLE BERRIE | Navigating the unknown. Having Jude was the biggest learning curve because we had to learn everything from scratch. From sleep training to breastfeeding to teething to traveling, the first of everything is the hardest and when you think a phase will never end and you’ll never sleep again, boom, something changes and you’re like, “If only I had known that was a phase, I may have enjoyed it more.” So I try to use that lesson with Sea.

MINI | Tell us how you decided on your children’s names.

NICOLE BERRIE | I adore the Beatles and Hey Jude was my mother’s favorite Beatles song. To me, the name conveys strength, but also kindness, which is Jude to a T. I always loved the name Sea and have been holding onto it hoping we would have a girl. The crazy part is when she was born, she had these pale blue eyes, which I would never have expected because I’m half Korean and my husband has dark brown eyes and brown hair, so her name really fit.

MINI | What helps you to juggle motherhood and career?

NICOLE BERRIE | Taking time for myself. I get very selfish with my self-care whether making sure I meditate and breathe first thing

in the morning, move and sweat almost every day, making myself a green juice, or even getting a massage after the kids are asleep. For me, these are not luxuries but what I consistently need to show up for my family. This might mean something else to another person but self-care for me is paramount.

MINI | Talk to us about Bonberi. How did the brand come to be?

NICOLE BERRIE | I worked in magazines for a long time and wondered why there wasn’t a place online that felt chic and aspirational but also approachable when it came to wellness. I launched the website with a friend and we would meet chefs, models, artists, and holistic gurus to ask them about their wellness routines, what they cooked and ate to feel grounded and strong. I slowly began to integrate my own recipes and that’s what really took off. Instagram was growing at the same time and we began to amass an audience on social media. When I relaunched the site on my own after having Jude, I focused on telling my own story through the lens of approachable and indulgent plant-based living, how to transition to a clean lifestyle, and food-combining. It was amazing to see how sharing my personal life and story really resonated with people so I stuck with that! Last September, an opportunity came to open a pop-up shop on Bleecker Street in NYC. Although I had no experience in retail, I had always envisioned having a real life component of Bonberi and I jumped in head first. We’re still growing and learning but now it’s become a multi-media brand with a shop, website, e-books and more, and I hope to keep growing.

MINI | Do you ever experience self doubt with running such a successful brand? How do you get past it?

NICOLE BERRIE | All the time. Mostly before I took the deep dive to launching my business. Fear can be paralyzing, preventing you to even try something and fail. Once I got past the initial fear of risk and the unknown, then the fear slowly dissipated. When you are the midst of doing, there is little time for doubt. You have to stick to your guns and keep going, especially when you begin to grow an audience and customer base who believe in you. For me, getting messages about how people love our recipes, dishes, and things we share and how it’s touched them and moved them to cook and be healthier is the most rewarding thing in the world. That inspires me to keep going and growing.

MINI | Has your personal style changed at all since becoming a mom?

NICOLE BERRIE | My style has always been a bit bohemian. If I could live in the 1970s, aesthetically, I would forever. I’ve definitely shied away from trends since becoming a mom. I know what works for me and I invest in pieces that will last a long time rather than one season. I also love a crossbody or belt bag for running around with the kids. I don’t know the last time I bought heels, so I love a chic flat sandal like Khaite or Manolo Blahnik. My favorite pieces are usually from Warm, Loewe, Chloe, and Dries Van Noten, so Upscale Hippie. Then I mix in vintage which is my favorite thing to shop for. “The find” is so rewarding.

MINI | Favorite places to visit in NYC with kids, GO!

NICOLE BERRIE | The Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Hudson River Park, Children’s Museom of Arts, and Teich Toy & Bookstore.

MINI | If you could give your kids one piece of advice what would it be?

NICOLE BERRIE | Listen to your intuition. It will never steer you wrong.

MINI | Walk us through a typical work day.

NICOLE BERRIE | I wake up and pump for Sea’s first morning bottle, then I get both of the kids. We do bottle and breakfast together and since Sea still has her morning nap, I take Jude to school or camp. I love our walks together where we can chat and stroll through our neighborhood. Then I’ll swing by my shop, grab coffee, and check in with the team. I usually take a late morning workout class at Tracy Anderson and head back home to shower and pump again (5x a day!), [then] back to the shop. Every day is different at work, so we’ll either be preparing for an event, a workshop, or shooting and writing content for the site and social media. Sometimes I’ll be at the farmer’s market doing research, in the kitchen recipe testing, or shop-girling it for the day— no day is the same! Around 6 PM, I’ll head home to the kids and we have family time, bath, and book time. It’s a process—about two hours long—but it’s our routine and ritual and when I get to hang with the kids. After they’re down, I’ll usually cook and my husband and I have dinner late. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to decide on what show to watch before midnight!

FAST FACTS

BEFORE KIDS, I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD Not flinch at being projectile pooped or puked on.

IF THERE WERE MORE HOURS IN THE DAY, I WOULD Write thank you notes, read, listen to a podcast.

FAVORITE KIDS MOVIE The Nutcracker and Moana.

ON MY NIGHTSTAND My Spectra breast pump.

FAVORITE LOCAL SHOP Heermance Farm and Follain.

FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT Malaparte.

TYPICAL COFFEE ORDER Iced double espresso with a splash of homemade nut milk.

FAVORITE KIDS BOOK Goodnight Moon and the Hungry Caterpillar.

CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO My guided mediations by Gabrielle Bernstein.

ALWAYS IN MY FRIDGE Juice ingredients: kale, celery, lemons, romaine, green apples, berries for Sea, and a box of arugula for my salads.

IDEAL DATE NIGHT Dinner in the West Village with rose on ice, a walk to get chocolate sorbet from Amorino hazelnut gelato for him, and going dream house “window shopping.”