After 12 months of hanging out at home, Nate Berkus has found a few ways to get creative, beautify his house (more than once!), and stay sane during the pandemic.

One of his essential practices, he tells PEOPLE, is creating a relaxation nook, or an area where the sole purpose is to put his feet up and have a moment to himself at the end of the day.

"Break off one of those [living room] chairs and push it into the window with a floor lamp and a great ottoman and a little side table," says the interior designer, who has spent the year hunkered down at home with his husband and HGTV co-star, designer Jeremiah Brent, and their children Poppy, 5, and Oskar, 2. "For me, it's all about crafting an area in your home, once you've put away all the electronics, that is just cozy, comfortable, and highly textured."

But it's not all about the physical space, it's also what you do in it.

"We need relaxation rituals. We need to honor the habits and the things we've put in place to make us function and tell our bodies what time of day it is and what we're meant to be doing," says Berkus, who recently partnered with Driftwell, an enhanced-water beverage meant to aid in relaxation.

"When the kids are finally asleep, I sit in that one vintage chair, I throw my feet up on that stool, I have a Driftwell, which is a functional beverage that has L-theanine in it, which has a calming effect. These rituals for me have made me feel normal throughout the pandemic, and I'm hanging on to them with everything."

WATCH THIS: Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent Give a Tour of the Mini Home in Their Montauk Backyard

The Brent-Berkus family has been splitting time between their home in New York City and a beach house in Montauk, NY. The latter received a mid-lockdown makeover from the creative spouses after they picked up a bunch of new antiques during the filming of HGTV's Rock the Block in Georgia.

The backyard also saw a new addition when they decided to tackle the tiny house trend, building some stylish guest quarters with IKEA hacks and purchases made entirely online during the quarantine.

Nate and Jeremiah are currently starring in season 2 of Rock the Block, airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.

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