Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Aug. 12, 2014
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	NorthStar Real Estate Income Trust, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001455650
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2014
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Document Type	10-Q
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (shares)		116,714,933
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2