Kristin Try Interiors Sentimental Project: Designing with Love, Legacy, and Intention

Some projects ask more of you than design decisions alone. They ask for listening, restraint, and reverence—for what was, and for what must gently evolve.

From the very beginning, this home was shaped by a shared understanding between client and team. Working alongside Convene Architecture, Lakewood Home Builders, and Kristin Try Interiors, we approached the project not simply as a renovation, but as the continuation of a deeply personal family story—one rooted in memory, loss, and legacy.

Photographer: Stacy Zarin Goldberg | Stylists: Layered Co.

The homeowner later reflected on that first conversation with me:

“I remember our first phone call and explaining my hopes for the project and immediately Kristin understood and seemed genuinely excited about the sentimentality of it. She really listened to my hopes, paid attention to my preferences, appreciated what was really important, and shared ideas that made the house so perfectly reflect what I hoped.”

That shared foundation of trust became essential as the project unfolded during a profoundly meaningful time in her life. She and her mother had been planning the renovation after her father passed away, excited about giving the home new life. Just before construction began, her mother died suddenly.

“It felt like moving forward, although quite emotional and at times overwhelming, was what she would’ve wanted,” she shared. “I’m so happy she had been a part of the planning and that we had made some of the selections so she knew what the house would become. I think it was so important for me to complete the project in a way I know my mom would’ve loved.”

Photographer: Stacy Zarin Goldberg | Stylists: Layered Co.

Today, living once again in her childhood home, she describes the feeling with quiet clarity:

“On a daily basis I feel like my home is soulful. I love coming home at the end of the day and walking into the beautiful entry. I feel like the spaces move so easily from one to another and although they are new in many ways, they still feel reflective of the family my parents raised here.”

Our intention throughout was to honor the spirit of the home and the parents who built their lives within it, while allowing the spaces to evolve naturally for the next chapter.

That balance—between preservation and renewal—guided every decision.

Photographer: Stacy Zarin Goldberg | Stylists: Layered Co.

“I love that there are aspects of my childhood home in every space so it feels very much like the spirit of the home has remained while now it also reflects my personality a bit more,” she explains. “I am so fortunate that we could use many of my parents’ antiques, their artwork, and the objects that held special meaning and sentimental value. I know my parents would absolutely love what our home has become.”

Certain rooms hold that presence especially strongly. One of the most personal moments in the home is the butler’s pantry, where her father’s legacy quite literally surrounds you.

Photographer: Stacy Zarin Goldberg | Stylists: Layered Co.

“We had my dad’s artwork—doodles he did over years—turned into wallpaper for the space,” she says. “It makes me smile every day thinking about his legacy and then seeing my mom’s crystal on the shelves in that space alongside my own is very meaningful.”

The kitchen, too, carries deep emotional weight as the heart of the home.

“Our tiny kitchen growing up was the heart of our home and my mom was always cooking and baking and feeding any number of friends and family who knew we had an open door policy,” she reflects. “She would adore being in the kitchen now!”

From the outset, she knew this project required intention.

“I’m such a sentimental person so I knew at the start of this project there would be a lot of intentionality around selections and materials that both honored my parents and their memory while also reflecting who I am,” she shares. “I wanted it to feel like an homage to our family rather than feeling like a shrine to my parents—and I think we really accomplished that.”

That intention is felt most when loved ones visit—particularly those who knew her parents well.

Photographer: Stacy Zarin Goldberg | Stylists: Layered Co.

“So many of my mom’s friends have come to see the house and every one of them has teared up and shared how much they know my mom would’ve loved everything,” she says. “I’m glad they can still feel her presence—she and my dad built this beautiful legacy and I wanted that to be felt.”

Looking back, the home now represents stewardship as much as design.

“I feel so fortunate to be able to remain in my childhood home and to be the current custodian of a space that I hope my nieces and nephews will cherish in the future,” she reflects.

For me, this project is a reminder of why I do this work. Homes like this are not just seen—they are felt. And when designed with care, they can hold memory while making room for new life and future stories.