10 Ways Nate and Jeremiah Incorporate Personal Keepsakes into Their Designs

Designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent approach every remodel on The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project with heart. Redesigning for function while maintaining (and even elevating) the most meaningful parts of a home is their jam. So, we rounded up their best ideas for honoring sentimental keepsakes through design. Of course, we recommend you try this at home.

A vintage grand piano stuns in this home's remodeled, airy living room thanks to Nate and Jeremiah. “It was [my mother's] 16th birthday present, and she ended up going to The Juilliard School," the homeowner explained. "Hopefully, it will go from one generation to the next.” In fact, Nate and Jeremiah discovered that the piano was sold into the family in 1945. Now it's valued at more than $100,000. Steinway keeps perfect records,” shared Jeremiah during the reveal.

The owners of a historic fixer-upper had big dreams of honoring their home’s Victorian architecture but struggled with a poor floor plan and limited space. Nate and Jeremiah turned the cramped bathroom into a luxurious spa-like retreat with a glamorous drop mirror over the vanity and hand-glazed shower tiles. Most importantly, they incorporated the existing clawfoot tub as a focal point in the room.

This family was thrilled to inherit side tables and a midcentury chest of drawers from their home's previous owners, but the baby blue paint coating both pieces of furniture was a point of contention. To make the pieces work in the home's new design, Nate and Jeremiah had the furniture stripped and stained to reveal its natural wood grain. Now the family fully enjoys them in their remodeled, midcentury-inspired bedroom.

The trip of a lifetime left this homeowner with a prized jade souvenir, but during an appraisal he learned the stone was fake. Unconcerned with monetary value, however, the family fell even more in love with the sentimental piece of jade. Rather than store the ornate sculpture in a closed cabinet, Nate and Jeremiah created a focal spot for it on a hallway table. Now, it brings beauty and happiness to the family every day.

Nate and Jeremiah were excited to learn this homeowner attended art school and had a collection of paintings from a semester spent in Italy. Not only did the designers frame some of her most-cherished pieces, but they also infused art into the new kitchen and dining room. Watercolor-inspired wallpaper flows throughout the remodeled space to honor her artistic past and inspire an art-filled future.

A colorful painting of the New York City skyline brightens up this neutral dining room by Nate and Jeremiah. A close friend of the homeowner commissioned the art in remembrance of a special vacation the family took after a cancer diagnosis. As well, the diagnosis put a halt to previous renovation plans — so Nate and Jeremiah knew it needed a prominent spot to live in the newly remodeled home.

This homeowner stored his prized stamp collection in envelopes and tucked them away into a box, completely out of sight. When Nate and Jeremiah discovered it, they set out to honor and preserve it in a special way. Now, organized on archival paper in a bound book, the collection decorates a table in the main living area and can be enjoyed and admired every day.

Nate and Jeremiah saw the potential in this old cabinet. They moved it from the dining room to the sunroom, then lined the back of it with ornate paper. The piece now displays a collection of decorative woven baskets, vases and glassware — functional, sustainable and aesthetic.

Broken-in leather furnishings are a staple in many homes. Nate and Jeremiah knew these homeowners loved and appreciated “dad’s favorite chair,” so they made sure to incorporate it into the updated living room. Freshly cleaned, the soft leather cozies up the new space (in more ways than one).