Designing a Home That Feels Like You: A Conversation with Trisity Spjut
When a homeowner wants a room that feels personal but cannot put that feeling into words, the design process begins with a different kind of question. Trisity Spjut, owner and principal of Trisity Spjut Design, recently reflected on the conversations that shape her residential work, including the West Point Project, a home she describes as balancing personal expression, refined details, and everyday livability.
Starting with Feeling, Not Furniture
Asked what she asks first when a client cannot define what “feels like them” means, Spjut said “my initial question would be to ask, ‘From the moment you enter the space, how do you want to feel? What do you want it to say?’” She added that she listens closely to the client’s choice of words: “I listen to their choice of words to gather clues so I can help them discover their voice and vision for the space.”
That approach shifts the early conversation away from style labels and toward emotional intent. For readers beginning a residential interior design project, the takeaway is practical: describe the feeling you want a room to evoke before you start collecting inspiration images.
The Question Clients Do Not Expect
In first conversations, Spjut asks how detailed clients want to be in the space. “Design has layers, and those layers can get extremely detailed,” she said. “So discovering how custom and unique they want the space, helps guide the level of detail we need to be aware of right away.”
She noted that the answers vary widely. “Some clients don’t care about certain design elements, while others are very specific about unique features that they really care about and want to ensure we capture.” The question, she said, “gets the client thinking and discover what’s most important to them.”
For anyone preparing for a luxury design engagement, this is a useful prompt. Understanding your own appetite for custom millwork and architectural detail can help a designer scope the work accurately from the start.
The Decision Worth Delaying
Spjut’s answer to what she would stop a client from deciding too early was clear: major furniture. “Wait before selecting a major furniture piece until the overall design starts coming together,” she said. “The foundation of the design helps drive the selection of furniture and decor selected. It adds to the layers of design with intention rather than forcing something to work that may or may not pair well.”
That advice runs counter to how many homeowners shop, often buying a sofa or statement chair before finishes and layout are resolved. Spjut’s point is that the room’s architecture and material palette should inform those purchases, not the other way around. Resources on space planning can help readers understand why sequence matters.
A Cohesive, Personal Result
Spjut’s description of the West Point Project echoes the themes in her interview answers. She describes a residence where each space was approached with intention, reflecting the homeowners’ individual tastes while maintaining a cohesive design language throughout. The project, she writes, embodies “a sense of understated luxury without sacrificing warmth or comfort.”
For readers, the through-line is a process built on questions rather than assumptions: clarify the feeling, define the level of detail, and let the design foundation guide the finishing decisions. More of Spjut’s work can be found at Trisity Spjut Design.