Photograph by Sybilka Storie
821 Bakewell St., Covington, $429,000
Cole Imperi has spent her adult life as a student of death and dying. But when the internationally renowned thanatologist and her husband decided to move to Los Angeles, knowing it would mean leaving behind their beloved Covington home, she couldn’t help feeling like she was saying goodbye to a friend.
“I’ve had the privilege over the years of seeing a lot of people as they prepare to exit this lifetime,” Imperi says. “And houses—places where we choose to live our lives—become more and more important as time goes on.”
So with the help of photographer Sybilka Storie and prop stylist-slash real estate agent Annie Venerable, Imperi gave her home a final hurrah—a legacy photoshoot of its very own, during which Storie captured intimate moments on an average weekend as the couple observed Shabbat, played piano, and enjoyed cocktails in the kitchen.
Photograph by Sybilka Storie
“Most of us just have pictures of special occasions in our home—only parties and events and things like that. But we often don’t walk around and take pictures of just our house as it is on a [day] in November,” Imperi says. “And part of how I want to live my life is by appreciating the present and not just focusing on remembering or capturing the exceptions.”
Photograph by Sybilka Storie
Gutted in 2013 as part of Covington’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, the mid-1800s home was renovated down to the studs—so much so that Imperi says she’s living in a “new house tucked inside the bones of an old house.”
Though the amenities have been completely modernized, the couple honored the property’s historic roots by installing period-appropriate pieces, like the ceiling medallions that crown the living spaces. Most of the decor and furniture—including the stunning curved sofa in the living room—were thrifted.
“My physical personal space is really important to me,” Imperi says. “It absolutely impacts my mood and how I feel. My view on your living space, whether you own it or not, is that it’s actually another relationship.”
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