Photo by @jstrocole
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Kristi Hemric has taken home decorating to the next level, with her townhouse stoop becoming a viral sensation.
The festive decorations adorning the entrance to 241 East 78th Street (between First and Second avenues) can be enjoyed throughout the year—from traditional pumpkins and holiday decor to Valentine’s Day hearts and pink bows. She’s even created a lemon-themed stoop for her kids’ lemonade stand.
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Currently, the stoop is covered with sunflowers, blue tennis balls and dog statues for a partnership with Muddy Paws Rescue (which just brought some of its rescue pups to the house for a Memorial Day photoshoot).
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The Dallas-born content creator, travel photographer and mom of four moved to NYC “about a decade ago.” She and her family bought the Upper East Side townhouse in 2022.
“I love the neighborhood and really feel at home here,” She shared.
Each magical display is documented on her TikTok and Instagram accounts. While her @stoopandthecity TikTok account highlighting each setup was created in 2024, Hemric has been posting travel and lifestyle content on @khemric since 2017, having initially created the account back in 2012.
She started the stoop tradition almost two years ago. “It’s actually kind of a funny story,” she shared. “One Saturday morning the building next door put up scaffolding in front of our house since they were doing brick work, and I hated the way it looked!” She continued, “I decided to decorate it with flowers to bring the beauty back to my house.” She said the neighborhood responded well. “People walked by and told me how that brought a smile to their face.”
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The decorations and displays only grew from there, with Hemric continuing to create even larger and more elaborate designs. Recently, the stoop was covered in LEGO bricks and botanical pieces, a partnership between her social media accounts and the toy company. In one recent video, she flips the camera to show the view from inside of her townhouse, with many neighbors and passerby admiring her creation.
Photo by @jstrocole
This was just one of the many viral moments she’s shared, which have ranged from graduation pictures to even a recent proposal. She encourages visitors to stop by, take pictures and enjoy the spaces she creates.
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Thank you Kristi; LOVE IT, even way out here in Seattle. Next time I’m in town I’ll swing by in person. Not far from the park, which is my ‘go to’ place when in the city.
Looks great. The best part is you are enjoying doing it and all that pass your home are enjoying yourself creatively. 👏🏻
That’s rough that a “Dallas-born content creator, travel photographer and mom” gets reduced to “mom” in the headline. I would be so annoyed if I was this woman. If you are this woman, this is so beautiful! I love to walk around that area and would have loved to see this. I’m sorry that the media thinks it’s more important that you have kids than that you have a job and creative vision.