A local family moves into a new Plymouth home (circa 12 years ago), and immediately they know they will one day want to make some changes. Though the home has “good bones”—the potential to be great but with a generic floor plan—and serves them well, after years of “living,” it just needs a fresh approach to adapt to the family’s needs. Sound familiar?

Plymouth homeowners Cori and Greg found themselves exactly in this place two years ago; their children were approaching adulthood, and the main goal of their 2007 remodel was to “make our home more conducive and attractive to our lifestyle—with three grown children that will come and go for the next few years,” Cori says. “We wanted to remodel so that we could enjoy it and—looking down the road to a potential sale—appeal to a broader market.”

Early on, the couple knew they wanted the help of a professional (thanks in part to the insight Cori garnered studying interior design at University of Arkansas). They also knew exactly where to start: with an American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) professional. (ASID members must pass the rigorous acceptance standards acquired through an accredited design education or full-time work experience, and pass an exam as well.) Cori’s research led to Lisa Peck and LuAnne Silvia who, on the verge of launching their own design firm Lilu Interiors, tackled the home’s challenges and the family’s requests.
According to Peck, the family was like many people who utilize the work of a designer to address solutions for life’s transitions. “Babies are born; babies grow up,” she says. “Babies leave the nest … and return.” Ultimately, Peck and Silvia touched several rooms, but the living room and lower level transformations became two of the most dramatic and effective changes for the family’s lifestyle.