When Maggie York met her now husband Adam in 2006, he was renovating his family’s century-old Illinois farmhouse. She ended up falling for both of them. “I’ve always had a passion for older homes, and the fact that Adam was fixing up the place himself was so impressive,” she says. She soon joined him, honing her design skills as they updated the 2,400-square-foot structure. “The house had good bones, but it needed a lot,” says Adam, who lived there as a teen. They worked with a contractor to open up the floor plan while keeping original features like oak flooring and beadboard ceilings. “When you live in a home that’s been special to so many people, preserving the history matters,” says Maggie.

Now, 16 years later, the Yorks have four kids and thriving careers (Adam started a sustainable farming business on the property; Maggie officially became an interior decorator) — and the house is as glorious as ever. "Maggie has truly transformed this house — it did not look like this when I was a kid!" says Adam.

The exterior looks refreshed yet classic with a timeless blue-and-white palette, which Maggie carried throughout the interior as well. The siding is painted Pure White by Sherwin-Williams with powder blue on the shutters and door (Blue Porcelain by Benjamin Moore). “The coolest thing is to watch my kids run around just like I did,” says Adam, “and to know this place will always be theirs.”

Serena & Lily wallpaper livens up the steep old staircase. Maggie worried a carpet runner would be a tripping hazard for the kids (and goldendoodle Woody), so she painted one on with Maison Blanche by Sherwin-Williams.

When the Yorks first renovated this space in 2009, they went with off-white cabinets; Maggie recently painted them Pure White by Sherwin-Williams. Polished nickel accents, including pendant lights from Visual Comfort and drawer pulls from The Home Depot, are timeless and fitting for a farmhouse. Maggie salvaged the mantel from the living room fireplace and had it outfitted with hooks from Target to hold shopping bags. She displays her ginger jar collection on top. The family has a greenhouse, so fresh veggies are always on the menu.