Breaking up with a city you love is hard to do. It certainly was for one Chicago-based couple with deep roots in the Windy City: After the birth of their third son, the city started to feel constraining, and so began the somewhat bittersweet search for a beautiful old house in the suburbs, one with a big yard and lots of character in a community that could nurture their boys and erase any heartache over leaving their cherished Lincoln Park neighborhood.

They found the community they were seeking in tree-lined Winnetka, Illinois, 16 miles from downtown Chicago. But the house? That proved more elusive. At first, a 1910s Georgian seemed like the answer, especially for the wife, an art historian who had worked at Chicago art museums and loved period details. The required renovations, however, were less enticing. Instead, they closed on a custom-build from 1992, with a prime location— just a few blocks from the shore of Lake Michigan—and large indoor play spaces that would sustain the boys through long winters. The new homeowners were ecstatic. Until it came time to decorate.

The wife felt blocked, unsure how to bring charm and warmth into a home that simultaneously felt too new and strangely dated. In stepped Atlanta-based decorator Lauren Lowe of Lauren Elaine Interiors. “Like me, the owner is a lover of antiques and architectural detail, but the house was kind of a mishmash of styles, and not necessarily specific to the history of homes in the area,” says Lowe. Rather than renovate—the family wanted to get settled as quickly as possible, in time for the eldest son to start elementary school—Lowe opted for an additive approach, reusing as many existing elements as she could. In went picture frame paneling that brought depth and detail to a very ‘90s two-story foyer (“We discussed wallpapering the entire space, but that just felt like a Band-Aid on a larger problem,” says Lowe), custom bookshelves with fluted pilasters in the dining room, and ceiling-mounted window treatments for a house bewilderingly designed to have none.

“The overall goal was livable elegance, keeping in mind that young boys lived here,” says Lowe. She carefully calibrated the living room to balance thoughtful decor with the needs of a young family, and intentionally made the dining room more intimate in scale: “Everything in the house felt large and vast, so I wanted one space that was more tucked away and cozy,” she says of the library-like space. Painted in a muted tea-leaf green (actually Farrow & Ball’s deceptively named Blue Grey), it easily dresses up for company, or down for casual family meals. The kitchen and breakfast area also got a shot of glamour from Calacatta marble countertops and matching backsplashes with oversized pendant lights above, while the lattice-backed chairs were thoughtfully picked for function: They’re lightweight enough for the boys to easily push them in and out, and upholstered in wipeable vinyl-coated fabric.

Upstairs, the boys each got their own personality-to-the-max bedroom full of color and pattern (not to mention books and toys) that match their interests (toy soldiers, Legos), while the parents’ suite was kept elegantly quiet. “We mindfully planned for a serene, grown-up space that provides breathing room from the rest of the house,” says Lowe. That’s not to say it’s a boy-free zone: “We added a cozy, soft seating area, bearing in mind that all three kiddos would frequent the space—and most likely use the furniture as a launching pad,” says Lowe.

While the breakup with Chicago wasn’t easy, what could have been heartbreak has turned into happiness. With the house decorated and all three boys happily settled in new schools and cozy new beds, they’re already filling the house with a different kind of history.