Page 142 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2025

From Family Treasure to
BUYER’S DREAM
HOME
Interior Designer
Pete Sheff
228.301.6335 sheffcollective.com
BEFORE
When Lisa Easterling got ready to sell her home at 725 Old Savannah Drive
in Long Beach, she knew the house that was built in 2001 needed some updating. Her philosophy about a home is a quote from Ellie Rodriguez, “The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there.” And she wanted to convey that feeling about the home she inherited from her mother, Kathyrn Easterling and her older sister, Renee’.
“I was still working as a Board Certified Chaplain in Albuquerque, New Mexico,” Easterling says. “After my retirement in August 2023, I moved back to Long Beach and into the house in November. I lived there for about six weeks before I was hospitalized and it was determined it would not be safe for me to live alone. This began the long
story by Lynn Lofton process of getting it ready to sell.
“The most recent part of the process has been the transformation Pete Sheff and his team wrought. It was truly magical.”
The house is presented by realtor Vivian Champaigne. “This is a very unusual seller who wants the home to be perfect for the new homebuyer. Her love of the history of the home and the vision of the future buyer is important to her,” she says of Easterling. “This home is the full package: great location, great school district, great small town feel in a neighborhood that has a pride of ownership.”
Interior Designer Pete Sheff says it’s exciting to work on a before-and-after project. “That is most of my work and it gives me such happiness to bring new
life to a tired and forgotten space.” He describes the house as
contemporary/traditional and says the biggest change is the primary bathroom. “We were able to bring back the feel of a real en suite to the primary area. It did involve removing a walk in bathtub and installing a free standing bathtub,” he says. “We removed old tile flooring and installed one flooring throughout for consistency. It makes the space feel larger and less broken up.”
Sheff loves a natural pallet for a home that is going on the market. “It has to be appealing to everyone so light colors are always best. Get your pops of color with smaller accents,” he says. “In a home that is being designed for a client who is staying in the home, the sky’s the limit; I love monochromatic and color
AFTER
142 | October 2025
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