Amy Pariser and Christine Babini always dreamed of transforming an old motor lodge into a boutique hotel—just one of the reasons they teamed up to launch Parini, their Detroit-based hospitality design studio. But when the duo received an offer to take on that exact project, it seemed too good to be true. “I thought it was definitely spam,” says Amy. “I thought someone overheard us talking on one of our phones or laptops and we were getting targeted.”

But the email was legitimate. Branding experts Jeremy Wells and Dustin Myers had purchased a 1950s roadside motel near the Lake of the Ozarks and they wanted Amy and Christine to reimagine it for the modern vacationer. Formerly known as Fall Creek Inn & Suites, the 102-guest room property in Branson, Missouri, would be renamed The Ozarker Lodge—and it was the project the women had been waiting for.

Over the course of a year, Amy and Christine turned the porte-cochère into an inviting double-height lobby and completely rehabbed the guest rooms that had been rundown from decades of smokers and pets. Then they refreshed the motel with an earthy color palette and a nostalgic aesthetic—all with materials sourced as locally as possible, ensuring that The Ozarker Lodge is a true celebration of the Midwest.

Here are 10 ideas to steal from the new design.

Photography by Diana Paulson.

1. Keep what’s original.

2. Tile the bar.