The Mullins Miracle
Stanford, Kentucky
The Mullins Miracle is a deeply personal project that brought together community, compassion, and design in service of dignity and independence. When Cindy Mullins — a nurse at Liz’s father’s family practice — experienced a life-altering medical event that resulted in the loss of her limbs, LBD Studio initially stepped in to help make her existing home more accessible. Soon after, a community-led effort emerged to build an entirely new home for Cindy and her family, and LBD Studio volunteered to lead the full interior design scope for the ten-day build.
The objective was to create a home that restored independence, comfort, and dignity — a space that supported full accessibility and future adaptability, while feeling unmistakably like a warm, welcoming home rather than a clinical or institutional environment.
The design focused on seamless accessibility, with particular attention given to the kitchen and primary bathroom — spaces critical to Cindy’s daily independence. Thoughtful planning and custom solutions support essential routines such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, and personal care, allowing these moments to feel natural and effortless. Throughout the home, accessibility features were intentionally integrated to remain visually quiet, preserving a peaceful, residential aesthetic that encourages family time, connection, and ease when entertaining.
This project brought unexpected clarity to Liz’s professional journey — one that, in hindsight, was divinely guided. Having worked across the country in a wide range of design sectors — from luxury hospitality and high-end residential to commercial and healthcare environments — her career often felt intentionally broad, yet difficult to define within a single lane. Healthcare design, in particular, was never part of the original plan, but became an invaluable chapter along the way.
After years of movement, Liz and her family returned to central Kentucky. It wasn’t until the Mullins Miracle that every chapter of that story fully aligned. The convergence of global hospitality experience, residential warmth, and healthcare-based technical knowledge made it possible to design a fully integrated, ADA-accessible home that balanced independence with dignity — without sacrificing beauty or comfort.
While many past projects have received national recognition, publications, and accolades, this home stands apart. Not for its visibility, but for its impact. The Mullins Miracle represents the most meaningful work of Liz’s career — a moment where skill, service, empathy, and purpose came together in a way that finally made everything make sense.
