Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Vink.
Brittany, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My Husband Alec and I started coming up to the Leelanau peninsula area when we first started dating 8 years ago. We stumbled on this quaint tucked away Airbnb cottage in Cedar and had one of our best trips ever taking in all of the nature and small fish towns surrounding the area. Every year after, we made it our priority to come back to our happy place that made us feel the most relaxed, creative, and alive. Flash forward to 2021 we brought our two girls, 6 months and 2 years old at the time, for the first time and stayed at a little cottage in Suttons Bay. That trip, while driving around, we decided to finally take the plunge and get a place of our own. Fate was on our side, and along with our other two sisters, we found the perfect chalet back in Cedar. This house was just waiting for a new start and had so much potential. With my background in design and our love for renovation, this house was the perfect fit! We have taken on a lot of projects in the past, including flipping our first home in Cleveland Ohio. We brought our skills and our kids to the house in the winter of 2021 and renovated everything ourselves including tiling, plumbing, and layout to building our own furniture, fixtures, and lighting. We wanted this house to make you feel light, relaxed, and that special kind of way you only get when you unplug and are present. When we’re not enjoying our little oasis in the trees, we love sharing it with our guests who are seeking the same experience from this beautiful area. We’ve been so lucky and have had the most amazing guests who respect our house and take such good care of it. All the hard work and risk was worth it to be able to share this gem while having a beautiful place to call home when our family is in our happy place in Northern Michigan.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road was a hard one indeed, but completely worth it in the end. The renovation was the most stressful and for a lot of reasons. We live in Cleveland Ohio about 6 hrs. away and handled almost all of the renovations ourselves. We also had a very short timeline of 4 months so that we could open by Spring for the season. We were lucky enough that our kids were young and not in school at that time, so that gave us more flexibility to commute back and forth. Needless to say, it was a balancing act. We spent half of the month for the next 4 months renovating during the winter and having our kids with us along the way. While we were home, we were working on all the custom finishes like the dining room table, headboards, nightstands, dressers, and lighting fixtures. Everything in that house was designed with thoughtful intentions, and we hope our guests feel that every time they walk in the door. We finished the renovation and everything involved with starting a new business just in time. We couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out and have so many life-changing memories from the process. We’re really looking forward to years to come and hope to continue creating new memories for all of our guests as well.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an interior designer as well as an overall maker of all things home related. I am constantly creating and challenging myself on projects which is why we custom-created so many fixtures for our house here in Michigan. My background in retail design and fashion has helped expand my skills to where I am at now. Working with my hands and creating beautiful spaces is my passion and the Old Mountain house has been the most exciting project yet! We can’t wait for what the future holds for our next design adventure!
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The Covid crisis gave a lot of us the opportunity to slow down, reconnect and appreciate experiences and relationships differently. Taking the time to make memories and take on adventures is the most important part of life. I believe surrounding yourself with positivity and keeping connected to nature will always remind me of that.
Contact Info:
- Website: oldmountainhouse.staydirectly.com
- Instagram: @roveandstay
- Other: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/608748133887675791?adults=1&children=0&infants=0&pets=0&check_in=2023-03-12&check_out=2023-03-17&federated_search_id=c872bafc-386e-495c-b152-9abbbce1bacf&source_impression_id=p3_1678324815_MizVz78IS5H3J16b
Image Credits
Dune Life Photography
