We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brittany Vink a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry
I believe that the popularity for rentals in more rural outdoor environments will continue to thrive going forward. Having an escape in a remote area is experience driven. It is a change that most guests are seeking out from their day to day activities. The Old Mountain house is in the perfect location for this! Situated in beautiful Leelanau Peninsula, our modern retreat covers you in a canopy of trees while giving you a simplistic indoor living space. The surrounding landscape offers all the amenities of crystal clear beaches, scalable dune climbs, quaint fish towns, wineries and farm to table dining. Most of our guests have been families wanting to slow down and make special memories while exploring.
Brittany, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Brittany, Co-Owner and Designer at Rove & Stay. We are a design and hospitality company that curates unique luxury spaces to provide our guests with a relaxing retreat. My partner, Alec, and I fell in love with the beauty of the Leelanau Peninsula almost a decade ago and visited every year that followed. After years of dreaming to create a homestead were we could visit and share, the stars aligned with Alec and my sister in laws wanting to take the plunge as well. We purchased the Old Mountain house in 2021 and began a whole house renovation led by Alec and myself. My professional background is filled with years of art and design. I have a degree in fashion design which led to a career in retail design, styling, display installation and construction and eventually home renovation. You could say I’m a jack of all trades and never stop creating and learning. Alec and I have renovated homes the past, but I have to say this project is our most proud yet! The rich black exterior and bright white interior is designed to make our guests feel light, airy and relaxed, like retreating to an oasis in the trees. Simple and modern finishes are the core concept of the furniture and finishes while mixing in thoughtfully sourced vintage pieces. Most of the lighting, furniture and artwork are custom and handmade by us. The photography is from friends and family to showcase the beauty of the surrounding area and nature. We’ve been so lucky to have the most wonderful guests and are very thankful for the support. Being able to provide a beautiful space for lifelong memories has been so fulfilling.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The most challenging part of the Old Mountain design and renovation was being 6 hrs away. The project timeline was very short in order to open on time for the season. We had 4 months total to renovate the entire house and furnish it. As I stated earlier, we did most of the renovation besides painting and flooring. Aside from those two finishes we did it all. For those 4 months we drove up every other weekend with our 2 kids who were 15 months and 2.5 years old and our dog. There was a lot of demo and nonstop hard work mixed in with some of the most unforgettable family memories. We really tried to balance the stress while taking the time to make special family moments. The Leelanau Peninsula is beautiful all times of the year. We feel very fortunate to discover the winter beauty is has to offer during the renovation process.
How’d you meet your business partner?
Rove & Stay is a family business between myself, my partner Alec, and my sister in-laws Shonda and Julie. We all had the same passion to own a retreat in a location surrounded by nature and beauty. This is the first family business that any of us have worked on together and I believe putting family first has always helped us succeed during those tough times. I think that emphasis on family also reminds us to have fun and really love and appreciate what we’ve built. We all have very separate strengths that we really own and that come naturally which also makes the business run more smoothly. I honestly couldn’t imagine collaborating with anyone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://oldmountainhouse.staydirectly.com/listing?a=608748133887675791
- Instagram: @roveandstay
- Other: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/608748133887675791?adults=1&children=0&enable_m3_private_room=true&infants=0&pets=0&check_in=2023-10-22&check_out=2023-10-27&source_impression_id=p3_1696879111_kQ%2B%2Ftzfb7Q6weWlZ&previous_page_section_name=1000&federated_search_id=7039bd2f-4279-4812-8617-f9d1e0f2f368
Image Credits
Erin Attwood