I'm going to take you on a trip to one of my favorite places in the world. We are going to my friend Brooke's house on the west coast of Michigan. Have you ever had a friend that just totally GETS you? Where hanging out with them is zero work or effort, and no matter how much time has passed since you last talked to or saw that friend, it's like no time at all? That's how it is with Brooke. Brooke is one of my longest (both time-wise and literally, as she's about 6' tall) and best friends. We met almost 20 years ago, during my freshman year of college, and we lived together for several years from that point on. Even though I would say that right now are my happiest and most content years, those were definitely my most FUN years.
Over the years, Brooke became a dedicated and wonderful mother to 2 girls, Violet and Ava. She was basically the poster mom for attachment parenting, cloth diapers and all. She chose to be home with her daughters as much as possible instead of joining the rat race that is our modern society. Brooke and her daughters always had just what they needed and nothing more, and that was perfectly fine. Now in their teen and pre-teen years, they are pretty much the nicest and most self-assured kids I know, and are just really GOOD human beings.
Brooke is also a talented massage therapist who can tell you what essential oils will help you with this or that ailment, and she can whip up the most delicious vegan pancakes with agave syrup if you're hungry. Brooke intentionally lives the kind of slow-paced, small-town lifestyle that you dream about on Pinterest, and whenever I visit her, it feels like home.
So, now that you know a little bit about Brooke, let's talk about her house. Her home is an old country house chock-full of projects for her to tackle. She has been renovating this home bit-by-bit all by herself for a few years, and every time I go there, she's in the middle of another project. When you go there, you can see that it's a work in progress, and it's never "styled" or staged, but it is always amazing. And not in a "wow, look at how shiny, new, and expensive everything is!" kind of way, but in a way that's even better. It's authentic and built with her hands.
Let's go to Brooke's house so you can see how her personality and lifestyle has translated into a very peaceful, bohemian, and happy home, in both feeling and décor. Then we'll look at some of the perks of living where she lives!
Welcome to Brooke's home! This is the most welcoming sight because I know I'm about to have a great time. These are the steps up to her enclosed porch. She is currently in the middle of a complete porch renovation, done by herself, because she is amazing like that. Here, she has removed all the windows and is in the process of reglazing and repainting them, which is why they are all lying inside her porch area instead of being up in the window holes.
This is her new mailbox and light, installed by Brooke, which is the first part of her porch makeover (I'm seeing a post of the finished makeover in my future). I'm loving the industrial and rustic farmhouse vibe.
Right when you walk in, happy colors, organization, plants, and a peace sign. Yay! That door that you can see peeking out on the right is her bedroom, which I'm not including in this little tour.
This is the view you see when you first walk into Brooke's home. You're in the living room, which opens up to the dining room, with a totally inviting view of her piano. To the left is a sunny built in bookshelf.
And, I had to include a closeup of the Lana Del Rey record peeking out from under her record player. Of course we share a love of Lana!
To the right of the view of the dining room is my favorite corner of the living room, complete with my favorite gal. The wall hanging was a gift from myself and my hubby from our trip to India. The silver lantern is from the Meditation Center in Traverse City, MI. The vintage brass pharmacy lamp is from her family. The plants are from Mother Nature.
Closeup of a cool vintage corner table by the front windows of the living room.
This is the view when you walk into her dining room from the living room. Brooke is super talented in a lot of ways. One is her piano playing skills. I love that this is the focal point of her dining room. The stairs lead up to her daughters' rooms, which I will do a tour of in a future post. To the left are the kitchen and bathroom, and to the right is her dining table.
To the right of the piano is a small, but very cute, dining table. She is killin' it with all the plants. LOVE.
This is seriously just SUCH a peaceful place in the morning. Look at that awesome morning light. And, as far as her furniture, "shabby chic" isn't usually my style, but here, I love it because it's so authentic and completely fits the age of the home, the surrounding town, and Brooke's personality.
To the left of the piano, and right outside the kitchen entrance is a space for art and photos. The "Eat Well, Travel Often" print was a gift from her daughters for Mother's Day. This describes Brooke's goals very well. She has been a vegetarian most of her life and is committed to eating wholesome and ethically produced food. And, in the past few years, she has been enjoying some travel abroad....and enjoying some yummy food while there.
Still in the dining room, there is a great little storage moment outside the kitchen. When I was visiting last time, I had some congestion, so Brooke goes into her little magic box here and pulls out some Thieves oil. A few drops and I'm feeling fine.
This is the view of the kitchen when you are in the dining room. She completely redid the kitchen herself. New (to her) cabinets, new wood counter tops, new flooring, and open shelving. It's a a very peaceful and light-filled room.
I love the brick in the kitchen!
This is the little corner of Brooke's kitchen to the right of the sink, with a tea and coffee station.
When it's time for outdoors, instead of offering up a chemical-laden bug spray, she offers you a cocktail of insect-repelling essential oils.
The backyard is wide open and my kids love the trampoline. Why is my son wearing swim goggles on the trampoline? :)
I can't finish up the house tour without taking you to the lake. This is a MUST during my summer visits to Brooke's home. She lives about 10 minutes from the beaches of Lake Michigan. And that is 10 minutes of no-traffic country roads. So, even the drive is amazing and relaxing. Brooke and her girls spend a LOT of time at the beach and get to watch amazing sunsets all summer.
Walking back from climbing the sand dunes.....
And this is Ava, Brooke's younger daughter, leading us out of the dunes. The perfect end to our beach trip. I said to Brooke, "Where can I hose all the sand off the kids?" She said it didn't matter, she was used to having sand from the beach all over her house.
Now THAT is why I love Brooke.
I hope you enjoyed the tour, and that I was able to convey to you just how peaceful her slow-living home and lifestlyle are and why this is one of my favorite places to go.
Until next time.....