A 10-acre Michigan property grows into an expansive dream home with plenty of garden space and outdoor rooms to enjoy.
Creating a home you love sometimes means growing into the space you have. That was the case for the Blain family when they bought a 10-acre property outside Grand Rapids, Michigan. “We couldn’t pass up the opportunity on the pricing,” says homeowner Holly Blain, blogger and Instagrammer at Rustic Wild Arrow. They embarked on a new build in 2015 and have been creating their own dream spaces on the property ever since.
The pergola was one of the couple’s first outdoor projects, which inspired them to rent out the garden for photoshoots. “The bed swing is out there year-round,” Holly says. “Jamie made it out of a full-sized headboard and footboard. And my daughter’s crib mattress fit perfectly. When we’re not using it, we store it in the she shed.”The property has myriad outbuildings and photo spots. “During the holidays, I call it my Hallmark town,” Holly laughs. The couple rents the area out for photoshoots—a fruitful side gig. “I always book up for fall and Christmas by July,” she says.The newest addition to the property is the outdoor flower garden with a “flower shop” store front. It’s an ideal place for taking pictures, and many of the photographers who rent the garden for photoshoots make a stop here. “A lot of [the flowers] are from seeds,” she says. “The main ones are zinnias, and for us, zinnias last forever. Some of them are still going in October.”
Whirlwind Build
Once they had the property, it took a few years to save up for the build and decide what they wanted. “My husband Jamie and I bought the property in 2012,” Holly says. “We started the build in 2015, then moved in 2016.” At the time, they lived close by, but not on the property itself. “We sold our old house to a family friend and lived with my parents for the four months during the build,” Holly says. “Now we live a mile away from them.”
In the main living room, the statement architectural piece is the fireplace. “We ordered stone from a quarry that was local,” Holly says. “I wanted an older look and actual stone.” To the right of the fireplace is a nook that was an unexpected décor opportunity. “The bike is from a friend’s store,” Holly says. “It’s an odd space, but it fits perfectly.”
The build itself was new territory for the couple. “Looking back, I had no idea what I was doing,” Holly says. “I was just going off what people were recommending we do.” The house is 1,700 square feet, and they decided to leave certain areas to finish later, including the walk-out basement. “At the time, I wanted [everything] very simple,” Holly says. As she has grown into her design style, the simplicity of the home still works for her. “My style and base are neutral, so that allows me to do simple updates,” she says.
Growing into Design at the Expansive Dream House
One of the threads Holly has consistently woven into her design is a love of vintage. “I wanted to be able to bring in older features to give our home as much character as possible,” she says. This included using old doors instead of new ones during the build and using stone from a local quarry in the fireplace.
The kitchen is an open, airy space that connects to the dining area and family room in an open floor plan. “Two years in, I wanted to open up the kitchen,” Holly says. “One of the upper cabinets wasn’t used much, so we took the cabinet down and added the shiplap.” Spring décor makes the space cheerful, with faux flowers, live houseplants and spring-inspired prints.Jamie and Holly’s home is built on a hill, with a lower level they left unfinished until they’d been in the house seven years. “When you come up to the driveway, [the house] looks like a one-story,” Holly says. “But the side of the house extends. It’s a whole level and doesn’t look like a basement.” The couple finished their walk-out in stages, adding walls in 2020 and then flooring and furnishings in 2023. The addition created 1,400 square feet to the home.This cozy little nook came about almost by accident. “We had the support beams that went down the middle of our home—four or five of them,” Holly says. “I wanted them hidden and not exposed, so we bumped out a wall that created a nook.” Holly turned it into a cozy little space for her daughter, Natalie. The door leading to the little room is an old one Holly added to the space. Another indoor area that Holly uses for creative purposes is her she shed. With no heating or air conditioning, it has become a styling spot more than a functional room. “I’ll go in there every so often, but I mostly create stuff in there,” Holly says. “My daughter will sometimes go in there and play.”
Since finishing the build, Holly has added more elements like wainscoting, most recently, when they finished the walk-out basement. “When we built the house, we just left it because we were trying to save money,” she says. Now, with added flooring, finished ceilings and furniture, the walk-out creates an additional 1,400 square feet of living space and another bedroom and bathroom. “It’s a nice space to watch movies,” Holly says. The laundry room, which the family has used since they moved into the house, is also part of the walk-out basement.
Perfect Property
Aside from the main house, the family has expanded the buildings and living spaces on their property. Their outbuildings now include a she shed, a greenhouse and a pole barn. They also have several garden spaces, including a vegetable garden, a cut flower garden and a “flower shop” storefront for taking pictures.
Another indoor area that Holly uses for creative purposes is her she shed. With no heating or air conditioning, it has become a styling spot more than a functional room. “I’ll go in there every so often, but I mostly create stuff in there,” Holly says. “My daughter will sometimes go in there and play.”The downstairs walk-out basement has a large open living area outside the bedroom and bathroom. Holly added a vintage-inspired hutch from a local décor shop, alongside several still life art pieces. “I love collecting unique pieces of art, even if I’m not using them right during that season,” Holly says. “Especially for spring—I keep a hidden stockpile because I never know when I might need them.”This cute desk area in the walk-out basement is a smaller usuable space inside the larger living area. “A lot of my art is a mixture of vintage and estate-sale finds,” Holly says. Here, the two horse art prints are from a local décor shop, while the black-and-white sign is from an estate sale.
Holly and Jamie have a unique reason to add more charm to their outdoor spaces: They rent their property out to photographers who want great backdrops for photo sessions. During the pandemic, Holly and Jamie decided to build a little outdoor pergola for their own use. “We were going to have a firepit there, and I posted a photo of a table in that structure,” Holly says. “A local photographer reached out, and she wanted to come out and rent the space for an engagement session. I set up different little areas, and it blossomed from that on social media.” The property now has several different photo areas the photographers can use. “The garden allows me to be creative—a design that’s not necessarily interior,” Holly says.
The dining area next to the kitchen is the perfect spot for a small round table and spring décor. “We used to have a rectangular table that took up a lot of the room,” Holly says. “There are only three of us, so we don’t need a big dining table. The round fit a little better.” The charming sea bird botanical prints came from a home décor shop that was closing, so Holly scored a deal.
Although she claims she didn’t know what she was doing when they built the house, Holly has grown in her vintage-inspired design and creative outdoor ideas. And the result is a property that exudes beautiful farmhouse style, both for her family and visitors, all year long.
In the guest bedroom, Holly and Jamie added full wall paneling and wainscoting for textural interest. The room includes a vintage hutch Holly found on Facebook Marketplace. “The seller’s dad had made it for his wife in the ’60s,” she says. “It’s been resealed and redone, but I love the glass cabinets.”In the primary bedroom, Holly and Jamie added high wainscoting to give the room a custom feel. “My husband does the DIY stuff,” Holly says. “He’s very good at doing all the little things around the house.” The room has symmetry, with two windows on either side of the bed. “I didn’t design it with symmetry in mind,” Holly says. “The builder went in and added the two windows. And it just so happens that a king-sized bed fits in the middle.”Holly uses her custom-built greenhouse for styling and other creative endeavors. “I don’t use it as an actual greenhouse,” she says. “I love flowers and spring, and I love to get creative here.” One of her permanent installments is a hanging branch with hundreds of dried flowers. “I purchased the flowers from a friend who has a flower farm,” Holly says. “Some were already dried, and some I dried myself.”
Victoria is a brand advisor, marketing strategist, writer and editor. She was the editorial director of American Farmhouse Style for almost 10 years, and now enjoys writing occasional articles for the magazine and receiving the beautiful copies in the mail.
Victoria is also a wife and mom to three little ones: two on earth and one in heaven. With any (not so spare) time, she devours books, dabbles in fiction writing and works on her house. As a home décor enthusiast and DIYer herself, she knows what a little paint and patience can do for a room!
