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The Sweet Life

This beach bungalow remodel blends a clean modern design with classic coastal cool.

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Neal Story by Lexi Holian

TUCKED BEHIND MOM’S SWEET SHOP ON THE NORTHERN END OF KILL DEVIL HILLS, is a charming getaway dubbed “Stay at Mom’s.” Similar to its retail namesake, it’s a place where vintage style meets modern design, with exposed beams, a bright living area accented by a brick fi replace, and plenty of eclectic details that make the cottage feel like a home away from home – as long as your idea of home includes a short two-block walk to the beach.

Owners Jessica and Derik Wineland, who are also proprietors of the well-known retail and sweet shop, purchased the cottage last year when their east-side neighbors unexpectedly approached them with the opportunity before listing it publicly. In coordination with Jessica’s brother, Nathan Neal of Cozy Kitchens, the couple redesigned the home – replacing vinyl siding with cedar shakes, changing traditional picket railings to ranch rails, and giving the beach box an inviting aesthetic similar to Mom’s.

“Cedar shakes are classic on the Outer Banks,” Jessica says. “And economically, they’re a great choice – they practically last forever. Our shop has cedar shakes, which were there when we bought it, and we wanted it all to tie together – but also it’s a really good design choice for a coastal area in general.”

The spacious decks came with the cottage, but the

The open living space inside the cottage dubbed “Stay at Mom’s” boasts exposed wooden ceiling beams and a brick fi replace (left page). The Winelands replaced the cottage’s original vinyl siding with cedar shakes and added a variety of fi nishing touches to their renovations, including fl oating shelves and some carefully selected décor (below).

real surprise for the new owners was the open living concept. Having never set foot in the space until last year, Jessica and Derik didn’t know what to expect from the 1970s home at fi rst.

“I was truly picturing eight-foot ceilings and cypress paneling like you often see in some of the houses here,” Jessica says. “The height of the ceilings and the original beams completely took us by surprise.”

The open space led the Winelands to remove an extra entryway, which wasn’t needed with a nearby sliding glass door, and add a fi replace in order to make the space cozier during the winter. Popcorn ceilings were scraped and smoothed, and a block of cabinets above the eat-in bar were removed to make the room more inviting.

“There were cabinets on the whole wall where the shelves are now, which initially made the space feel heavier,” says Jessica, who enjoys working on design projects. “Taking down any unneeded cabinetry and putting up fl oating shelves is one of my favorite things to do. That in itself just opened up the whole area.”

When it came to decorating the interior of the cottage with the intention of off ering it as a rental, the Winelands mixed old with new while making other consciously thrifty decisions in terms of furnishings – including surfi ng-inspired artwork and a few beachy family photos to make the house feel as welcoming as possible.

“We want to appeal to families,” Jessica says, “as well as young adult couples with friends or other family members who’d like to have a relaxing spot that feels both new and familiar – so we did a lot of the interior stuff ourselves together as a family.”

It took about four months to complete the project, and now that it’s fi nished, Jessica feels as though it fi ts right in with similar cottages on the Outer Banks.

“Some of the smaller homes are the cutest ones with the most charm,” she says. “And we’re lucky to have so many really unique places here at the beach.”