Couple creates unique cabin on Big Mountain

Will and Amanda Edson put great attention into the details when constructing their vacation rental cabin on Big Mountain.

The exterior of the log cabin is painted black with white trim in a Scandinavian-style so as to stand in contrast to other nearby cabins. Inside, they’ve painted the Montana hand-carved logs white and maximized the number of windows to bring an open feeling to the 700-square-foot cabin.

The cabin is a new edition to the village at Whitefish Mountain Resort. It’s the first in a number of luxury ski-in, ski-out cabins, the couple plans to construct adjacent to Chair 3 under the name Whitefish Mountain Cabins.

“We wanted to create a unique experience,” Amanda says.

Construction broke ground on the first cabin last fall, and they are hoping to continue construction on the next cabins this spring. They are planning for four cabins total similar to the already-finished cabin, and the next phase calls for three or four that will be high in the air as tree house style cabins.

“They have a view looking out,” Will said. “You can ski in and ski out, you can walk to the restaurants. It’s an easy five-minute walk to everything.”

The cabin sleeps up to six people with a master bedroom and two twin beds in the loft. It includes a fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer, and two bathrooms. Outside there is a private hot tub, grill and fire pit.

After it was finished, the couple along with their two children spent a weekend in the cabin. The experience allowed them to personally discover the benefits of the kids being able to hop right onto the slope and the ability to walk the short distance for dinner in a restaurant.

The Edsons relocated to Whitefish from Florida, and spent years traveling as a family. The experience gave them a vision for how the cabin should look — they chose a rustic design with softer touches.

“We wanted to create a happy place — it’s like a gingerbread house,” Amanda said.

Up in the loft, there’s a pair of twin beds and a bathroom featuring a claw foot bath tub. The living room is cozy with comfy couch and fireplace, and comes stocked with boardgames. The kitchen is fully furnished with items like a slow cooker, because, Amanda notes, who wants to be in the kitchen all day making dinner?

Amanda said a bathtub was a must. As a mother, she knows how important it is to have a tub for bath time.

They’ve drawn in their southern roots to the design too, selecting the copper porch lights on either side of the front door that mimic the gas lanterns of the south.

“In our traveling we’ve honed in on what people do and don’t want,” Will said. “The small things add up.”

For the couple, that means being the hosts their guests can rely on. Will likes answering guests questions while their planning their trips. Amanda enjoys readying the cabin like by adding a bottle of sparkling wine for a couple on their honeymoon.

Will has taken on a number of entrepreneurial projects. Amanda has been interested in design since she was a small child creating a house out of a cardboard box and decorating it with fabric, rocks and moss.

The couple has also rebuilt and redesigned a set of vintage Airstream travel trailers they hope to rent out for glamping. They’re still in the process of finding a location for the trailers from the 1960s and 1970s. Recreating those trailers was half the fun — installing chandeliers and wall paper — looking for the small touches much the way they did in the cabin on Big Mountain.

“It’s amazing what you can do with small spaces,” Amanda said.

For more information, visit www.whitefishmountaincabins.com.