Little Changes Went a Long Way in Making This Rental More Sustainable
ABOUT THIS TOUR
HOME TYPE: House
LOCATION: Golden Hill, San Diego, California
STYLE: Coastal, Cottage, Vintage
BEDROOMS: 2
SQUARE FEET: 725
Emily Busam, who works in the green building industry with a “current focus on building products that are safe and healthy for humans and the environment,” shares this house in San Diego’s Golden Hill neighborhood with her partner, Evan, an engineer in the renewable energy industry. And although they rent this two-bedroom house, they’ve still managed to use their combined expertise to make lots of little changes for a healthier home.
“For example, we bought an induction cooktop panel for everyday use as an alternative to our gas stove,” Busam begins. “When we needed a new door for our kitchen, I sourced a gorgeous secondhand Dutch door instead of buying new. I love opening the top half of the door to circulate fresh air into our kitchen — especially when we do use our gas stove.”
“We’re slowly making our backyard — which was previously a patch of dirt — into a drought-tolerant and native plant garden, and my partner built a vegetable box, so we cook with vegetables and herbs from our garden year-round. We’ve peppered other sustainable and health-minded practices into our space, like buying air purifiers, opting for secondhand and nontoxic home decor and furniture, and installing a clothes line instead of using a dryer. Luckily, we have a really wonderful landlord who lets us make this space reflective of who we are!”
Apartment Therapy Survey
Describe your home’s style in five words or fewer: Sustainable, biophilic, health-inspired, comfortable.
Tell us a little about your home and the people who live there: Our home is a charming, sunny, well-loved casita located in San Diego’s Golden Hill neighborhood. In addition to our professional identities, we both value community, and we’ve designed our home to nurture the community we’ve built here. Although our space is compact, we frequently pack our neighbors and friends — along with our sweet 70-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback dog — into our space, aided in part by our kitchen table that expands with a leaf, and our spacious sectional couch. We also try to support the local community by decorating our walls with art from local artists.
We both have a strong environmental ethic, which is reflected in our sustainable purchasing decisions. We also value community and connection, and we’ve tried to create a comfortable, unpretentious space where you won’t feel badly if you drop a crumb! I’m also a big DIYer, and you can see my many DIY projects throughout our home.
What is your favorite room and why? I love our entire home, but lately it’s been our living room. It’s an east-facing room, so the morning sun pours into the space. I love starting my day with my dog on the couch and sipping my tea while the sun rises.
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The last thing we bought was a piece of art for our gallery wall, commissioned by Instagram artist @stitchingrainart. We wanted a piece that commemorated our six-month road trip cross-country, and Raina did an amazing job. We love it not only for the artistic interpretation of our trip, but also because it supports a local, female artist.
What’s your best decorating, shopping, cleaning, or organizing advice? Consider the environmental and health impacts of the things you fill your home with. If you’re tight on space, get a table with a leaf. Before you begin designing, think about how you want to feel in the space.
Resources
KITCHEN AND DINING
Dutch door — Facebook Marketplace
Duxtop portable induction cooktop — Amazon
Console table — Facebook Marketplace
“Life is Shor” art — Gifted
Paw print — DIY with my dog
Elton John art — Framed record album from my dad’s collection
Chairs — Chairish
Table with leaf — Facebook Marketplace
Rectangular rugs — Mom’s basement
Vintage lamp — Mom’s basement
Framed botanical print — Facebook Marketplace
Dutch door — Facebook Marketplace
LIVING ROOM
Couch and ottoman — Macy’s
Throw pillows — Assortment of Facebook Marketplace and Chairish
Blue and green throw blanket — CB2
Woven wall art — Tejido Intuitivo
Roman shades — DIY
Rug — Etsy, Loom Lore Gallery
Pedestal — West Elm
Lamp — Facebook Marketplace
Red/yellow/pink art — “Fun Day,” Facebook Marketplace, artist artbyprslla
Tower art — Print of “The Red Tower”
Abstract face painting — Etsy artist Monniewilsonsstudio
Vintage horse brasses — Antique store
Top right gallery wall piece — Instagram artist @stitchingrainart
Far left gallery wall piece — Print from Facebook Marketplace
Mirror — My grandmother’s
Gallery wall frames — Assortment of Michael’s, Facebook Marketplace, and Arttoframes.com
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Mattress — Naturepedic (given what I know working in the material health industry, it was important to us to buy a GOTs-certified mattress)
Tapestry — Facebook Marketplace
Curtains — Facebook Marketplace
Trunk — Vintage store
Rug — Facebook Marketplace
Chair — Antique Warehouse
Lamp — Facebook Marketplace
Air purifier — Levoit
Planter — Local Nursery
Bedding — Matouk Burnett flat sheet
GUEST BEDROOM
Standing desk — Craigslist (we intentionally bought the standing desk for better ergonomics when working)
Rug — Etsy shop, Loom Lore Gallery
Pink cart — Amazon
Owl art — Artist unknown
Floral woman art — “Maudie,” artist Mia Cross
Mountain and sea art — Artist unknown
Basket — Home Goods
Air purifier — AlenCorp
Thanks, Emily and Evan!!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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