Little Changes Went a Long Way in Making This Rental More Sustainable

Adrienne Breaux
·8 min read
1
yellow kitchen with black and white checkered floor and wood furniture
Yellow dining room with round table and wood/rattan chairs, patterned window shade, and vase with bougainvillea
dining room with round table, window with patterned shade, and bougainvillea in vase
Coffee area in pale yellow kitchen with storage hooks on wall
kitchen area with storage hooks and door with window
White living room with large blue sectional sofa with dog
gallery wall and mirror in white living room
yellow bedroom with pale linens, textile art, and plants
open wood gate and grass, bougainvillea plant
Succulents and cactus in pots along gray fence outdoors
chard growing in raised planter outdoors
succulents and cactus plants in colorful pots outdoors
floor plan of san diego residence

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.

White living room with large blue sectional sofa with dog

“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.”

Succulents and cactus in pots along gray fence outdoors

“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!”

open wood gate and grass, bougainvillea plant

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.

Yellow dining room with round table and wood/rattan chairs, patterned window shade, and vase with bougainvillea

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.

gallery wall and mirror with patterned shag carpet

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

yellow kitchen with black and white checkered floor and wood furniture

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

gallery wall and mirror in white living room

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

yellow bedroom with pale linens, textile art, and plants

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

white futon with blue throw pillows and rug in white room

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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