Sustainable Transformations for a Cozy Home: Little Bear Lodge
Sustainable Transformations for a Cozy Home: Little Bear Lodge
In April, we purchased a late 60s cabin in Lake Arrowhead, California USA, and we have been very thoughtfully renovating it to make it both incredibly cute and sustainable. Read on to hear about the sustainability practices we have chosen. Old ideas about sustainability present these options as cold or unwelcoming, but that is simply untrue! Sustainable can be very warm and cozy. Let us show you how with some sustainability solutions.
Follow our renovation journey at @little_bear_lodge on instagram!!
My husband, Chad, right when we first purchased Little Bear Lodge!
For THREE YEARS, we searched for our perfect mountain home and we finally found it. Lots of renovations are underway and I could not be more happy with them thus far! Have I mentioned that I love a project?!? It’s so wonderful to be able to put time and care to put into this space and make it my absolute dream vacation home: relaxing, sustainable, great for the kids, and awesome for hosting! Ah! I’ve always wanted a cozy house with a fireplace in the mountains, and now I have it!
This is our inspo!
With the help Robin Baab Olascoaga of Olazko Interiors, we have been working away at this place!! Robin has been beyond helpful in choosing all the finishes, design, and decor. And, we’ve been choosing sustainable options and materials wherever possible.
Check out one of our first transformations!! The kitchen! I love everything about it. Follow @little_bear_lodge on instagram for more updates!
BEFORE
AFTER
Sustainable choices so far:
These awesome pure organic cotton towels are thin and dry faster, which saves you electricity! They come in a variety of colors sure to work in any space.
2) Public Goods
We use Public Goods for all cleaning supplies (such as bathroom cleaners, surface cleaners, hand sanitizers, soaps, etc.) and pantry staples (such as pastas, flours, oils, etc.) - in both homes! They also have a ton of biodegradable products such as sponges, pads, and trash bags. Public Goods’ mission is to make all of their products as sustainable as possible in terms of production, ingredients, and packaging.
3) LED Lights
LED lightbulbs are significantly more efficient than incandescent lightbulbs; they use less energy and last longer! All of the lights we use are smart home bulbs that connect to Google Home and Alexa. With these, when you leave the house, you can ask google if you’ve left any lights on and turn them off to conserve energy!
The Nest Thermostat by Google saves energy by adjusting itself to avoid heating or cooling an empty home. You can also control it from your personal devices! P.S. The weather in Lake Arrowhead, CA is gorgeous right now: ranging between high 50s to low 70s all throughout October - perfect for a mountain town!
5) Keeping the Original Design of the House
We’re only making updates that are necessary! Instead of building from the ground up, we picked a house that we were already really jazzed about. We’re keeping the integrity of the original design of the house; the renovations we are doing are very thoughtful - only updating paint colors and flooring to last for many decades to come!