February 12, 2014

What was a tragedy in 2011, ended up as an uplifting story two years later when a family whose home was ruined in a fire was given a second chance with a new eco-friendly bungalow. The new home, on the west side of Los Angeles in Beverlywood, was designed to be fire resistant and comes without high energy costs and toxic pollutants. 

A family friend – New York-based designer Robin Wilson and owner of Robin Wilson Home – asked her colleagues in the eco-friendly design and building industry to donate products and design services to the project, and the Sustainable Furnishings Council was a charitable partner. Wilson and her team designed a multi-generational home with wider doorways and a first-floor living space for an older relative also living in the house. Everything in the home is WaterSense rated, and all sinks are undermounted. There is a pot filler over the stove in the kitchen, and the bathroom toilets feature dual-flush technology. The showers have a pre-programmable thermostat to help conserve water, and a floating vanity in the guest suite was included for the grandmother, who is in a wheelchair. The children share a Hollywood-style bath connected to their bedrooms that is equipped with an LED light in the mirror by Robern that serves as a nightlight. 

Other donations and discounts include:

• Kohler provided all the faucets, tubs, sinks and toilets, which are WaterSense certified and ensure that less water is used.
• Cosentino provided Silestone natural quartz surfaces that fight bacteria, mold and mildew growth for the kitchen and the bathroom.
• Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams provided environmentally friendly furniture made in America. 
• First Alert donated smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and security cameras.
• Verengo Solar installed a solar power system on the family’s new home. 

                             

More than $750,000 in labor, services and products were donated to the project, with the goal of teaching others that eco-friendly design can be affordable and available to all families.