A Shared Philosophy of Mindful Living
- Lindsay Nichols
- Nov 4
- 5 min read
How Public Goods and Blue Mont Stays find common ground in design, community, and intentional acts of care.
When Hurricane Helene swept through the Swannanoa Valley in September 2024, Black Mountain was left with more than fallen trees and washed-out roads. For days, the town sat in the quiet of uncertainty — no power, limited access to supplies, no cell phone service — as neighbors checked in on one another by flashlight.
In the midst of that darkness, a shipment arrived: plain, understated cardboard boxes filled with soap, shampoo, and household essentials from Public Goods, a New York–based company that had never set foot in our valley but chose to help anyway. Those first supplies reached Black Mountain before many others. It was a small, but generous act entirely in character for a company built on quiet usefulness and intentional care.
For us, it was also affirming. We already stocked Public Goods products in our homes, and their response to the storm reminded us why. Their essentials are thoughtful, sustainable, and grounded in integrity — the same qualities we hope guests feel when they open the door to one of our stays.
At first glance, Public Goods and Blue Mont Stays might seem worlds apart. One crafts daily essentials, the other curates mountain homes. Yet both are built on the same idea: good design and simplicity are forms of care.
This piece isn’t an announcement of our informal partnership so much as a reflection on kinship: how two different pursuits share a deeper philosophy.
What follows is a look at where our missions meet: intentional design over excess, beauty with purpose, mindful care, and the belief that the smallest gestures can quietly change how a place — and a person — feels.
Intentionality Over Excess
Public Goods has long believed in fewer, better things, a simple philosophy that values quality and purpose over accumulation. When something is made to last, designed to function beautifully, and created with care, there’s little need for the excess that often defines modern life.
That same principle guides every Blue Mont home. We choose high-quality materials and furnishings over unnecessary extras, ensuring each piece has a function. From the weight of the linens to the shape of a chair or the glow of a light fixture, every detail is curated to create ease and comfort.
The result is a space that feels intentional rather than styled, a gentle pause from the rush of everyday life. In our homes, less truly does feel like more.
The Quiet Work of Design
Design, at its best, is sensed before it’s seen. Public Goods’ packaging reflects that principle. Matte white bottles, familiar silhouettes, black type spaced with intention. There’s a calm precision to it: balanced and free of ornament.
That same sensibility defines every Blue Mont interior. In a Blue Mont Stays bathroom, brushed brass meets marble and wood; textures and tones find their rhythm. Step in after a day on the mountain trails and you’ll see those same Public Goods bottles lined neatly beside the sink. The scent is soft eucalyptus and lavender — fresh without overpowering. They’re details few mention, yet almost everyone feels.
And that’s the point. For both Public Goods and Blue Mont Stays, design is subtle. When everything in a space has been considered, you don’t have to think about it at all. You simply arrive, exhale, and feel at home.
Mindful Care Extended to People and Planet
Public Goods’ decision to help Black Mountain after the hurricane wasn’t a marketing move. It was instinct. Sustainability and compassion are built into everything they do, from sourcing to packaging to how they show up for communities in need.
When their shipments arrived, filled with soap and shampoo, it was both relief and recognition. Someone, somewhere, had thought of this small mountain town and sent exactly what was needed before anything else showed up.
That same instinct guides how we care for guests and neighbors. Our homes are stocked with locally roasted coffee, linens chosen for longevity, and Public Goods products that are gentle on the land we love.
For both of us, sustainability is an act of care. Public Goods leads with carbon-neutral shipping, plastic-free packaging, and cruelty-free, non-toxic ingredients. Blue Mont mirrors that commitment through eco-friendly amenities, local partnerships, and hospitality rooted in belonging for guests, community, and the mountain itself. Because every small choice — what we wash with, what we welcome in, what we give back — shapes how a place feels.
Building Community Through Values
Public Goods builds connection on a global scale through mindful consumption, tree-planting, and food-donation programs that turn simple purchases into quiet acts of impact. Blue Mont Stays carries that same spirit close to home.
Here in Black Mountain, community isn’t an afterthought; it’s the reason we exist. Each stay helps us support local artists, fund accessibility initiatives, and create meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities.
It allows us to partner with spaces like White Horse Black Mountain, where music, storytelling, and care for one another come together under one roof, and to sponsor events like the Black Mountain Blues Festival, which celebrates the creative pulse of our town.
We also proudly support Bounty & Soul, a local nonprofit working at the intersection of food, farms, and health. Their mission to ensure everyone has access to fresh, nourishing food, and the dignity that comes with it, reflects the values that shape our own hospitality.
Our recent donation of a weekend at Blue Mont Manor helped raise funds for their community programs, including advocacy for the Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP), which connects food access with whole-person health across Western North Carolina.
We also make space, in our work and our hearts, for neurodivergent individuals, understanding that true inclusion requires patience, empathy, and the willingness to see people as they are.
For us, hospitality has always meant more than hosting. Every booking directly supports our neighbors and allows us to keep giving back. We like to say, “We’re more than a stay. We’re a platform for good.”
A Better Way to Belong
Where Public Goods creates “better things for your home”, Blue Mont Stays curates homes that embody better moments. Public Goods builds honesty and beauty into everyday essentials; we build it into the spaces where people come to rest.
Both businesses began with the same conviction: simplicity and intention aren’t the opposite of comfort. They’re its foundation. What connects us isn’t aesthetics, but a shared belief that thoughtfulness, in any form, changes how people feel and experience the world.
Our choice to stock our stays with Public Goods came from this shared purpose: the alignment of two teams who care deeply about hospitality that restores. Together, we’re redefining what it means for travel to feel intentional, meaningful, and real.
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