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CharityWorks GreenHouse, one of the first green designer show houses in the nation, is being built right here in McLean, VA, which is turning our local designers into trailblazers for this emerging genre. GreenSpur Inc. and West Group are the pioneering forces behind this carbon-neutral show house, which is designed to remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it emits. Washington Spaces is proud to be the media sponsor of this exciting project, which is expected to exceed the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for houses.
Energy-efficient building design, including a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar hot water system, radiant floors, a green roof, and sustainable landscaping, plus an inside-the-Beltway location close to public transportation, will all help reduce carbon emissions, the leading source of greenhouse gases. The CharityWorks GreenHouse (CWGH) is expected to use 80 percent less energy per square foot than a comparable new house.
“We will never build the same way again. This changes entirely our view of construction and design. Everything from the way this house is built and insulated to the renewable energy systems tells me those principles should be incorporated into everything we build,” says Mark Lowham, senior vice president of West Group, the largest landowner in Tysons Corner.
Under the leadership of renowned Designer Barry Dixon, chairman of the design committee, and vice chairmen Victoria Neale and Skip Sroka, 18 design firms from the region are transforming the 4,000-square-foot craftsman-style house, designed by Cunningham | Quill Architects PLLC and built by Mark Turner of GreenSpur. The interior designers are integrating ecofriendly fabrics, furnishings, paints, and wall coverings throughout this show house.
Deanna Belli and Victoria Sabo are co-directors of the CWGH, which will be open October 10-30. Proceeds will benefit Friendship Public Charter School in Washington and the McLean Project for the Arts.
Hearth and Home
Barry Dixon, Barry Dixon Inc. | 540.341.8501 | barrydixon.com
Barry Dixon’s glorious multifunctional space encompasses the kitchen and great room, which he will subtly separate with a metal mesh scrim. Highlights include a SieMatic kitchen from Konst. “SieMatic kitchens meet European green standards, which are more stringent than U.S. standards,” he says. Dixon will feature exquisite pieces from his collection for Tomlinson/Erwin Lambeth, including the Boomerang chair, which has soy-based cushions and green-certified wood for the infrastructure, meaning the wood comes from a sustainable forest within 300 miles of the factory where it’s produced. A full-size daybed in the center of the room will be great for reading and relaxing. An EcoSmart fireplace will burn cleanly with no emissions. Even the huge beams across the 22-foot ceiling are recycled. The walls will be painted in Farrow & Ball’s zero-VOC Gervase Yellow No. 72, and the ceiling will be Elephant’s Breath No. 229.
Dinner at Eight
Victoria Neale, Victoria Neale Interiors LLC | 202.244.8410 | victorianeale.com
Victoria Neale is turning the 12-by-16-foot dining room into a jewel box. She’s using an Edward Ferrell settee with eco-linen from Calvin Fabrics; a custom hemp rug from Odegard; a demilune from Lewis Mittman that features low-VOC glues; a whimsical chandelier, made from recycled scraps, by David Iatesta; and a table and chairs from Hickory Chair, “one of the greenest companies out there in terms of production,” Neale says. She is also hand-weaving ribbon into four wall panels to look like wicker caning. And outside, the dining room will have a flat roof planted with vegetation on top.
More Than Book Smarts
Gary Lovejoy, Gary Lovejoy Associates Inc. | 202.333.5200
Gary Lovejoy is creating a clean, uncluttered library, and learning along the way. “I’m surprised at how many manufacturers are environmentally aware,” says Lovejoy, who is including a Stewart Furniture sofa with soy-based cushions, and Lee Industries lounge chairs with green-certified Pollack wool. He’s also reusing elements he already had, such as drapery panels left over from a previous show house and a block of maple he’s had for a while. Through the GreenHouse process, he is going greener himself. “We’ve got to go as far as we can go in this direction in order for the planet to survive.”
Fit For An Entrepreneur
Skip Sroka, Sroka Design Inc. | 301.263.9100 | srokadesign.com
“We designed a collapsible Arts and Crafts desk so less energy would be used in transporting it,” says Skip Sroka, who is creating a home office fit for an entrepreneur. With wood from certified forests, all-wool carpeting, a sofa from Harden, which owns its own sustainable forest, and eco-friendly fabric for the draperies, Sroka is creating a handsome and environmentally-responsible space. Plus, he’s practicing what he preaches. Sroka just moved into a home this summer that is built with sustainable principles in mind, including a roof made of recycled tires.
The Retreat
Ernesto Santalla, Studio Santalla Inc. | 202.338.8220 | studiosantalla.com
Ernesto Santalla is creating a center of calm. “It’s where you come to experience life away from technology. There is no TV and no sound system,” the architect says. A day bed will be on the same wall as a soaking tub with a shower in the center. All the art is sustainable, including Paul Villinski’s butterflies made from found beer cans, and a sculptural coffee table that Leo Kempf made from corrugated cardboard. “We’re in the process of redefining what is beautiful… Natural fabrics like cotton, silk, and wool are rapidly renewable,” Santalla says.
‘Eco Easy’
Annette Hannon, Annette Hannon Interior Design Ltd. | 703. 978.1486 | annettehannon.com
When Annette Hannon and Suzanne Sanzone began this project, they felt a bit clueless. They figured that if they weren’t experts on sustainable design, then the average consumer wouldn’t be, either. So they’re trying to make the small bedroom and bathroom they are designing “eco-easy,” says Hannon. They’re using FSC-certified wood for a built-in bed, wainscoting, and bead board, and are working Swedish antiques into their design. By the time they chose to upholster the bedroom walls with Elizabeth Eakins cotton, and to use a water-efficient Kohler toilet and soft mocha tile made of recycled glass in the bathroom, they felt enlightened.
Meeting a Challenge
Michael Roberson, Michael Roberson Interior Design | 703.527.9010 | michaelroberson.com
“I enjoyed the challenge of doing a green room,” says Michael Roberson, who is designing the owners’ bedroom on the first floor that overlooks the pool. She’ll incorporate six Audubon etchings, 1849 Octavo editions, which inspired her palette that includes: Farrow & Ball Pavilion Gray No. 242 and Pale Powder No. 204; a pair of 19th-century Chinese red lacquered cabinets; a chair and slip-covered headboard from Lee Industries; and drapery fabrics by Lucy Rose Design. “A comfortable bed, a desk, a cozy reading chair, and all beautiful – what more should a bedroom be?”
A Learning Curve
Charlotte Lekakos, Willard and Palmer | 301.215.4140
“Antiques are the original green, and a desirable and necessary component of any interesting design,” says Charlotte Lekakos, who is creating a beautiful guest bedroom with half-canopy twin beds, and crowned with a century-old ceiling fan from vintagefans.com. Her ceiling will be covered in an eco-friendly Farrow & Ball paper called Polka Square. Molding will be made of bamboo. Lekakos says, “This was a challenge, turned into a discovery of a lot of unexplored sources.”
A Peaceful Escape
Sandra Meyers, Sandra Meyers Design Studio LLC | 301.929.9788 | sandrameyersdesign.com
“It’s a guest room, so when you have guests, you want them to have a sense of their own space and comfort,” says Sandra Meyers, who is designing a lovely bedroom and bath suite. She’s using: a bed by Hickory Chair, an award-winning environmental leader; a LEED-certified bench and night tables from Environmental Language; window treatments from the Schumacher Green Leaf collection and Carlton V. pure linen made with an earth-friendly dye; vintage chairs from eBay that she refinished; and Benjamin Moore zero-VOC paint, Natura Limestone No. 513.
A Taste of Adaptive Reuse
Nancy Colbert, Design Partners LLC | 703.242.0886
“I wanted it to be a comfortable, warm, adult space,” says Nancy Colbert of the tasting room she’s designing. Colbert’s using a table made from a reclaimed bourbon barrel; a Harden wine buffet; a great textured wool rug from Unique Carpets Ltd.; a Jacobsen & Balla wall covering made of 100 percent recycled paper with no VOCs; Benjamin Moore zero-VOC Natura Barbados Sand No. 1094; and a banquette covered in a recycled wool by Pollack. She’s also decorating an adjacent bathroom using reclaimed timber as a countertop and chocolate-brown ceramic tile from Architectural Ceramics.
A Cool Cellar
Lisa Weiss, The Wine Cellar Company | 703.992.wine (9463) | winecellarcompany.com
Lisa Weiss is designing a cutting-edge wine cellar in the face of a challenge to stay green and use no refrigeration. “With only one wall underground, it makes it difficult to maintain a lower temperature in the room naturally,” Weiss says. She consulted with Kim Roddis, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The George Washington University, who recommended a 6-inch threshold to keep cold air, which is heavier, from flowing out of the room when the door is open. And to avoid using an energy-dependent fan for absorbing excess moisture, Weiss will strategically place sachets filled with desiccants made of recyclable clay. Copper on one wall will bring the coolness of the earth into the cellar, which will include shelves made of both copper and recycled wine-barrel wood.
Green With Envy
Susan Gulick, Susan Gulick Interiors | 703.674.0332 | susangulickinteriors.com
Susan Gulick’s media room will include: lighting with light-emitting diodes (LED); a Samsung LED TV from Advantage Media Technologies that uses 40 percent less power than LCD TVs; a Lee Industries sectional with soy cushions upholstered in an organic cotton and bamboo blend; a rug made from discarded yarn dye lots; and a cork floor. The room, which will include custom millwork, is 95-percent eco-friendly, Gulick says. “The room features both a low-carbon footprint and a high level of luxury … making everyone green with envy,” says Interior Designer Seth van den Bergh, who’s collaborating with Gulick on this room.
Guilt-free Golf
Lynni Megginson, L&M Designs 301.987.9135 | lmdesigns.net
“Imagine stepping up to the tee in your own basement and having your choice of the premier golf courses of the world at your fingertips,” says Lynni Megginson, who is designing a virtual golf room using a High Definition Golf simulator. This system allows players to “play” the 18 holes of a PGA course without feeling guilty about all the fertilizers, pesticides, and water used to maintain those greens. Megginson will accent the room with furnishings made of reclaimed wood by Bauer, including lockers typically available only to PGA champions. And she’ll use Benjamin Moore Natura Bottle of Bordeaux No. 1357 on the walls.
Just Add Water
Cynthia Sayers, Creative Design Solutions | 703.370.1947
Cynthia Sayers uses eco-friendly elements throughout the owners’ bath. The Kohler Teilleur tub is made of recycled cast iron and fills with a stream of water from the ceiling to save floor space. Pick Up Sticks by Architectural Ceramics, the multicolored tiles she uses in the shower, are made of scraps from other stone projects. The field tile for the floor and walls is LEED-certified. The Benjamin Moore paint is zero-VOC and the towels are made of bamboo and cotton. The 3form countertop for the vanity by Waterfall Bathroom Furniture is made from recycled laundry detergent and milk packaging.
A New Purpose
Miriam Dillon and Rebecca Foley, Custom Design Concepts Architecture + Interiors | 703.749.9040 | cdcarch.com
Miriam Dillon and Rebecca Foley are designing the family vestibule area, which includes the connection from the garage to the house, the mudroom, powder room, and laundry room. They’re integrating re-purposed designs, such as the Wine Barrel Stick chandelier from Bobo Intriguing Objects that’s made of reclaimed French oak wine-barrel staves, and a side table whose top is a recycled iron grate. The latter, from Salvations Architectural Furnishings, has a new zero-VOC finish. “All of our fabrics and furniture hold certificates of being eco-friendly,” Foley says.
Worldly and Eclectic
Raji Radhakrishnan, Raji RM & Associates | 202.330.3866 | rajirm.com
Raji Radhakrishnan, who simply goes by Raji, is creating an eclectic mix for the front porch, foyer, hallways, and stairs. Inspired by world travel, she’s designing 5-foot paneling, a classic Arts and Crafts detail, in the foyer. She’s also specifying recycled steel balustrades. The floors are made of reclaimed wood. Among vintage pieces, she’ll include an umbrella stand by Jacques Adnet. Raji works a horse graphic onto the top and bottom risers of the runner to bring good luck. She is also planning a console made from a late-18th-century French balcony.
‘Take Me As I Am’
Dee Thornton, Houseworks Interiors | 703.519.1900 | houseworksinteriors.com
Dee Thornton was walking through Dumbarton Oaks when she was inspired by a Latin phrase that means, “Take me as I am,” which is how she’s approaching decorating the loggia. For this simple space with great garden views, she’ll use a potter’s bench as a bar, Perennials fabric that is recycled and recyclable, two lovely mirrors with driftwood frames, and a vintage coffee table with a new non-toxic finish by Salvations Architectural Furnishings. Thornton particularly likes a lantern from McLean Lighting Works, an eco-conscious company in North Carolina.
Poolside Harmony
Barbara Hawthorn, Barbara Hawthorn Interiors Ltd. | 703.241.5588 | barbarahawthorninteriors.com
Barbara Hawthorn’s exciting terrace and outdoor living space beckon with dining areas, a garden for meditating, and a saltwater pool built by Crystal Pools and landscaped by T&J Lawn Service. A 1600s-era architectural piece from East & Beyond in McLean will anchor the meditation area. Sustainable furniture from Century and Art Woodstone Studio LLC, eco-friendly fabrics from Perennials and Sunbrella, LED lighting, and stone and glass fire elements from Working Wonders will enhance the experience. Oceana sea glass dinnerware, made of recycled glass, will be delightful for alfresco dining.
For tickets to tour the CharityWorks GreenHouse, go to charityworksgreenhouse.com or call 703.286.0801.
Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Visitors must be 8 or older. Free parking and shuttle area at 1320 Old Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA.
