Sustainable and stylish: The CharityWorks' GreenHouse
By: Merlisa Lawrence Corbett
Special to The Examiner
October 15, 2009
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With a goal of making green gorgeous, a dream team of 19 area interior designers achieved sustainability with style in the non-profit CharityWorks' GreenHouse -- the first carbon neutral designer show house on the East Coast.
Built just off a thriving business district on Chain Bridge Road, the arts and craft exterior of the house blends nicely with others in the McLean neighborhood
Replete with every energy efficient technology available -including a geo-thermal heating and cooling system, rain capture, solar hot water panels, fluorescent and LED lighting - the allure of this home lies in the design.
"We want people to fall in love with the interior and then realize its green," said internationally acclaimed designer Barry Dixon, chair of the Design Committee. "It's like tasting diet food, loving it and later finding out 'you mean this has no carbs and zero calories? I can eat this everyday.'"
Although nearly 4,000 square-feet, the interior feels cozy. Spaces are elegant without "greenwashing," a term used to describe products promoted as environmentally friendly when in fact they fail to meet strict environmental standards.
"Part of reducing the carbon footprint is maximizing space," said Annette Hannon, who designed the 115-square foot bedroom. Hannon began with a built-in bed alcove, complete with drawers and bookcases and Forest Stewardship Council-certified sustainable birch around the one window in the bedroom. She draped the alcove with natural vegetable-dyed cotton fabric and used milk paint over paint to create a crackled effect on the pastel green walls.
Dixon designed the kitchen and great room. A combined cooking, dinning, entertaining and study area filed with natural light, the great room has luxurious yellow and cream upholstered pieces from Dixon's own line. A soaring custom riveted metal fireplace provides the focal point. A large metal mesh screen fronted with a custom high-backed banquette separates the kitchen from the great room, giving privacy while maintaining an airy feel.
The kitchen, modest for a home this size, provides amble storage with large drawers. The counter material, also used in guest bathrooms, is Eco by Cosentino, sleek heat-resistant tops molded from recycled glass and rubble.
A resort-style spa retreat, parked behind the garage, goes for the wow factor. Designed by Ernesto M. Santalla, of Studio Santalla, Inc., it features a thick, towering cedar framed shower with a re-circulating waterfall. A comfy day bed flanks a deep soaking tub encased in cedar.
Just outside the spa is a luxurious space with views of the garden, saline swimming pool and terrace. Elegant enough for a formal living room, this veranda was designed to create a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor living. Designer Dee Thornton, of House Works Interiors in Alexandria, Va., combined traditional outdoor furnishings, non-treated teak chairs, with bold upholstery made of naturally weather resistant fabric. A rug, made from easily replenished abaca, was woven by hand and finished without the use of dyes or chemicals.
Tucked away between the kitchen and study is a quaint dinning room, gracefully engaging with a simple distressed white round table, two bamboo chairs and a settee. The room was inspired by the nearby garden, said designer Victoria Neale, who chose sunny lemon and lime hues and a softer sage green made from hemp.
Each designer found creative ways to introduce re-purposed materials into their designs. In the master bathroom, a mosaic on the shower wall called "pick up sticks" was created from scraps that fall to the floor from other stone jobs. Cynthia Sayers, owner of Creative Design Solutions, worked at the Environmental Protection Agency for 20 years and is thrilled with the solid surface counter-top made from recycled laundry detergent and milk packaging. "I think it's important for people to see that when they haul those recyclables out to the street every week, what they are being used for," said Sayers.
