Lynni Megginson's 'green links' for D.C.'s CharityWorks GreenHouse

The CharityWorks GreenHouse, a designer showcase featuring best practices in sustainable construction and design, this week announced the designers, chosen from more than 70 entries, who will be participating in the first-time project, set to debut in October in McLean, Va. Design committee members Barry Dixon, Victoria Neale, Skip Sroka and Mark Lowham evaluated each design on originality and the inspired use of eco-friendly fabrics, paints, wall coverings, furnishings and accessories. One of those accepted, a virtual golf room, was submitted by Lynni Megginson, principal designer at L & M Designs and one of Home Accents Today’s columnists. Lynni (photo, right) will be assisted in the endeavor by audio-visual-computer guru Rick Baron of S.W.A.T. (Gaithersburg, Md.), a propitious pairing that Lynni wrote about in our pages a couple of years ago (see: New Best Friends, Dec. 2007). Come to think of it, she also wrote about participating in decorator showhouses that year. (see: To showhouse or not to showhouse, June 2007)

That said, I’ll turn over the blogrophone to Lynni as she describes the ultimate green house accessory to me via her Blackberry:

“I call it a ’staycation!’ We’ll be installing a 150K HD simulator that enables you to tee off at any major course in the world from the comfort of your home. Our design vibe, however, will be more ‘retro’ as opposed to ‘traditional pro shop.’ This is the golf room that Dean Martin would have had in his house! I am so excited about this project, and plan to share the hundreds of hours we will be dedicating to it in a blog that will launch later this week. I will be sure to send you the link! Gotta run to a conference call! Xoxo”

Joining Lynni on the CharityWorks GreenHouse design team are interior designers: Nancy Colbert, Design Partners, LLC; Miriam Dillon & Rebecca Foley, Custom Design Concepts; Susan Gulick, Susan Guick Interiors; Annette Hannon, Annette Hannon Interior Design, Ltd.; Barbara Hawthorn, Barbara Hawthorn Interiors, Ltd.; Charlotte Palmer Lekakos, Willard and Palmer; Gary Lovejoy, Gary Lovejoy Associates, Inc.; Sandra Meyers, Sandra Meyers Design Studio, LLC; Raj Radhakrishnan, Raji RM & Associates; Michael Roberson, Michael Roberson Interior Design; Ernesto Santalla, Studio Santalla; Cynthia Sayers, Creative Design Solutions; and Dee Thornton, Houseworks Interiors.

Now, on to the press release: The CharityWorks GreenHouse will open to the public for three weeks in October of 2009. The GreenHouse will provide a platform for aesthetic and educational experiences. West*Group’s Mark Lowham initiated the project in conjunction with builder Mark Turner of GreenSpur, Inc. From the outset the goal was to showcase how innovative design and construction, renewable energy systems, and a walkable location can be combined to reduce significantly our carbon footprint. The house is designed to exceed current USGBC’s LEED Platinum standards, the highest ranking for green building.

CharityWorks makes connections between dreams and reality, transforming non-profit organizations and the lives they touch. This year, proceeds from the GreenHouse will help Friendship Public Charter School expand its program which currently helps over 4,000 students in DC, many of whom live in poverty. Thanks to a gifted array of designers and project sponsors including West*Group, Interstate Worldwide, CSC, Enterprise Solutions Group and The Washington Design Center, dreams for many of these children will become reality.