Barry Dixon & a bit more

I know, I have been a bit fixated on the CharityWorks GreenHouse but wanted to show you just a little more eye candy from this great showhouse. Barry Dixon designed the kitchen and living room with its soaring ceilings. A mesh, metal screen separates the two spaces without blocking visual flow. Many of the furnishings in this beautiful room are from Barry's own furniture line, Tomlinson/Erwin-Lambeth. French doors open to a terrace and saltwater lap pool. Built-in shelving that flanks both entrances to the room are covered in striped wallpaper.
Gary Lovejoy created a very restful and sophisticated library with fabrics that appeared soft and warm. (I followed the rules and didn't touch them!) Adore the vintage mantelpiece with its mantel left unadorned.

Michael Roberson designed a beautiful master bedroom in soft grays and blues. One of my favorite touches was the two double stripes painted on the walls near the ceiling. I thought it was a very creative and cost effective way to add a level of architectural interest to the room.
The CharityWorks GreenHouse is open through October 30th. If you live in the DC area, hopefully you'll have a chance to visit.

Pin-striped Seersucker, Bamboo & Tromp l'oeil at the GreenHouse

My personal tour, courtesy of Annette Hannon, continues with Charlotte Palmer Lekakos's charming and cozy bedroom retreat. Featuring two twin beds under half-canopies of pin-striped seersucker, this bedroom is classic and beautiful. Charlotte is a native of South Carolina and studied in Charleston and I think her room exudes that you know it when you see it Southern charm.

Tortoiseshell split-bamboo was applied as architectural picture molding; the interior space painted blue to contrast with the butter yellow walls. This beautiful camellia bouquet is from Diane James - I didn't realize they were't live flowers until I read about it later. Eco-green in their own way as they're everlasting. A second multi-colored bouquet is placed on another bureau. (not pictured in this post.) Diane James has a lovely blog - you can check it out here.
Love this style of bedspread with the long, gathered skirt. Why don't we see more of these? Smooth one of these over your bed and it instantly looks put together. Love these pillows and the patterned headboard of hand-printed fabric made without chemical dyes.
I'm still enamored with the molding! Love that Charlotte chose to back the curtains in a checked fabric for contrast. Notice the found deer antler - they're serving a utilitarian purpose. I think this one small gesture will be copied again and again in the coming months.
My photo doesn't do this closet door - um, I mean bookcase, justice! It really was a WOW moment when I first saw it. The "shelves" are stocked with recycled books that were brought to a printers to be cut down.
The peaked ceilings were wallpapered with Farrow & Ball's Polka Square. Lacey edged plates add interest above the doorway.

Instead of purchasing a new ceiling fan, a century old fan was restored. Built in the last century, it continues on in this new carbon neutral, green house. I should also mention - it is practically silent! I'm not sure of the company Charlotte used but here is a link to a firm that offers restoration services and also sells restored fans.

There is still more to see in this lovely room. The showhouse remains open through October 30th. Click here for information and to buy tickets.

One of the four charities that will benefit from the showhouse is the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The Intrepid Fall Heroes Fund was established in 2000 to provide financial support for the dependents of United States military personnel lost in performance of their duty. In 2005, the Fund decided to start helping another area of the military community: our wounded soldiers. The award that has been granted to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund will be used for the construction of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Treatment Center on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Center will offer the most state of the art services, as well as conduct research and provide training and education to patients.

More GreenHouse: A Delightful Dining Room

This delightful, garden-inspired dining room by Victoria Neale is more than just lovely shades of lime and olive - it's also eco-green by design. Opening to terrace doors, this elegant room is fresh and pretty. Your eye is immediately drawn to the settee by Edward Ferrell ( a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council) which is comprised of soy based cushions and covered in flax by Henry Calvin. The window panels were constructed of vintage printed linen and the sconces are antique. The stunning chandelier is by David Iatesta.
This chic Chinoiserie mirror is an ebay find, transformed from an original dark brown finish to it's new light, mod look. Love this whole vignette!
Gorgeous pillows on the settee. Love the introduction of the plaid on the bolster.
First, take a look at what's behind the chair. The designer created a trellis effect with trim that was hand-dyed with water based dye. The same trim also appears on the settee. The custom rug by Odegard is made of hemp. Here's an inside scoop on this rug - a few days before the showhouse opened a very dark red lipstick type stain appeared on it. It was completely removed by a cleaner and now there is absolutely no trace of it. Love the bamboo chairs from Hickory Chair with both a velvet cushion and mini-bolster. It seems it's always about those little extra details.
The china is from Victoria Neale's personal collection and I am in love with it. This brings up an another interesting eco-green idea - temporarily swap china with your friends for a holiday dinner or party. I was able to avoid buying extra silverware or using plastic knives & forks (!) for my Eddie Ross party by borrowing from 2 friends to supplement my silverware (thanks Anne & Gretchen!)

Hope you're still loving the CharityWorks GreenHouse. I purposely didn't show every amazing detail from Victoria Neale's dining room so be sure to go and check it out for yourself.

One of the 4 charities that will benefit from the funds raised by the showhouse is Friendship Public Charter School. It is the area’s largest public charter school, serving more than 4,000 students from pre-school (3-years-old) to 12th grade on five campuses. They are proud to report that students attending Friendship’s two elementary campuses have not only exceeded state academic requirements for the past six years, they are raising the achievement bar and continue to outpace or equal students at similar public and public charter schools in the District of Columbia.

Eco-Green is Gorgeous: A Personal Tour of the CharityWorks GreenHouse

The CharityWorks Greenhouse proves that Green is the new Gorgeous, in so many ways. I'm sure the following statement will seem archaic in 10 years, but unless someone told you this was eco-conscious green design you wouldn't know. I would like to thank Annette Hannon of Annette Hannon Interior Design for giving me a personal 2 hour tour and for spending as much time providing insights into all the rooms as much as her own. Annette's beautiful petite suite is only 115 square feet and it envelopes you in a sense of calm refinement. A central feature is the custom built-in bed and bookcases that completely conceal the fact that the window placement is off-center. A pitched ceiling was changed to 10 feet to also deemphasize the small footprint. The mattress, from a Virginia based firm, is organic, eco-smart and vegan friendly. I think this type of mattress would be especially interesting to parents seeking a healthy sleeping environment for their children.
Annette is well know for her attention to details. Notice the micro-pleats along the top of the valance, they mirror those on the bolsters (first pic). The curtains are made from sustainable linen from Pollack Associates that exceed LEED requirements and the pillows were fabricated by Bella Studios.
Another element of green design is the use of furniture that already exists - in this case a Swedish antique chair and desk. The walls are painted with Farrow & Ball paint, which exceeds all European environmental standards, and then finished over with a naturally eco-friendly Milk Paint from PA to create a crackle finish.
At first glance, the walls appear to be wallpapered but they are coverd in an Elizabeth Eakins fabric that is woven in CT and utilizes natural vegetable dyes. A rose pink gimp ribbon trims out the walls - one more detail that makes a lovely impact.
Doesn't this vignette make you want to settle in and write some letters? - check out this vintage stationary!. The bracelet is vintage too, found at the Big DC Flea.
Annette also designed this very pretty bathroom with the found sea shell mirror. The walls are painted in Farrow & Ball Pink Ground and the photos to the left are by photographer, Angie Seckinger.
Annette had the patterned roman shade interlined in pink fabric which creates a lovely effect with the sunlight.
The shower is tiled with recyled glass and the shower curtains with valance are custom embroidered in her own design. The towels are bamboo and vintage linen.

The stone floors were sealed in a water based finish as opposed to a higher VOC product.

I will be featuring more elements of the Charity Works GreenHouse in future posts. Hopefully just enough to convince you not to miss out on this must-see showhouse! Located in McLean, VA, it is open now until October 30th - click here to buy tickets and for additional info.

More good news - the money raised from this Showhouse will benefit the Friendship Public Charter School, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, and the McLean Project for the Arts. Go here to read more about these worthy charities - (I will be posting more about each charity in subsequents post on the showhouse)