ecoshare

1. What is your background?

I have been in the interior design field for over 20 years! It is amazing when I think of it in those terms, but it’s been a wonderful career that has taken me from my first retail business in Raleigh, NC designing children’s rooms to now, my company L&M Designs where we provide residential interior design, gifts and accessories for the home. My husband and I have owned our company since 1997.

2. You’ve won several design awards, correct?

Gosh, I’ve been honored to win many awards in my career, the most recent two being successive Best of Interior Design awards from Washington Spaces magazine. We won first place in 2008 for Master Bedroom suite over $150,000 and first place in 2009 for Dining Room category over $100,000. We were also honored with an ART Award nomination for Home Accents Retailer of the year in 2008 and I was thrilled to receive the Presidents Award for ART in 2008 as the outstanding member of the year.

3. What is your interest in the environment?

As a parent, my concern is for the world my daughter will raise her children in. I must admit that now my eyes have been opened to the waste that even I, as one person, generate on a daily basis. I make it a point to think twice about everything I do, whether it’s printing out an e-mail or throwing away something that can be recycled. Luckily in the design industry now, so many manufacturers are providing wonderful, sustainable products that make my job easier as a designer to do my part to protect our world.

4. How did you get started in the environmental movement?

That’s interesting, because before I got involved in the CharityWorks Green House, all I really did was pull my recycling bins to the curb each week and that was that. I am totally guilty as charged. Now that I have had the opportunity to work with so many people in this project that are truly passionate about sustainability, and what’s right for our earth, it has made me a more conscientious person. Heck, even on Twitter I’m known as the #ecobabe because I truly believe that if you’re not just “greenwashing” and you’ve got a great product or platform, I will promote it to anyone who will listen. We all can do so much with really so little effort. I’ve just decided to make my effort bigger because I do have such a big voice in my industry, and I can use my role as a spokesperson for others.

5. You’re sponsoring the CharityWorks Green House; tell us a little about the Charity Works and specifically the Green House.

Well, let’s clarify here! (laughs) I’m not technically sponsoring the Green House, although I am probably its staunchest supporter when it comes to spreading the word about this great project.
CharityWorks is a wonderful organization I got involved in about three years ago via an invitation from one of my clients. Their tagline is “Power Philanthropy at its Finest”, and that really sums up what this group is about! CharityWorks was founded 10 years ago by Leah Gansler, and in that time frame we have donated over 9 million dollars back to the community via worthy partners we select each year to be the beneficiary of our fundraising efforts. We have raised money for all sorts of deserving groups…everything from Habitat to Humanity (where we purchased 20 lots for them to build houses on), to Fisher House (a home where the families of injured soldiers can live while their spouses are getting medical treatment for war injuries). We raise money through fundraising events throughout the year, such as the 100 Point Wine Tasting and the CharityWorks Dream Ball, a gala event held every September. Members enjoy being involved in the community, and know that their contributions are going directly to those who need it most.

The CharityWorks Green House is the first carbon-neutral decorator show-house in the Mid-Atlantic region. Located in McLean, Virginia, the house showcases a new approach to sustainability whereby more efficient building design, innovative technology, and a smart location are combined to reduce carbon emissions, the leading source of greenhouse gases. Led by the design chairs Barry Darr Dixon, Victoria Neale and Skip Sroka, these top designers culled through 150 submissions to select the 19 designers who would be transforming each room in the house with luxurious, sustainable furnishings, accessories and home design products such as cabinetry, tile and even appliances. Each designer is assigned an individual space, where they will be interpreting their own vision of “Green Design” to the 30,000 plus patrons who will be touring the home when it opens in October of this year. Our goal as designers is to let consumers know that being “green” when it comes to décor doesn’t mean everything has to be blah and beige. There are spectacular products out there…and this house will give countless people inspiration to think twice about their buying habits when it comes to shopping for their homes, and to encourage them to purchase responsible, sustainable products moving forward.

For more information I would encourage you to visit www.charityworksgreenhouse.com. There is a wealth of information about the building process on our website, as well as designer bios, what you can expect to see at the house, construction photos, and ways we are fulfilling our commitment to sustainability.

6. How much money is Charity Works hoping to raise, and where are the funds going?

Our goal this year with CharityWorks is to raise $1,000,000 that will be donated to our partners, with a large portion of this funding coming from the proceeds and sponsorship of the Green House. Our partners are the Friendship Public Charter School in Washington DC (which serves over 10% of all school age children in the DC Metro area) as well as two other groups that are very near and dear to our hearts: Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (IMSFF) provides financial assistance in the form of grants to Marines and Sailors injured in combat, training or with life threatening illnesses through an array of programs which include: family support, transportation, transition assistance, specialized equipment, housing, medical support, therapeutic arts and athletics. And the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) provides services in support of military personnel severely injured in support of our nation. These services are designed to improve the medical care provided to them and enhance their ability to return to military service or a productive independent civilian life.

These wonderful partners will benefit tremendously through the efforts of our volunteers, our Corporate Sponsors, and of course the patrons who tour the house. We are happily accepting Sponsorships on many different levels, and if you would be interested in learning more about this opportunity for you or your company please contact me at Lynni@Lynni.net or call the CharityWorks office at 703-286-0801 and speak with Leah Gansler or Deanna Belli about this great way to support this wonderful project.

7. What specifically are you doing for the CWGH?

Oh my gosh, my room is already the talk of the town! I am designing a Virtual Golf Room for the Green House! How cool is that?! And of course the next question I always get is “what in the heck is a Virtual Golf Room”? Well, think of it as your own private 19th hole, located in the comfort of your own home. The room will have a 12’ wide by 9’ high golf simulator screen that you use your own clubs and balls to actually play through 18 holes of the top courses in the world. And what will really rock this room out is the fact that we are partnering with the only High Definition Golf Simulator provider in the world, which will make this experience absolutely amazing! The best way I can describe this is to ask you to picture your plasma television set, which is maybe 42” wide at best, right? Well, imagine that same quality of picture in life sized scale! Wow! You can see each and every blade of grass, and every grain of sand (if you happen to end up in a sand trap) as you play through courses such as Pebble Beach, Pinehurst #2, Doral, Banff and many other courses you may have only dreamed of playing. There is no better simulator in the world, and we are thrilled to introduce it to you via the Green House.

People ask me all the time, what is so green about a Virtual Golf Room. Well, for those of you who love to golf you may also know that golf courses wreak havoc in many cases with our ecosystem. Think about it: Development of golf courses means clearing natural growth on a multitude of acreage and cutting down the trees that are essential for replenishing the oxygen in our air. Unfortunately although golf courses are beautiful, these activities lead to land erosion and block the soils ability to retain water. The water usage needed just to keep the grass green is staggering, and when you add in the fact that golf courses also need large quantities of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides to maintain their beauty, it’s a double edged sword. People love to golf, and always will, but when you consider Virtual Golf as an alternative, that can be played any day of the year regardless of season or weather, people really embrace the idea. I know that my golfer’s guilt is already greatly reduced!

8. Aside from reducing “golfer’s guilt” what else makes your room eco-friendly?

The requirement for every designer who is participating in the Green House is that every item in their room must be 100% eco friendly. For my golf room, we are using low VOC paints from Benjamin Moore, 100% wool carpet with cotton backing from Feizy Rugs, and licensed PGA Tour furnishings from Bauer International. All of our furniture from Bauer is made from reclaimed woods and sustainable mahogany, and in addition their plant is certified sustainable. The golf simulator runs on all Low Voltage electricity, and even the lighting in the room is derived from photo cells on the roof of the Green House that capture sunlight and filter it into the room on an as needed basis. The room will be totally unlike what you will be expecting (hey, I’m not giving ALL of my secrets away!) but suffice it to say, it’s a golf room that Dean Martin would have loved!

9. How is the installation going, and what is the expected reveal date?

We’re still in planning stages now. The house has been dry walled, and there is definitely progress being made. In fact, I’m documenting everything that is going on in my blog “Lynni’s Behind the Green Scenes” where I take you on a walk in my stilettos during every step of the process. Check it out  www.LynniMegginson.com.  The house is open to the public (tah dah!) on October 10th, 2009 and runs through November 9th. For more information or to purchase tickets please go to www.charityworksgreenhouse.com.

10. Can people come play the simulator before the house is sold?

During the course of the Green House, due to those pesky little insurance issues, the only way that anyone who wants to play the simulator will have two opportunities to do so. One of which is that each and every Monday during the run of the house will be “Golf With Lynni” day! Woo Hoo! The house is closed to the public on Mondays, but I have arranged special “golf parties” of 10 people max who will be able to come in and play golf with a local pro from one of the surrounding country clubs in the area. There will be three “golf parties” each Monday, and tickets will be sold in advance if you’d like to bring your foursome along for the fun! The second way to play golf that is really the most AMAZING way to play is by sponsoring a Corporate Happy Hour in my golf room! Your group of 25 people will enjoy an open bar, heavy catered hors d’oevres, music and of course unlimited HD Virtual Golf. This is a great opportunity to bring your colleagues and clients and have the entire house open for just your group during certain evenings during the run of the house. For financial contribution information (this event will be tax deductible) or for more information about how you can come play golf with me please contact me directly at Lynni@Lynni.net

11. Is the HD Golf Simulator something that I could put in my house, or is this a one off project?

Absolutely! In fact, L&M Designs specializes in creating turn-key residential golf rooms everywhere in the country! We will give you one price that will include all of your furnishings, carpeting, lighting, installation, labor, and of course the simulator in one neat little package. Even if you’re located across the country, it takes me two trips to create your custom 19th hole: one trip to measure and then a final trip to install. We do require a minimum of 9’ ceilings in a room that is at least 15’ wide and 20’ deep, preferably without windows. As long as you meet those minimum requirements we can have you playing HD Virtual Golf in no time!

12. What other eco-friendly projects are you involved in?

I have just become affiliated with the Sustainable Furnishings Council, and am helping my friend Jeff Hiller, the president of the organization, spread the word to others in my industry who have a desire to go green. By becoming active in the Green House, I am finding every opportunity to become involved and spread the word about eco-friendly design and related products in my industry.

13. Are you involved in other fund raising and charity groups?

Yes, as a matter of fact we have just been accepted to participate in the Georgetown Jingle being held December 13th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. Top designers from the DC Metro area are selected to design a Christmas Tree of their own theme and design, and the trees are then auctioned off to the highest bidder at the gala event. The Georgetown Jingle 2009 raises funds for the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at Georgetown University Hospital. The program’s internationally recognized specialists are on the cutting edge of cancer research and treatment, and each staff member is dedicated to providing compassionate care in a setting that encourages young patients to act like kids-even while they’re battling cancer. As a parent of a healthy child, I can think of no better way to help these children than by using my design talents to create Christmas magic that helps children in need! Isn’t that what the holidays are all about? For more information or tickets please contact www.georgetownjingle.com.

14. What advice do you have for people may want to remodel/redesign their own home in an environmentally friendly way?

The first advice I always give any new client is to stop throwing good money away after bad. Sit back, evaluate and really try to figure out what your game plan is. Unfortunately, the majority of our homes are not built as eco-friendly housing, so we must start from within to create green change in our interiors. Here are some tips of the trade you can use to get yourself started:

• Always ask your designer or contractor if they use green principles, or have access to green products.
• Have a firm idea of the direction you want to go in, and stick with it. Research vendors and products at www.sustainablefurnishingscouncil.org
• Try to reuse what you have if at all possible. Sometimes just “throwing away” perfectly good items to make room for new ones can be as wasteful as not going green. What about reupholstering your sofa with green fabric and soy based foam cushions? Could any of your furnishings be refinished with low VOC paints and stains? Is there anything you own that could have a second life if it were just made over?
• Always treat your windows! This means by either adding UV protective films to your panes, or adding interior privacy/sun protection via window treatments. The damage the sun does is twofold: your cooling costs skyrocket (and your energy consumption goes UP) and the sun will systematically over time fade and damage fabrics, carpeting, furnishing stains and even your flooring. Protect what you have now so it will last longer in the future.
• Take baby steps. Rome wasn’t built in a day!  Make sure that your selections actually work for you and your family. Face it, it’s great to have a green mattress but if it’s not comfortable no one will be happy. Do your homework and research all of the wonderful products that are out there while making the RIGHT decisions.

15. What is next for Lynni Megginson?

Gosh, I’ve just completed a revised edition of a book I wrote several years ago for retailers called The Absolutely Essential Guide to Planning Fabulous Retail Events, Recession Chic version, and I’m going on a speaking tour this summer to give retailers ideas for fourth quarter events for their stores. I’m beginning a new Web TV series for The Gift and Home Channel called Recession Chic with Lynni Megginson and I’ll start filming this week when I head to Dallas, which will be fun! And of course looking forward to designing Virtual Golf Rooms for lots of new clients once they see this amazing system in the Green House! I’m secretly hoping someone in Hawaii or one of the Caribbean Islands will call me and say “I need a Golf Room NOW”, so I’ll be sure to send you a postcard! Whatever I’m doing, I can promise you this: it will be fun, fabulous and oh so GREEN! xoxo