Greenhaven Home :: A Smarter Way of Living

Decorating Made Eco-friendly

The city of Marietta's carbon footprint just got a little smaller, thanks to the innovative design skills of University students.

The Greenhaven Decorator Show House, located in the Chelsea Landing neighborhood of Cobb County, is an example of "sustainable luxury in the suburbs," said Greenhaven Publicity Director Amanda Leesburg.

Greenhaven boasts seven building accreditations, and is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified decorator show house in the Atlanta area, Leesburg said.

"It showcases the latest eco-friendly decorations and products, and the latest and greatest in green interior design," she said.

Leesburg said a team of 10 University students worked alongside about 20 interior designers on the project. The student team designed the craft room, one of 34 spaces in Greenhaven.

For senior Ashley Knowlton of Conyers, helping design the craft room was more than just a résumé builder.

"I decided to get involved because of my interest in sustainable design," she said. "This project really appealed to me, and I just knew I had to participate in it."

Jaya Rose, a lecturer in the Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors department, heard about the Greenhaven project in March from an e-mail sent to members of the American Society of Interior Designers.

"It was the perfect project for the students to do," she said.

Rose said the sustainable features of the craft room include galvanized sheet metal light hangings, certified organic fabric for window treatments and "homasote" tackboard made of recycled compressed paper. She said the team hung pictures of their entire process as wall decorations.

A big part of the craft room decoration was the pegboard storage space, which she said was built by a professor in the department.

Rose said she applied for funding from the college in order to participate in the project, and credits their staying under budget to the students' thriftiness.