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When Lisa and Gavin Meshad agreed to turn over their Cherokee Park home to 21 interior designers for transformation into the 2009 Boys and Girls Clubs Designer Showhouse, one might have wondered why. The couple’s home was already stunning, a skillful mélange of architectural and interior design styles.

“This showhouse truly benefits the Boys and Girls Clubs. That was the deciding factor,” explains Lisa. But the Meshads were also intrigued by the creative possibilities. “Rather than working on an empty house, the whole point this year is to show visitors how decorators can work with a client’s current furnishings,” she says. “We welcome their creative ideas.”

That open-mindedness resulted in a lone contemporary room conjured by ASID designer Jeff Hart of Robb & Stucky. “The home had lots of family gathering spaces, all eclectic with beautiful antiques. But Lisa and Gavin had no adult retreat from the hubbub of raising four daughters,” Hart says. Hart’s minimalist oasis is already a hit with Lisa. “I love the room,” she says. “Everything about it represents simplicity and peacefulness.”

Visit the 2009 Boys and Girls Clubs Designer Showhouse from Jan. 25 to Feb. 22 at 1709 Cherokee Drive. Admission is $20.

Designer Jeff Hart considered the Meshads’ preference for gold tones when developing the calming color scheme on walls in Benjamin Moore’s eco-friendly Aura paint in Philadelphia Cream.

The home’s original dark wood coffered ceiling beams were treated to a crackle finish to add height, and white plantation shutters accent the soft gold walls and neutral upholstered furniture fabrics. 

For touches of understated glamour, Hart chose Verellen Home Collection ottomans and daybed with organic linen slip cover, and side chairs upholstered in natural raffia with nailhead accents by J.T Michel.

Clear Lucite “Martini” side tables and a two-toned Lucite modern take on a Parsons desk, both from Muniz-Fine Line, were chosen for functionality without the visible clutter of traditional wood furniture.

Standing lamps from Holtkotter, contemporary adaptations of the classic pharmacy-style floor lamp in satin nickel finish, are modernized with 21st-century stand-straight design, dimmer and retractable cord.

Artist David Steiner of State of the Arts Gallery created the custom abstract painting especially for Hart’s Showhouse room based on fabric swatches and paint chips used for the monochromatic scheme.

Accessories and furniture for the room, all from Robb & Stucky, include a stylish, easy-care nylon shag area rugand whimsical tree-shaped desk lamp finished in shimmering silver leaf from Arteriors Home.