Local designer contributes to Pillsbury Castle renovation

Interior design has been a long-held passion for Lindy Haglund, owner of Designer Lindy Haglund, LLC in Buffalo, where she works to provide architectural design for home renovations and remodeling. Haglund has also designed commercial building interiors where she focuses on expressing the unique brand of the business and brings it to life through a physical representation that highlights the core concept of the individual business. Lindy graduated from the School for Design at Century College in 2016 and has worked in multiple areas of the design industry. 

The Pillsbury Castle, located in the Whittier Neighborhood of Minneapolis, was selected by the American Society of Interior Designers to be its 2024 Design Home, which showcases the best in remodeling inspiration, interior design, and preservation. 

Last year, Lindy began working with a number of individual designers and design teams from Minnesota who began the process of renovating and remodeling the Pillsbury Castle. The project was a collaboration with current castle owners, Matthew Trettel and Ryan Hanson, and members of the Minnesota chapters of the American Society of Interior Designers and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.  

Lindy stated that the castle owners, “Embraced the history,” wanting to preserve the history of the home while giving it a modern touch through furnishing and aesthetic upgrades. While working on the Pillsbury Castle project, designers were tasked with the challenge of blending the old and the new. Much emphasis was placed on keeping the original aspects of the home, such as its oak spiral staircase and mahogany-paneled walls.

New furniture, sinks, and light fixtures were added during the renovation process, which helped to give the home a modern appeal, while keeping the feel of its classic gothic style and high-end finishes.

Lindy was given the opportunity to design and create the concept for the remodel and restoration of the Castle’s laundry room, which had been previously used as a kitchenette for an apartment in the back portion of the home. Her redesign included the addition of two washers and two dryers, a pull-out ironing board, ceiling wallpaper, and a chandelier. Quartzite was used to build the countertop, backsplash, ledge, and sink. Lindy stated that quartzite has hints of green running through the stone, which she incorporated in her overall design, topping it all off with original artwork.   

Lindy Haglund’s experience working in the interior design field helped to guide her work on the Pillsbury Castle project. Lindy strives to learn and understand her client’s preferences and dislikes, while synthesizing the information to build a presentation that fits the client’s vision for renovations. Lindy works to create remodeling designs that blend the original architecture with modern upgrades to aesthetics, applying these same principles that were involved with the Castle’s Laundry room.

The Castle renovation project lasted approximately one year. Lindy stated that a project of this scope and magnitude would likely have taken three years to complete, but the designers were able to work with several different contractors who participated with the project, helping to speed up the overall renovation.

Working on the Pillsbury Castle was a rewarding experience for Lindy, and she enjoyed seeing the castle’s owners’ reactions to the space, as well as the reactions from those who have toured the home. Having worked on the laundry room’s design, Lindy stated that people appreciated and understood the concept and usage of the space. “Everyone has a laundry room; they can relate to the space. I loved seeing people’s reactions to the room.”  

Castle’s History:

The Pillsbury Castle was originally built for Alfred Pillsbury, son of Pillsbury Co-founder John S. Pillsbury at a cost of $135,000 in 1903. The castle is a four level, two-and-a-half story mansion made of limestone, and measures approximately seventy feet by fifty-seven feet.

 The architecture reflects the English Gothic style, popular in America from 1880 to 1920. 

The 10,600 square foot interior contains stunning architectural features throughout, including walnut and mahogany paneling, leaded glass windows, a grand fireplace, and a grand curved oak staircase and banister.

Few permanent changes have been made to the exterior of the house, except for adding a four-car attached garage.

The homeowners opened the castle to the public from July 13 - 28. A grand opening gala was held on July 12. For more information visit www.pillsburycastle.com.