Driven by a love for homes with rich histories, Matthew Trettel and Ryan Hanson, two entrepreneurs with a keen eye for aesthetics and storytelling, have undertaken an extraordinary project in Minneapolis. The couple has restored the historic Pillsbury Castle, a Tudor Revival mansion once owned by Alfred F. Pillsbury, saving it from the fate that befell many of the city’s grand old homes.
Trettel and Hanson saw an opportunity to preserve this architectural gem while reimagining it as a modern living space. Their vision aligned with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), resulting in a unique collaboration that turned the restoration into a showcase home.
Each room was designed with their future residency in mind, balancing historical preservation with contemporary living needs.
In this interview, the couple discuss how their professional backgrounds influenced the restoration, the challenges they faced, and their hopes for the Pillsbury Castle’s future as both a private residence and a space for community engagement.
DNN: Can you both describe how your backgrounds in event planning, design, fashion and production are shaping the restoration process and future plans for the castle?
Both: In so many ways, there is no better couple I know suited to take on a project of this magnitude on this timeline. Our deep experience in events is the work of knowing how to create immersive, engaging experiences for guests on a short timeline.
We create environments for a living. And we understand that the process of design is one of creative constraints (the budget, the space, the timeline limit what you can do).
We have a deep respect for the space and the authenticity required when it comes to design. We are not “decorating” – this is not a task of covering up what is there and trying to make it something it’s not. It’s about letting the space, the materials, the intention of this home shine through. We are the stewards of this home, not the revisionists of this home.
That said, there are ways one lived in 1903 that we don’t live in 2024. The expectations and needs for a kitchen or a bathroom are different. Where in 1903 one would entertain on level one, live on level 2, and not invest in the level 3, we plan to live in the whole home.
We worked to remove the boundaries which separated the front of house and the back of house. And we put in place the efficient modern fixtures, lighting and mechanical systems that will let the home exist well beyond us.
We plan to continue to refine the home to meet our needs, but at a more normal pace. The exterior of the home is protected and we’ll do what is necessary to repair stone and windows in the near future.
We both enjoy yard work and are looking forward to landscaping and outdoor scaping projects ahead. And when the kids grow up, we will likely adapt to be a bed and breakfast style getaway where we can continue to share the home with others.
DNN: How do you plan to incorporate your experience in creating “next-level experiences” from Chrom Expo into the visitor experience at the Pillsbury Castle showcase?
Matthew: My trade show experience through Chrom Expo has fostered a mindset of creating seamless ways for attendees to interact with their environment. At the Pillsbury Castle, our guests see a layout that involves a guided, one-way flow that is dynamic and exciting with graphic interactions all along the journey.
ASID Design Home 2024 in Partnership with NARI is a totally different experience from any home tour as we are able to utilize our background in event experience and combine it with a showcase house.
DNN: What were the major updates that needed to be made to make the castle functional for your everyday use?
Matthew: The mechanical systems, including plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical were all upgraded. We also incorporated state-of-the-art technology into the lighting and sound system to showcase capabilities for modern living.
The expansion and relocation of the Primary Bathroom and Closet were crucial to meet modern living standards. In the bathroom, an oversized shower and floating tub function for today’s lifestyles. As for the closet, floor-to-ceiling storage was paramount in functionality.
Additionally, we introduced modern entertainment spaces, such as a home theater, speakeasy, wine cellar, and home office.
DNN: How are you balancing the needs of a showcase home with the practicalities of it becoming your personal residence afterwards?
Matthew: One of the great benefits of the program developed by ASID Minnesota is that they look at the project as a holistic home and so through a strategic intake session the designers get to know the homeowners, our interests, likes, dislikes, which helps foster the creation of rooms that speak to us as the homeowner through the creative lens of the designer.
The addition of NARI remodelers allowed for them to show their creativity in the spaces so that they can easily go from showcasing to day-to-day life.
DNN: Ryan, as an expert in creating engaging events, how are you planning to make the showcase not just visually appealing but also an interactive experience for visitors?
Ryan: We have thought about a visit to Pillsbury Castle for the ASID Design Home experience as a journey in which guests are encouraged to take it all in. We along with designers and remodelers are present to answer questions and share stories of the renovation, the home and the Pillsbury’s who built it.
Every room features an interactive QR Code with an audio tour and written description of design story for each space. And upon departure, guests will receive a 170-page softcover book featuring all the design, home’s history, original photos and source guides for all of the elements.
Surprises so far have included people showing up at the home and recanting their stories of when they previously worked or lived at this address along with sharing pictures.
Learning about what the home was like in the past has been incredible. And we’ve been overwhelmed by kind comments of graciousness for sharing the home (including a plethora of notes being written and left by guests on the notepads in the second floor office.
And shortly, we plan to launch a virtual tour for those not in Minneapolis or not physically able to tour can experience the house, and its design. Be on the lookout! We will gamify this experience with some hidden doughboys.
DNN: Matthew, your work often involves helping couples realize their dreams. How does this translate to realizing your own dream home in the Pillsbury Castle?
Matthew: One of the things that I’ve discovered in helping couples discover and create their own dream weddings is that inspiration is everywhere.
Finding the things that speak to you, evoke emotion, and make you excited are all great elements to incorporate into any design.
Also, being future thinking has been helpful in this process as we created spaces specifically for our future family, including a Kids’ Bedroom, Family Room, and secret playroom.
DNN: Can you describe a particular room or feature in the castle where your professional expertise has led to a unique restoration or design choice?
Ryan: The most exciting place where I leveraged my career in event design into our home is the Play Stage in the Kids’ Bedroom. In this room, there is a beautiful fireplace, but we wanted a way to reclaim it at least while the children are young to mitigate safety concerns.
I work a lot in the creative space, and through a collaboration with Children’s Theatre, their stage hands designed and painted a custom mini stage that sits against the wall of the fireplace and can easily be removed as we see fit.
Having a background working with this theater company, this was an ideal fusion of my personal and professional worlds colliding. It was a smart design choice that was creative and fun and allows the imagination to flourish.
Matthew: The room that stands out to me where I infused my expertise would be the Primary Bathroom.
One of the things in creating events and event spaces is creating focal, a focal point and interesting lines of sight that help people move through spaces.
In the reimagining of the Primary Bathroom, we centered a series of doors on an existing window to create a gallery effect drawing the drawing you into the space where we centered a floating tub in front of the window.
DNN: Given your experience in trend-setting within the wedding industry, how are you approaching the challenge of creating a home that feels both timeless and contemporary?
Matthew: Finding a balance between creating a home that is both classic and contemporary started by defining some rules of the home with our architect, PKA Architecture, who helped us understand the historic importance of spaces in the home and which elements should be honored.
We blended that with what we call a European sensibility where we honored the historic architecture and important elements of the home and added the artistry of 2024 to blend with the artistry of 1903.
We looked to local artisans that were glass blowers, custom handmade tile makers, and decorative painters to enhance the castle with designs that were transitional.
We leaned into things that were of the period, like natural stone materials, like stone and marble, but gave designers the license to put a modern twist on it.
We also asked designers to lean into moody saturated colors, which were very much of the period, but they took those and leaned into elements like a hand painted mural that was much more modern in feel.
DNN: What have you learned most throughout this process?
Matthew: Project management is the key to a successful project and without our undivided attention in managing designers, contractors, suppliers, and sponsors, the project wouldn’t have happened.
DNN: Finally, after this, what is the next dream project?
Matthew: We bought this home with the intention to raise our family here. Ryan and I are so excited to begin the journey of having children — it has been a dream of ours for years. We can’t wait to share the Pillsbury Castle with them and make memories as a family.
