Crunchy Luxe

Specialists in green design are sprouting all over the commercial building sector. But homeowners can sometimes have a difficult time finding sustainable design for their residences. Enter Casa Verde Eco-Luxe Living, a South Minneapolis luxury home-interior design firm and retailer that opened its doors in November.

Rosemary Merrill, a corporate marketing executive turned certified kitchen and bath designer, had produced eco-friendly bathrooms and kitchens for local design firms for several years before deciding to focus exclusively on sustainable furnishings.

“I was trying to think about what was coming next as far as design and the things that would be important to know about,” says Merrill, who has served on the American Society of Interior Designers’ Green Committee. “It seemed that this was no longer a trend from when the first movement of it came 20 years ago. This was going to be how we are going to build.” In 2007, friends Susan H. Brunn and Susan Jacobs came on board as principals, sharing marketing and product development duties, and Casa Verde was born.

“I think as a designer you have to be responsible,” Merrill says. She had noted that a lot of finished and unfinished material, like old cabinetry and unused wood, gets tossed out. “There was so much waste,” Merrill adds. “That’s where my interest [in sustainable design] really came from.”

Casa Verde works with contractors who repurpose materials, and also sends old materials to places like the Reuse Center in Minneapolis, which sells salvaged building materials such as cabinetry and flooring. Some of the furniture Merrill designs is also made from salvaged lumber. A large, custom-designed dining table in the Casa Verde showroom, for instance, was constructed from wood from a 150-year-old cabin outside Hutchinson.

Casa Verde’s 2,800-square-foot showroom features kitchen, dining, entertainment, and living room layouts, ranging in style from traditional to contemporary. “I believe that all the looks should go architecturally with your home and everything should fit the client’s needs,” Merrill says. “So it’s not like we do just contemporary design or traditional design. We’re trying to show a range of looks.”