Eden Environments moves to renovated warehouse on Grand Rapids' south side

Deborah Johnson Wood

Denise Hopkins says her decision to relocate Eden Environments to a rehabbed warehouse exemplifies the eco-friendly mindset that she and her business are all about.

Eden Environments is a sustainable design center that specializes in providing environmentally viable building materials, interior finishes and furnishings for commercial and residential spaces, as well as architectural, interior and landscape design services.

Hopkins launched the business some 18 months ago in a strip mall on 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids, but recently relocated to a second-floor suite in a circa 1920s warehouse at 401 Hall St. SW.

"We provide the absolute best sustainable solutions for the built environment," says Hopkins, 47. "We've researched and researched on what is truly sustainable, and we've amassed the best products that are available right now. People can see products online, but can't go anywhere locally to see what they look like."

Hopkins aims to end that problem, that's why she decked out the shop with Knu desks, and furnishings by RC Green and Iannone Design. Display centers show off colorful recycled-glass countertops, dozens of no VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint choices and samples of flooring, including cork in an array of patterns and hues, linoleum, carpeting and wood flooring made in Chelsea, Mich.

Home décor items include decorative papier-mâché lamps fashioned from recycled cement bags, and lamps of recycled tin and metals.

A wall of windows allows customers to view colors and textures in natural daylight.

"This is the kind of space [the store] needs to be in," Hopkins says. "The things we offer have an inherent value that's lasting and we can help people make decisions in terms of design for their living or work spaces. It can be as simple as what paint to use. "

Eden Environments is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment.

Source: Denise Hopkins, Eden Environments

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].