The Surround Experience
When I think of my life growing up, I’m eight. I’m outside, in our old family home in Bonnet Bay, and I’m swimming in our big pool. It’s boiling hot and I have pink zinc across my nose to match my pink and white striped cossie. Inside our pool area is a big, long strip of grass where mum would sit and watch us.
We have heaps of space around the pool to do backflips and to play Marco Polo. In the back corner of the yard is a raised, paved area and a big timber square table. There’s a Cinzano umbrella that’s up that provides perfect shelter for us to sit and eat our mangoes.
The speakers are hooked up outside and James Taylor is playing. Volume One of his Greatest Hits. We have a BBQ area that sits up close to the house and a paved deck slightly higher than the pool so that the adults always have us in full view.
Everything about this space came together to create an experience. Every space interacted with every other space. Every place in our backyard was used by us, each had its purpose, it’s special way of contributing to the life we lived at home.
It was in this place, out in the big wide world and at the same time inside the safety of our own home, where, as kids we played, invented, fought, made-up, laughed, cried, nagged, negotiated, experimented, and in essence, learned who and what we were all about. My memories of growing up, and my sense of who I am today, live here.
At the heart of everything we do at Surround is this drive we have to create the perfect outdoor space for you and your family. We love what we do because we know our work means our clients are going to be able to create the kinds of memories that are everlasting. The kinds of memories we have that we can always return to, that ground us, and that give us that direction, that sense of who we are.
Because I think that when we have that, as adults, we can stand once again on that boiling pool deck, toes curled around the edge of the pool, arms up, ready to do the greatest backflip of our life. I still remember that moment when the tips of my fingers broke through the bright blue, as I entered the water. Then I was swimming, eyes open, breath held – ready to break through the surface and do it all again.
I can get carried away with all the feels when talking about why it is we do what we do. I often have to be brought back down to earth a bit, so I can get on with doing what I do best. That’s giving you the confidence and assurance that, while we can dream and reminisce and have wonderful intentions and ideas of creating these spaces that will give you these mems, we are also the best people, practically speaking, for your job.
What separates one design company from the next?
That’s something we could harp on about for ages.
Landscape architects go through their ropes, gain their qualifications, hone their skills – but what separates a good one from a great one is experience with people. People just like you.
We’re a team of people who have proven that we can design and deliver on your dreams, no doubt. We have built a booming business from scratch – we live and breathe our work. We know, like the back of our hand, the intricate processes involved with design and construction – which means we’re able to foresee any challenges, minimise them, and give our clients the very best experience possible. But what makes us different is the way we work. We put people at the heart of what we do. We are here for you every single step of the way.
Sure, it’s about meeting a brief. It’s absolutely about working within the confines of compliance and the code. It’s about creativity and materials and plants and fire pits. All of that. But what makes us different is that we know precisely how to work with people. For us it’s so much about communication, and we bloody love it.
We love getting to know you and your family, and what your outdoor space means to you. We love talking to you about your hopes, your concerns, your dreams, your frustrations. We’re all about making it happen, finding solutions. Closing loops and doing what we say we’re going to do. Turning up for you each day and maintaining that same level of excitement you felt when you first embarked on your design process. We are here for you. We are here for it all.
At Surround we design beautiful outdoor spaces. We design spaces to suit you. We design spaces that make every occasion bigger, better. We design spaces that create experiences. More than that, we know what these experiences mean.
When you’re in a Surround space, you know you’re home.
