Introduction: Sonoran Shadows offers the design skills necessary to take your landscape project from a dream all the way through transformation of a built environment that will set the stage for years of enjoyment. Whether you're looking for a simple design consultation or a full-on landscape master plan for contractors to bid against, we're here to help you through the process!
Brian Miller, owner and principal designer, founded Sonoran Shadows Design on the simple ideology that each individual (all of us) is meant to bless the community with the gifts he/she has been given. Helping you and your family to dream-up a space that is right for you and well-within your budget, is the conduit through which we live-out that principle.
"I operate my small design business out of pure passion and a love for landscape architecture and design, with the primary aim of helping my clients navigate the often complex and challenging process of working with contractors.
WHY HIRE A DESIGNER? Many homeowners often call on multiple contractors to give them "bids" on either renovating an existing front/backyard or constructing a pool or landscape on a newer property. Contractors A, B, and C typically bid their project differently and are NOT bidding on the same vision for your yard. As the homeowner, in this instance, it can become extremely difficult to compare costs because you're not comparing apples-to-apples. My aim is to help you envision your spaces prior to contracting, to explore multiple design alternatives if needed, and to put together the set of landscape plans that contractors A, B, and C will bid upon. We can explore one design concept or ten! The key is arriving at a plan that you're absolutely in love with and a plan that you can begin to receive construction quotes from. I'll work towards a design that is within your construction budget, and can assist with recommending contractors who are the most skilled and trusted in the industry.
PROCESS. I work with only one to two clients at a time, and as such am able to focus my talent on you and your family. I also remain sensitive to my client's budgets. I keep my costs to you low through operating with minimal overhead and through being intentional towards NOT sub-contracting any parts of my design work. Additionally, I am not "financially tied" to any contractor and thus don't operate my business as a "design-build" firm. Conversely, I keep my sole-interest on helping you to arrive at a design that is unbiased and not linked to the selling and marking-up of product and sub-contracted services. My design process is driven solely by your family's needs, budget, and in providing you the documentation needed to receive the most competitive bids from the best contractors out there.
"I'm fortunate in that Sonoran Shadows Design affords me the opportunity to follow three numerous passions simultaneously: to be an entrepreneur, to design, and most-importantly, to make the design of smart, thoughtful, landscape & outdoor living-areas more affordable to Arizona homeowners.
I operate my business solely out of passion and started Sonoran Shadows Design because I genuinely enjoy the process of creating a sense of place that will be used, inhabited, and cherished by its owner for years to come. I revile in the fact that we use living materials to shape new environments -- materials that bring dynamism to our out-of-door rooms through movement, change in size and shape, color and texture throughout their seasons of life. It is a profession that allows me to tap-into the physical senses of what a space will be to influence, not only the visual aesthetics of a design, but also the sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and, ultimately, overall feel & spirit of place!"
- Brian Miller
