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COS Design is a highly acclaimed outdoor living design company that services Melbourne, surrounding areas and interstate. The company’s Director, Steve Taylor, has built his reputation on stylish, functional, well-built outdoor spaces he has created for his clients. His results are simply stunning, fully customised and speak for themselves.
Then to Now
After graduating with a Business Management Bachelors degree, Taylor began his working life in retail management. Feeling unfulfilled in his chosen profession, he began searching for a new direction. At a young age, Taylor had skills in drawing, graphics, artwork and building and after spending some time designing and create his own front yard, he felt a strong connection to landscaping and knew it was the field for him.
Taking a leap of faith, Taylor enrolled in night school and after three years he quit his managerial position and took a job as a lesser-paid labourer for a landscaping company while continuing with school. Finishing his apprenticeship three years later, Taylor started his own company called Creative Outdoor Solutions, which is now referred to as COS Design.
“I got myself an apprentice and a Ute and never looked back,” remarks Taylor about beginning his journey as a business owner. That was 13 years ago, and since, his company has evolved from a design and construct model to a more efficient design and project management service. Taylor uses trusted contractors, such as ex-employees, who he has helped start their own companies for construction. “They build the gardens and I am there to orchestrate the process to make sure it is done to the right standards and design intent,” he says.
The Keys to Taylor’s Success
Networking
Taylor attributes much of his achievements in business to the networking he has done throughout the years.
Having left his previous employer on amicable terms, he started working as a contractor for him, which was an avenue for creating relationships with other companies. “In those early days my growth was due to a combination of networking and having a number of projects where we exceeded the clients expectations with our services,” he explains. One project in particular led to 14 other projects through word of mouth recommendations alone. Now their networks include high-end developers, architects and builders along with our their brand marketing.
Management Skills
“I have had great people work for me,” says Taylor about his employees through the years. His Business Management Degree has helped him select employees and productively manage and develop them, which is another important aspect of his success. For instance, he has two valuable employees that have been with him for almost 10 years who are currently running projects worth up to $400, 000. They are aware of Taylor’s expectations and he trusts their work. “I pride myself on how I develop my employees. It is an indicator of successful companies in our industry,” says Taylor.
Marketing
While Taylor says that a solid reputation carried him through his initial years, he also learned about the power of marketing. After becoming a member of the Landscaping Association of Victoria in 2003, he won an award for the Best Residential Landscape under $35, 000 for a courtyard garden. As a result, there was a story written in the local newspaper, The Harold Sun. Taylor comments about the significance of this article, “My business was immediately transformed and I received 18 months work, all at a higher position in the market, which led to three more award-winning gardens and it has snowballed from there. The publicity really helped my business at it was at this moment I transformed from a tradesman to a business man.” He adds that how you position yourself in the market, how your customers perceive you and the value you can put on your intellectual property makes all the difference.
Breakthrough Projects
Over the years COS Design has won over 35 state awards and two National awards through various Associations. The projects highlighted below are just a sample of his expansive portfolio.
Radnor Street, Camberwell
Taylor rates the Radnor Street project in his top three of all time. The job came to him through a walk-in to our shop front design studio, which was mainly used for consultations with clients. He explains that Radnor Street’s owner let him run with his ideas creatively and financially, which was especially exciting for Taylor.
Working in a respectful way with their money, Taylor produced an amazing space.
The front yard was designed to compliment the traditional façade with splashes of modern to play on new versus old and blend with the particularly modern backyard. “The pool house really dictated the palate of the rear yard, with sharp, modern lines. The garden really needed to compliment the modern architecture of the home,” he explains. The yard was also designed with a pool, raised sun deck with built in seating- ideal for entertaining. Taylor designed a parent’s retreat courtyard with a deck, a unique rippled wall water feature, built in seating and floating bluestone bench. As a designer, he was challenged by this job because of the small details and minimalistic design, but he describes it as a breakthrough project that gave him great satisfaction.
With a six-month timeline and a deadline of Christmas day, Taylor had four different landscape companies working overtime and even had a tanker truck bring in natural spring water for the pool, so the family could be enjoy their luxurious backyard on Christmas day. “This project defines Australian lifestyle. It is a result that many Australians are seeking for their own private homes at whatever scale they can afford,” says Taylor.
Garrell Street, Caulfield
For Taylor, this project had similar challenges as Radnor Street, as it was a design with simple yet high-end finishing. He created a beautiful outdoor resort style feel, but in a minimalist way to harmonise with the style of the house. The design had a tennis court, lap pool for exercise a family swimming pool, spa and a spectacular garden.
Some unique design features included the double fronted block fence that used the 10-degree angle of the house to create a series of blades all at different heights that were intersected with the timber blades. The front yard has the rear garden focus with the row of ornamental pears, screening off the court, black mondo grass bands through the lawn and the large aloe tree under planted with scenecio, which is repeated next to the spa to connect the front and rear spaces.
On the side of the house there was a large al fresco area with a designer BBQ that gave the illusion that it was floating in concrete- a feature that won a design award. In the rear, a lap pool wrapped around the back of the house and linked to a raised spa. It is a space for exercise, entertaining, relaxation and family time.
“This assignment turned out to be a unique landmark project for me and I have often been recognised by it,” states Taylor.
Kooyong Road, Caulfield
Taylor was introduced to the Kooyong Road project through the builder David McCallum DDB Design and Build at the architectural concept stage. On this particular job, COS Design designed the space but was not involved during the construction. He reports that the contractors involved, with a few tweaks followed the design, which is common as designs come to fruition.
The house was horseshoe shaped with an internal courtyard that was designed to highlight the swimming pool and the al fresco living space. Taylor designed a 12 x 4.5 meter pool with a beautiful spa tiled in black granite. The spa doubled as a stunning water feature as the water spilled over three sides and there was reflective quality off of the black body of water, like a mirror at night. The pool won the “Victorian and national Swimming Pool of the Year” awards won by Goldfish Pools who built the pool based on Taylor’s design. The al fresco living area is also full of luxury with built-in BBQ and striking furniture. The clients were more than pleased with their results.
New and Exciting Frontiers
Taylor explains that he is always looking for new ventures for his business. “My business is ever-evolving and I like to mix things up,” he says. Currently, he is acting as the head judge for awards for the Landscaping Association of Victoria and he manages the judges who decide award winners. “For me, it has all come full circle,” he says.
Taylor is also in the process of filming a new television show, Best Gardens Australia, a program about magnificent gardens across Australia. The company Abode TV has taken him on as co-host of their new show. Look for Taylor as he travels Australia in search of the most beautiful gardens on Best Gardens Australia, which will air in November on channel 7two.