Courtesy of Trio Landscaping
When Trio Landscaping’s Diana Grundeen sits down for an extensive first consultation with a prospective client, it’s with open ears and heart. She has an acute sensitivity to how that couple or family occupies their home, and how their outdoor spaces could be in alignment with what they’d like their life to be.
“We start with the big picture and how people want to live in their home,” Grundeen says. “Do you love to eat dinner outside? Who do you want to eat with, and what kind of furniture would help you make that happen—tables, umbrellas, grills, perhaps a water feature to create atmosphere and reduce noise from the neighborhood. We talk about what makes them happy, and we look at it in a complete and integrated way.”
As owner and landscape designer, Grundeen brings 25 years of experience to her passion for providing creative and one-of-a-kind solutions to enhancing her clients’ lives. A state chapter board member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, Grundeen’s work has been featured on television programs, public installations, and many residential projects. She brings the credentials to the table that discerning homeowners require—with no agenda or preconceived notions.
“These outdoor spaces can open up, and create flow and unexpected enjoyment for families,” she says. “Sometimes it’s aspirational, with someone wanting to be able to have their extended family over all at one time. Recently we were able to make that happen for a client, and she got teary-eyed when she saw the results. She said, ‘You get us.’ And that’s what I want—I want to be able to understand them on a deep level, and articulate a vision for them through landscaping.”
Courtesy of Trio Landscaping
Trio Landscaping offers a wide range of services, including walls, decks, design, project management, lighting, fire and water features, and patios and pavers. Grundeen’s priorities, tailored to each client, range from revitalization and updates of existing spaces to enhancing curb appeal and everyday use—often all at the same time. While she works closely with clients to create an overall grand picture of what can be, sometimes projects can take place over time as clients’ needs change and their concept of what they want in outdoor space evolves.
Courtesy of Trio Landscaping
For some, that might be as simple as a new front entry that changes the emotional experience for the homeowner of coming home every day. For others, it might be plantings and retaining walls that streamline how people move through and appreciate various spaces. And for others, it might be a matter of finally being able to open their home and yard space to loved ones and friends with a sense of pride and personal ownership.
“This is more of a vocation than a job,” says Grundeen. “We know we’re successful when the client is grinning with their eyes, when you can see it coming from their heart. It’s fantastic, walking into that space with them and they’re able to say, ‘This is finally mine,’ as they see how they can be drawn out and engaged with people, or also alone and contemplative at other times in the same space. That’s what makes them happy. And that’s what makes me happy.”
