Surroundings Interiors

Lori Waters of Surroundings was instrumental in the complete renovation of my kitchen, living room and two bathrooms. She provided excellent suggestions, examples of products, and advice after hearing my thoughts. She coordinated all the construction companies/individuals who worked on the project so that the remodel moved in a timely manner. This meant that the project was completed in the time expected with little stress to me. Additionally, Lori has helped with furnishings, window covering and wall decorations. Lori clearly enjoys her work and working with people. I will certainly go to Surroundings and to Lori for future needs.

I have worked with Renee Funderbunk on a number of projects, from designing and installing a kitchen backsplash to selecting window treatments and rugs. Renee listens carefully, makes fantastic suggestions, and follows projects through to completion. She is cognizant of budgets, but what I like the best are her great eye for design and how just plain easy she is to work with. Highly recommend!

Had wonderful assistance from Lori Waters at Surroundings with carpet, wallpaper, paint, etc. It was especially helpful when she arranged to have the entire floor of carpeting completed while I was out of town.

We have done at least 3 projects with Renee Funderburk over the last several years and we highly recommend her. What I appreciate about Renee, besides her design sense, is her willingness to work with us to achieve a finished design that fits our needs. And to her credit, I often start with one idea and end up in a totally different direction. Renee is patient, lending her expertise throughout the process, and never appears to get impatient or frustrated. We started with our kitchen. Renee helped us decide on the counter top material and then the counter top color. She also helped us choose a new kitchen sink and beautiful faucet. We identified what wasn't working for us - our kitchen lighting - and she helped us select gorgeous light fixtures for our kitchen, dining room, and entry. We introduced a side project and Renee quickly came to our aid, choosing carpeting for our family room and coordinating paint. I had mentioned to Renee if she came across some outdoor light fixtures that would work for our home, to let me know. She found fixtures that were perfect and reasonably priced. Our current project involved new window coverings for the master bathroom, frames for the bathroom mirrors, and updated lighting for 3 of our bathrooms. This project is a typical example of going to Renee with an idea of what I wanted and ending up with something else - but I am so happy with the result. I've already got ideas for my next project with Renee - for 2018. :)

Upon the recommendation of an acquaintance, we asked Jean to work with us on a remodel and refurbishing of our 21 year old home that we designed and built. We started the process and then family circumstances put the project on hold for more than a year and a half. Jean checked with us periodically through the hiatus and when we were ready to move forward, Jean picked right up where we left off. Our project involved a complete kitchen remodel including new appliances, countertops, fixtures, refinishing of our custom cabinets; refinishing first floor hardwood floors, repainting the entire first floor and second floor hallways; reworking a custom built-in bookcase/cabinet to accommodate a new flat screen TV and new sound system components; re-imagining the very large living room to create two seating areas and the piano which included a new area rug and all new furniture and lamps; and converting the former music room into a cozy den with a new floor plan, new hardwood floors to match the existing floors and new paint. We also redid a first floor bathroom with new countertops, sink and pain color. Jean is the consummate professional. She worked with us to get to know our tastes, color preferences, etc. and always provided us options with colors, fabrics, style. She was always honest with us. She was conscious of our budget and gave us accurate estimates of all aspects of the project. In short, she was a joy to work with. She managed the project very well. All the contractors used were on time and clean. Her carpenters and painter were wonderful--friendly, courteous, and great at troubleshooting problems that came up as we went along. Their work is of the highest quality. Jean always was there to inspect the work and provide feedback. We are very very pleased with the results. The house is beautiful with comfortable furniture; it works for us...like a brand new house. We would work with Jean again in a heartbeat...next up our upstairs bathrooms!

Renee Funderburk of Surroundings designed and oversaw the transformation of our unfinished basement. Our project involved a fireplace with built in shelves and cupboards, a dry bar with built ins, space planning to accommodate a pool table and both the storage and use of a ping pong table. In addition, we now have a nice bathroom ( our favorite of the house) and a welcoming guest bedroom. Renee was consistently patient, excited about the project and professional when inevitable snags arose. She made many many trips to the house with samples and great advice. She listened to our wishes and incorporated them into the final product. She demonstrated attention to detail and always followed through with questions, concerns in a timely matter and accurately communicated with the craftsmen who expertly made our visions for a family/guest space a reality. Because of our experience, we have subsequently sought out Renee for a smaller kitchen project. We would, without hesitation use her services in the future.

Working with Jean and Renee has been a pleasure. They have assisted me with everything from a complete kitchen, to furniture and fabric selection, to a fireplace make-over. They listen and then proceed to make my vision reality. Bathrooms are next on the agenda, and I really can't imagine moving forward without them - and it is fun.

We have worked with Jean Phipps and the Surroundings team over the past 20 years, beginning with interior design and updating in our previous home. About 12 years ago, Jean and her staff developed the floor plan for our new home and coordinated the interior design planning and execution throughout (including the kitchen with island and cabinets, light fixtures, paint colors, wall coverings, and additional built-in cabinets in living room, family room, and laundry), while integrating our existing furnishings with new items to create a coordinated decor. Most recently, Jean assisted in refreshing our furnishings and floor coverings in our sun room and coordinated the design and installation of additional built-in cabinets in our family room. Jean Phipps of Surroundings is an excellent listener, is very creative and easy to work with, and is an accomplished design professional. Jean and her team give prompt attention to all questions and details and have a keen understanding and awareness of trends in design, budget considerations, and vendors available. We have always enjoyed working with Jean and her staff at Surroundings. We love the finished product and are pleased to encourage others to seek out their services as well. John and Diana Roth

Jean Phipps at "Surroundings" advised, counseled, listened, reassured as she helped me plan my new condo. She helped with my lay-out, showed me fabrics and furniture, let me touch and feel and then placed my order. She willingly came to my current home to measure and observe. Jean made me feel like my new world would be beautiful!

Jean Phipps is an outstanding designer and consummate professional. She designed an addition to our 1917 Dutch colonial that included gutting and renovating the kitchen and adding a family room. The creative design exceeded our expectations: from both exterior and internal perspectives, the addition looks and feels like it is original to the home and is both beautiful and functional. Even after "living the design" for 7 years, I wouldn't change a thing. Jean worked closely and collaboratively with us throughout the design process and the actual renovation. Her philosophy of always providing us with several choices--all of which would be fine--worked very well for us, and if we did get stuck on a decision, she was there to help. My husband became very ill during the renovation and she (and her contractor husband's crew) were incredibly compassionate and adjusted to his needs during what can be a high stress process. The project took longer than expected and cost a bit more, but we were adding ideas as we went along and we ran into "old house" issues once we started. I continue to recommend Jean to people and I give her my highest recommendation.

I had never worked with a designer until I decided to call Renee one day. Now we have worked together on 4 projects over the past few years. She is so talented with textiles and colors and I love the final results in every room. Thanks Renee!

We did a major remodeling including kitchen, two bathrooms, entire interior painted, new light fixtures throughout, new hardware throughout, new front door , and some window treatments. The work was done in a timely manner. Our decorator met with us when it was convenient for us, but probably not the best for her. She checked on the progress regularly and managed the entire project leaving us with nothing to do but enjoy the changes. She picked up very quickly on our taste and was able to show us plenty of options for everything, without overwhelming us. Good experience and would use them again.

I have worked with Surroundings on several major projects - bathrooms, kitchen, great room. They have been pleasant, clear and patient. After listening to my ideas they were very skilled to suggest creative ways to implement them or to suggest better alternatives. Their work is top quality. I continue to enjoy their artistry.

Jean and Team at Surroundings beautifully designed a remodel of our living and bedroom space. The original rooms didn't meet our needs. There was wasted space and just didn't feel comfortable. The area now feels open and bright and we love the warm colors. She brought in expert craftsmen and the work reflects their great expertice and attention to detail in every way. We are very pleased with our remodel. Her team also did another project for us about 3 years ago which turned our screened in porch into a bright 4 seasons room we use every day. We also enjoy visiting the sales room---Lots of fine, unique items for the home and also for gifts.

We have had Jean and her staff help us with major renovations in the kitchen and master and guest bathrooms as well as decorating the living room and master bedroom. They also helped with a renovation project at our previous residence. Jean did a terrific job of working with us to provide suggestions for furniture and furnishings that fit the spaces we were working with. We are thrilled with every project she and her staff have worked on for us. Things get done on time and on budget. To get that done, it is sometimes necessary to prod sub-contractors and suppliers to get their work or products to the project in a timely fashion. The people at Surroundings are very good at doing that without creating a difficult situation. After seeing our home, we have had friends from out of town tell us they wished Surroundings was in their community so they could hire them to do work for them. We are looking forward to our next project with Jean Phipps and Surroundings.

Surroundings has been in the business of Interior Design for many years, and I have had the pleasure of working with Jean Phipps often over the past 28 years. Surroundings offers a lovely showroom, and a large design area for customers featuring interior samples from high quality sources. I have found the team at Surroundings to be knowledgeable, accessible and creative. Definitely in touch with the latest trends and ideas.

We enjoyed working with Jean Phipps and Surroundings on our house remodel project. She listened to our storage concerns and used every inch of space. She recommended colors, surfaces, and finishes that made our house beautiful. The project was finished on time and within our budget. Problem solving and the attention to details were great. It was a pleasure to work with Surroundings and Jean Phipps. Philip and Diane Hougen

"Surroundings" is a gift to Iowa City. The owner and her staff are highly professional, non-judgmental, financially aware and extremely talented. They all know their vendors and will work to make what you hope to have designed become exactly what you have envisioned. I can't imagine any business doing a better job nor would I hire any other company.

The bedroom carpeting we purchased through Surroundings is like walking on clouds! Jean helped select THE perfect color, the quality is amazing and the installer was meticulous. Surroundings is also the perfect spot to discover a special gift or find furnishings to compliment any decor. The staff is friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We are pleased and satisfied clients.

I have worked with Jean Phipps for over 40 years. Anytime I needed excellent advise on a decorating problem. She always had a great answer to solve it. After these many years I appreciated the excellent quality that has been sold to me. Including furniture, lamps, window treatments, wallpaper and Bedspreads. I would never look any other place when it comes to decorating. I appreciate the many suggestions and creative ideas that Jean has given to me. Lou Rae Hoogerwerf

Jean at Design Surroundings has been completely helpful in every way. Always pleasant. She has gone 'the extra mile' to make all the tasks less stressful for me! Examples: did a 'walk through' on my apartment as it was being built; taking lots of time to discuss furniture and fabrics. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without her. Oh, Jean also drove to my home many miles from Iowa City to assess what I could move and what needed to be replaced. Jean Phipps has been my greatest asset as I move from my home to an much smaller apartment. I highly recommend her! Linda Rotman

Jean Phipps and the rest of the team at Surroundings are friendly and knowledgeable, always able to turn my ideas into beautiful reality. From locating that perfect lamp to complete my living room to designing and executing a major remodel on the main floor of my home, Jean and her staff meet each challenge with the same sense of devotion and care.

Jean Phipps knows her business, is a great listener and observer. She recommends but only after learning about her clients wants/needs. I have purchased from her on previous occasions and never been disappointed. She freely visits the home, draws up plans and makes her client feel most important. She always makes time to meet our needs and understands our budgetary concerns. The products in her store are "upscale" and desirable as one plans to move, remodel or just update.

I cannot say enough positive things about Surroundings. I have worked with their professional design staff and the construction people they use for over twenty years. Each and every person has been delightful to work with, prompt, full of ideas, and creative, while remaining conscious of my budget. My situation is unusual in that I have built THREE homes with the expert help from Surroundings: one condo, one house, and then a replacement house due to a major fire in which we lost everything. So there are far too many examples to include. Each time, the staff was able to hear my priorities and concerns, offer up design, color, fixture, and furniture ideas in a variety of styles and prices, and allow me to choose with full information about each decision to be made. If they felt I was making a mistake they would state their opinion, which I valued. I have recommended Surroundings to many many friends and acquaintances and, without fail, they have come back to thank me for this resource. I have never heard a single complaint. Surroundings is full service; they oversee your project, deliver your purchases, and arrange everything. It couldn't be done any better or be any more fun!

From the beginning to the end, working with Katie at Surroundings was a wonderful experience. We completely remodeled our 1956 kitchen, and with the help of the houzz.com website, I knew exactly how I wanted it to look. Katie and her contractor do excellent work. Katie was on top of things every minute and the crew was professional and highly skilled. We hope to do our master bathroom next year, and you can bet Katie is already involved with this project.