New Eco-Friendly Design Studio in Arizona

Global Surroundings Opens Eco-Friendly Furniture Design Studio in Fountain Hills.


Bob and Suzanne Nann along with JL and Jay Jackson

Global Surroundings’ Design Studio caters to interior designers for residential and commercial projects. Custom, made-to-order furnishing solutions for the high-end marketplace.

The design studio includes indoor and outdoor reclaimed teak furniture and recyclable woven resin furnishings.


Kathy Harrison, Sue De Marco-Lyons, Jim Johnson, Jody Johnson along with JL and Jay

On June 19th we had an open house to a select group introducing our new eco-friendly design showroom to the Valley.

Global Surroundings produces casual furnishings for sustainable living. If you have an elite clientele that demands unique designs, exquisite comfort and style while respecting the environment, then you have found the perfect solution.


Sari Roth-Roemer, Kristin Coons, Shelley Akers,

Our primary business is selling to top retailers nationwide. This design studio will not compete with those retailers. We will only carry high-end, custom, made to order furnishings you will not find in any store.

Substantial Designer Discounts! Global Surroundings, Design Studio will be open by appointment by calling Jay @ 480-543-8889 or or JL @ 480-543-8888 or by email at jay@globalsurroundings.com.

Located at: 16730 East Palisades Boulevard, Suite 107. Fountain Hills. (next to Goodwill Center).
We are open by appointment and or by chance. This fall we will have an official grand opening through the Chamber of Commerce.

Thank you,

Jay & JL Jackson


Master Chef John working his magic behind the counter.

About Global Surroundings, LLC: As the global leader in ecologically friendly furniture, Global Surroundings is a designer, manufacturer and importer. JL and Jay Jackson founded Global Surroundings in 1998 after living and traveling several years throughout Southeast Asia. They purchase old teak homes in Java, Indonesia. Global Surroundings builds new furniture from old wood and woven resin fibers without damage to the rainforest or the people’s homeland.

Entrepreneur Magazine

Just hitting the stores is the July, 2008 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.

An article in the magazine emphasized the need to be creative in your business approach in this current climate.

The article suggests you need to "Ignite your team's innovative spark--and watch fresh ideas power your business to new heights."

Following is the part of the article about us:

The kind of deep listening that Lee and Coles recommend is what helped Jay Jackson and his wife, JL, first realize the potential of Global Surroundings, their recycled teak furniture business.

While Jay, now 44, had a job managing the distribution of audiovisual products in Southeast Asia, JL found that there was a market for custom-made furniture for foreigners moving to Singapore.

The couple launched their furniture importing business when they returned to the United States 12 years ago, making arrangements with a factory and crafts-men in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to make furniture from the teak walls and floors of homes that needed to either be restored or torn down.

"We were selling the concept of uniqueness at first," says JL, 44, of the Phoenix-based company. "We thought it was really cool that this dining room table was made from someone else's floor."

But their company was regarded as just another furniture manufacturer at industry trade shows.

Then they realized that many customers looking for sustainably made products were excited by their recycled teak because it didn't involve further rainforest destruction--and excited by their stories of rebuilding villagers' old teak homes with brick after a destructive earthquake.

The Jacksons not only refocused their business on the eco-friendly market, but also fine-tuned their offerings by paying attention to home and garden trends. They found that high-income families were eager to invest in lavish outdoor living rooms.

JL and Jay posing on our reclaimed teak outdoor furniture.

The Jacksons already had the perfect material, as teak is weather-resistant, so they paired up with designer Mark Suess to develop a line of high-end, outdoor furniture.

The Jacksons didn't just find out how to produce the right product by listening to their customers--they figured out how to market to them.

Trade shows were still a struggle in this hotly competitive market, so they decided to establish a presence at some of the places frequented by their high-end consumers.

In one case, they had a prime spot in a luxury lifestyle pavilion at a collector car auction, right next to the Learjet space.

"You have to figure out nontraditional ways to market to the end consumer," says JL, who expects sales of $1 million this year. "Be in the places where you can be seen without the competition."

Click on the logo below to go to the full article.

Back to the Mountains

The last trip to the mountains was March. That was the time I ran smack into a full blown blizzard and had to sleep in a gymnasium of a high school in a small town in northern New Mexico. Good times. This trip was different.

As you can see at this ski resort, our Rusteaka Collection fits right in and compliments the rugged mountains very well.

This time visiting the mountains, I was in the mix of beauty just outside of Telluride, Colorado. That is the quaint ski town that has residents like Tom Cruise and Oprah. Up the road by Ridgway, Ralph Lauren has a beautiful spread of about 15,000 acres.

Here is the Famous "Double RL" ranch entrance outside of Ridgway. Just a beautiful setting for a ranch.

On the Road between Ridgway and Telluride.

The Bellasera Club Chair on location overlooking Ralph Lauren's Double RL Ranch.

The main focus of this trip was to meet up with the premier designer in western Colorado, Abby Dix who owns Palladin Design in Ridgway, Colorado.

World's First Eco-Chair

Recently in Las Vegas at the Hospitality Design Expo we introduced the world's first woven resin and reclaimed teak club chair.

The Palisades Collection is a line of 100% recylable resin from Viro which is the leader in woven resin manufacturing. We then combined that with reclaimed teak wood accent pieces to a very modern look.

What really made it the talk of the show though was the comfort of the chair. The cushions are made of all-weather Sunbrella, great for indoor or outdoor living.

The Palisades Chair was originally designed after the common leather club chair but for outdoors. Quickly though, the feedback was that it was so comfortable, it is blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living.

Soon following will be an entire collection including a sofa, love seat, coffee table and side table.





Interest has been high from resorts for both indoors in common areas and around pools.
From the retail stand point, Paddy O Furniture based in Phoenix, Arizona was very impressed and is excited to bring the line on for fall of 2008.

Best Of The New West

The Arrangement furniture store with locations in Dallas and Houston is truly the "Best of the new west".

Since 1988 is an amazing store has had a single vision: To create unforgettable home and office settings inspired by the spirit of the west.

Working with collections of art, furnishings and accessories sourced from craftsment around the world, The Arrangement's designers create environments that at once entice, enchant and entertain the eye. Rooms fashioned with The Arrangement encourage the viewer to "slow down and enjoy the experience".

The resulting impression is that some pieces were inherited-while others were collected during a series of great adventures.

Whether its a primary residence, a second home, or an office interior, The Arrangements's Western Interiors Design Service can create an environment so unique that every item you acquire will appear to have its own story to tell.

Their latest advertisement in Cowboys and Indians illustrates the best in "Cowboy Outdoor Living".

For further information on The Arrangement go here.