THE UNDESIGN STORY (AND HOW IT ALL BEGAN)
- Brad Holley
- Sep 4
- 14 min read
Updated: Sep 9
WHO (OR WHAT) IS THE UNDESIGN?
Hi!--It's me! I'm The UnDesign.
My name is Brad Holley. I grew up in a North Dallas suburb called McKinney. And now when I talk about it, I turn into the old man whose opinion nobody asked for as I excitedly explain that, "When I was a kid, this was all farm land". Turns out, nobody cares.
But here's a fun fact you might like to know; while "growing up" (debatable) in Mckinney, I met one of my lifelong friends in the 7th grade in Mr. Fortenberry's Texas History class. ~10 years later we would finally start dating. Not long after that, we would get married.
As I write this in 2025, she and I have been together for 18 years, and married for 16. We've lived all over North Dallas together (and even spent a brief stint in Houma, LA for ~6 months), but we now reside in Sachse, TX. Together we're raising two little boys, which so far has felt like trying to domesticate two human-sized raccoons.
Before kids, we liked traveling the world, eating good food and listening to excellent music. Life perpetually felt measured by the length of time until the next destination, the next concert, or a visit to some amazing new restaurant. Now that our boys are old enough, we're doing our best to immerse them into the culture that we created before they came along. We try to take them on trips, introduce them to a broad spectrum of incredible music that transcends time and genre, and we watch them reject some of the most incredible food out there because it's not mac-n-cheese or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
-sigh-
We'll get there...
WHAT LED YOU INTO POOL DESIGN?
Ask any pool designer or builder out there how they got into the industry, and I'm willing to bet money that they'll tell you that it was some sort of unintentional, fortuitous accident. And to be clear, my answer is no different. But I do think that my story is an interesting one. But first, let's go back to the early days:
When I was a kid, I spent most of my time feeding my imagination with fantastical stories, characters and places, and it often bled out into the world around me. I was always sketching and doodling, building things, taking things apart, breaking things, putting them back together, and asking lots of endless, irritating questions about how everything in the world worked and why things were the way they were.
After graduating from high school, I was just ready to get out there and do... something. Anything. Regretfully, at that point in my life I didn't have the patience or the discipline to go the college route. Instead, I dove head first into the work force with a great deal of tenacity, dedication and work ethic. I didn't have any direction or goals, but I always made sure that I brought a sense of fun and infectious enjoyment wherever I went. I'm not sure what I was looking for at the time, or if I was even looking for anything at all, I only knew I was going to make something out of myself, and that one day, I would be extremely proud of myself.
One of the things I was able to recognize at the time was my predisposition to gravitate toward other talented and hard-working people. No matter where I went, I made friends with everyone I met. Eventually, it was those working friendships that led me down the very unexpected path to where I am now. A path I couldn't have predicted.
IT ALL STARTED WITH CONSTRUCTION
After ~7 years with Discount Tire Co., I left and followed a friend into the commercial construction industry. While working there, it ended up being a client, Tony Palo, who introduced me to some 3D modeling software called "SketchUp". Tony was moving his world-renowned performance automotive shop, "T1 Race Development", to a new location in a new building and he needed us to renovate it before he moved in.
Tony was like no other client I had ever met at that point. He had fully designed and modeled up his own shop renovation and he brought his laptop in so he could show us his 3D model and what the shop was supposed to look like. I had no idea that 3D modeling was now accessible to regular people like myself, so everything he was showing us was blowing my mind.
I immediately downloaded SketchUp onto every machine I owned and started finding every excuse I could to use it. Having played all kinds of video games in my younger days, navigating 3D space felt very intuitive to me; like I was right at home. Only now, I was using a 3D world to be productive and useful. It was thrilling!
MY FIRST REAL DESIGN CLIENTS
Toward the end of my tenure with this construction company, I was connected with a new group of clients who needed us to do an office renovation. It would be their very first office. I didn't know it at the time, but I would end up designing and modeling this office space for them, and this would become the guide for the entire renovation.
It was a scrappy upstart of fresh, Texas A&M grads who had become a viral YouTube sensation, seemingly overnight, by doing a series of very creative trick shots. And the name of this crew was, "Dude Perfect".
That's right--my very first (unofficial) design clients were Garrett, Tyler, Cody, Coby and Cory (and their mysterious panda friend). My 3D model was atrocious compared to what I can do today. I'll be the first to say that they deserved so much better than what I had to offer at the time. But we made it work, and they were a really enjoyable bunch to work and collaborate with.
AIMLESSNESS TO POOL DESIGN EXCELLENCE
In the process of trying to master the functionality of the program, by sheer accident (see what I mean?), I stumbled upon a job listing during an otherwise unremarkable Google search. It was seeking an assistant for seasoned pool designer. I wasn't looking for a job, but the word "SketchUp" jumped out at me, so I clicked on it. As soon as I read that I could potentially be using this program 80% of the time in a full-time position, I knew I had to apply for it. And that's where my career would ultimately begin.
After a couple of interviews, I got the job. I was now the assistant to a well-known and highly decorated outdoor designer in Plano, TX. He too had come to the outdoor design world in an unorthodox way without a formal education. He proved that with enough dedication and passion, you don't have to have a degree in Landscape Architecture to learn how to be an outstanding landscape designer.
This man taught me everything one could ever want to know about outdoor design. He gave me a crash course in architecture, landscapes, hardscapes, vegetation, grade management, structural design, additions, renovations, swimming pools and spas, water and fire features, outdoor kitchens, outdoor living and entertaining areas, furnishings, construction methods, and all about the endless varieties of materials and finishes that were commonly used and applied to all of it.
But on a deeper level, he was helping me to understand the core concepts that existed underneath all of that. He was showing me timeless design principles like, scale, balance, proportion, contrast, layering, alignments, and how to create a complimentary family of colors.
Over the 8.5 years under his mentorship, I slowly transitioned from being a lowly, directionless assistant to being an Associate Designer; taking my own clients, producing my own designs, and watching my own projects get built in the real world. Very early in our relationship, he recognized my passion and my creativity and he was able to give it structure, order, discipline and direction. And that's a transformation I'll never be able to repay him for.
And for whatever it's worth, this experience has convinced me that apprenticeship can be a profoundly transformative force. I'm a huge advocate for bringing this concept back and re-incorporating it into every aspect of our working world.
MAKING A NAME FOR MYSELF
For so long, I had been a relative nobody just happily existing in the shadow of someone else's greatness. And honestly, I was fine with that. I didn't have any intention of being recognizable or known for anything. I was happy staying in my lane and just quietly doing good work. But that would start to change when my mentor began urging me to enter into a a notably difficult annual design competition known as the "Million Dollar Pool Design Challenge".
I had been very aware of this competition up to this point. As a casual outside observer, I had seen the talent that was typically involved in this competition, and I knew the kind of people who entered it. And while I enjoyed what I did, I never thought that I had any business throwing my hat in that ring. After all, the people who competed in this were the very best in the nation. But he kept pressing, and I'm a people pleaser. So, I eventually obliged.
The first time I entered in 2022, I was amazed when I got the call from the competition founders, Mike Farley and Reid Schindler, letting me know that out of the ~50 or so entries nationwide, I had been selected as a top 5 finalist. It was unreal, and I was seriously wondering if there had been a mistake.
At the final judging ceremony in Las Vegas, I would end up walking away with a 4th place overall finish. The transition from having low expectations and not thinking much of my work, to suddenly feeling disappointed that I didn't do better, was surprisingly quick.
I was proud of what I had accomplished. After all, this competition is difficult enough that just completing any submission at all is an accomplishment all on its own. But at this point, I had been dosed and the drug was now in my veins. I knew I'd be coming back next year.
WINNING THE MILLION DOLLAR POOL DESIGN CHALLENGE
After counting down the days, weeks and months, I finally got the chance to enter again in 2023. This time, the design would be for an ultra-Modern hypothetical home on Miami's intra-coastal waterway. This fictitious family had a yacht parked next to their home, and it was the boat's "hardtop" which became the main inspiration for my design. I designed a hardtop-shaped shade structure surrounded by a lazy river, and I gave my video a Miami vice theme. I worked incredibly hard on my submission, and it all paid off when I finally won 1st place.
I was elated! It was the very time I had ever accomplished something notable or won anything. And in Vegas, of all places! If you ever have the opportunity to win something, I highly recommend doing so in Vegas.
I immediately went from being relatively unknown with no reputation at all, to suddenly being compared and grouped with some of the best outdoor designers, landscape designers and pool builders in America. It was strange. I was now being asked for interviews, quotes, guest spots and advice from an entire industry that I didn't even feel should know who I was. People I looked up to and admired from afar were now contacting me and wanting to get to know me.
I once described this moment to a friend as feeling as though I was now attending a fancy black tie gala and feeling really nervous because I didn't want anyone at the party to find out that I wasn't actually supposed to be there, and that I had actually been let in through a back door in the kitchen by the wait staff. Turns out, the phenomenon that I was describing is known as "imposter syndrome", and I had it pretty bad for awhile.
BRANCHING OUT ON MY OWN
Just before winning that competition, I had made the very difficult decision to part ways with my mentor. I loved that man and I sincerely appreciated the fact that he had turned me into a very competent professional with a distinct and valuable skill set.
At the time, I couldn't really put my finger on why I had this urge to leave. After all, he was great. My job was great. Everything was great. Why would I walk away from that? But some part of me just really needed to spread my wings and see what I could do out in the world on my own. I guess it was a little bit like a young adult knowing that it's time to finally move out of Mom and Dad's house.
During my 8.5-year mentorship with him, we specialized in and focused purely on comprehensive design, leaving construction to other specialized firms. But because we didn't handle construction ourselves, it meant that we partnered with and referred our clients to the very best builders all over the D/FW market. And this meant that I had long-standing relationships with all kinds of builders, and I was constantly getting small bits of advice, guidance and support from each of them.
The very first opportunity I came across was being invited to be the Design Director for a well-known luxury pool builder in Dallas and a team that I already had a great relationship with. Designing and selling projects with them gave me much more exposure to the construction and pricing side of the industry. One of the most beneficial aspects of working there was getting to work with and learn from Peter Jackson, who probably has one of the brightest minds in the market when it comes to construction methodology and engineering.
My other favorite part of being on that particular team was meeting and collaborating with another promising young designer named Aaron Troutt. It was exceptionally rewarding to pay the encouragement forward and push him into the very same design competition that earned me a reputation, and then watch him receive an award as well for his efforts.
AN UNBELIEVABLE INVITATION
After working with that company for awhile, I was eventually contacted by the owner of "FoxTerra Design" whose videos had recently become a social media sensation in the outdoor / landscape design industry. He had seen my winning work in the design competition and invited me to be a part of their team, which was an offer that people in our niche would kill for. Getting a personal call from him was like the point in the story where Charlie got the golden ticket to go inside of Willy Wonka's factory. It was... unfathomable.
It took awhile for me to process the fact that I was now flying back and forth to California and getting exposure to some of the most incredible and high-profile projects I had ever seen, both in America and even overseas. It was an absolute whirlwind of a time. But the warm fuzzies didn't last forever.
You see, FoxTerra managed to capitalize on Covid-era lockdowns when people had all the time in the world to scroll on their phones all day. They captured peoples' attentions through a series of very clever and memorable videos showcasing their work. They also happened to do it at a time when people were throwing unbelievable amounts of money into their homes and yards because they had no other place to spend it. Combine that with the owner's incredibly creative approach to outdoor design, and they had basically built a success rocket ship.
They garnered an unprecedented amount of interest and demand through their following of millions, and this meant that there was a ton of work to be done. To accommodate that demand, they set themselves up to work insanely fast. But, I had become so accustomed to working slowly and methodically and giving each client absolute perfection, that I found myself having a hard time fitting in with a team who had instead built a business based on operating (and designing) at breakneck speed.
THE GRASS IS RARELY EVER GREENER
This was a difficult transition for me. At my core, I wasn't able to compromise on producing perfection. And while this did mean that I was the most detailed and thorough designer on staff, it also meant that I was the slowest. And that meant that I had to work harder than I had ever worked in my life across extremely long hours in order to keep up with the rest of the team's pace.
It worked out alright for a little while. But after a few months, I started losing myself to both the workload and my own uncompromising standards. My health was backsliding and I was losing focus of my obligations to my wife and my kids. I was a far cry from the husband and father I had been just months before, and I was slowly self-destructing.
And this might have been sustainable (in the worst way) for awhile longer, if it hadn't been for the fact that I eventually began receiving negative feedback from design clients for the very first time in my entire career. In my mind this was completely incompatible with who I was. In some sense, destroying myself in order to achieve something amazing might have been acceptable. But at this point, I was gaining nothing and losing everything.
I was crushed.
It quickly became clear that this wasn't going to be the long-term role I retired in. And once the company's principal and I both came to the mutual realization that this wasn't the amazing fit we both originally thought it was going to be, I departed.
In hindsight, working for that team was one of the most illuminating growth experiences I've ever been through, and I can't say I regret it. I learned, and saw, and experienced so much in that period of time; things other people in my industry never will. And as usual, I managed to make some new friendships as well.
STARTING OVER
There were days where I felt like I had started in this very low valley, and that over the course of my 10-year career, slowly but surely, inch by inch, I eventually managed to climb to one of the highest peaks in the land. Parting ways with one of the most high-profile design firms in America left me with a very clouded perception. For a little while I was convinced that I had fallen off of that mountain top, and that I now stood in the valley below where I first started. It would take me some time to realize that this wasn't the case at all.
What it really gave me was a fresh restart and an extremely clear sense of direction. I realized that everything I had been through over the past couple of years was truly remarkable. And the very reasons I turned out not to be a fit with FoxTerra were exactly the reasons which made me uniquely valuable. They hadn't done anything wrong, but neither had I.
My entire design ethos has always been about making art and making it perfect for those who appreciate perfection. The truth is, having principles and sticking to them is probably going to disqualify you from a long list of people and places. And that's okay. What the experience solidified in me was that I now knew exactly who I was, what mattered to me, and what I needed to prioritize.
Over the following days and weeks, it became crystal clear that the move I now deserved to make--the move I owed myself--was to start my own brand and establish my own design firm. After all, I had experienced multiple once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in my 10 years. Why shouldn't I put all of that knowledge, experience and wisdom to good use and create something amazing with it?
I decided that I was about to build something I could call my own. Something that my family could be proud of. But more importantly, something that the wild, passionate, creative, aimless, head-in-the-clouds, happy-go-lucky, dream-filled kid inside me from 30 years ago would be so proud to look up and see.
The UnDesign is my way of giving that kid a chance to do something great. Something he never would have dreamed he was capable of doing. And with it, I also want to be able to show my boys that it's okay to not know who you are or where you're going for awhile, and that you can still ultimately achieve something amazing if you stay true to yourself and your principles. I want them to see that while others might be following the single file line down the straight and narrow, that it's more than okay if you decide you want to take that really long and winding road--the one that's full of surprises--before you find your confidence, your purpose and your calling in the world.
THE UNDESIGN STORY ENDS... AND BEGINS
If you've made it this far in the UnDesign story, you probably have a slightly better understanding of who I am, where I've come from, and what I aim to do with the unique skill set that I've earned over the last decade. More than anything, I'm committed to playing a role in the way that Modern outdoor design and swimming pool design continues to unfold in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. D/FW is my home. This is the place I know best. And I want to continue to help shape the people and the landscapes of this area while doing what I do best.
If you have an outdoor project on your horizon, I would love to collaborate with you and your family and make my story a part of yours. I genuinely hope you'll reach out and connect with me, and I sincerely look forward to meeting you in the near future!
Thank you so much!
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