The Brooke’s Blooms new headquarters is finally completed, and we are more than excited to be upsizing to our contemporary premises. It means a lot to us and is evocative of the long road we have taken to get here. The new HQ represents so much more than bricks and mortar. It is a long and winding story, a story of hard-work and friendship, of the good times and the bad. But most of all, it is representative of what it means to be a part of the Brooke’s Blooms team. Because above all else we are a family – we look out for each other, and we care for each other. Central to the new build, and demonstrative of our common ideals, we have created a stunning mural that covers the whole outer façade of the building. With this mural is the story of where we came from and where we intend to go. This is the story of Brooke’s Blooms.
Brooke Jennings created the company that is now Brooke’s Blooms with little more than an old beat-up Toyota van, some trusty tools, her ever-present and loyal dog Buddah, and a long-standing love for plants and nature. The catalyst for this amazing mural was to immortalise the significance of this journey and to remind herself, and anyone that works for Brooke’s Blooms, of the defining ethos of the company – to stay grounded, to stay humble, but most of all, to stay true to our beginnings. This is what Brooke’s Blooms is all about – a sincere and unerring belief in everything we do. Collectively, as a team, as a family, we can create beautiful things, things of wonderful significance. It all comes back to the start – that old van, those long hard summer days, the belief that we were a part of something bigger than ourselves.
Brooke had always loved street art. She felt that creative youth can sometimes channel their gifts in the wrong direction, not yet having the tools to really know what to do with it. When they get older and learn to use this creativity in ways that can benefit a whole community, it becomes something inspirational. Think of Frankston in Melbourne or the Art district in LA, places where giant creative murals are set on a platform for the world to see. At the heart of these paintings is a story, an expression of the artists inner turmoil, their soul splashed on a technicolour canvas. To Brooke these vulnerable narratives inspire her in her own life. When the new headquarters were finally built, a place that would home a mix of creative souls, it seemed fitting that the outer exterior, a space dominated by a large sprawling wall, should feature something that accentuated its inhabitants. It is the perfect setting – a big virginal space that faces the western sunlight. The ideal area for a mural that would brighten the space and bring joy to the people of Brooke’s Blooms and the wider community.
The mural is poignant and breathtaking and embodies a story that spans over 12 years. A story set in a giant sprawling garden of various colours in muted forms. To take in the mural with one look is to ignore the fluitity of individual narratives. It begins with a large Eucalyptus Summer Beauty, Brooke’s favourite plant, and an image that served as the foundation to the Brooke’s Blooms brand. During its infancy, the Summer Beauty was a picture attached to the original van with a phone number underneath. As the company grew, the logo needed to grow with it, and Amanda from The Creative Noise took that Summer Beauty flower and created the logo we still use today. Therefore, it was important that this Eucalypt served as the first piece of the puzzle.
The background of the mural is an image of Brisbane basking in the fading twilight of a Queensland sunset. There is an old house, a cottage in Paddington, a place that houses our oldest and dearest client who we still service today. This house means a lot to us and is one of the most important parts of the mural. It represents the loyalty that most of our clients have provided us and for Brooke as a person. These individuals have stuck with us through thick and thin and have guided and inspired Brooke’s journey as a person and as a leader. We are inherently lucky to have such amazing clients that have supported us throughout the journey. The flow on from the cottage is the hill in Stuartholme overlooking the city. The mural features Mount Coo-tha in the background, with his TV and telephone towers, an iconic part of the Brisbane landscape.
Then there is the van. The original Brooke’s Blooms vehicle. Brooke took her life savings and funnelled them into that beat up old Toyota. It was a likely workhorse and serviced the company and its clients for over 8 years before retiring respectfully and in due time. That van undoubtably has some stories to tell and was an important part of our humble little beginnings. Featured in the mural is the van in its final state – old, beat up, a little bit of graffiti here and there, but a poignant ode to something that did its job and did it well. It is difficult to attribute too much emotion to a non-sentient object, but that car is as significant to the foundations of this business as anything else, a deserved attribute to the mural.
Then there is Buddah. The centre feature, the crowning star. Buddah was Brooke’s beautiful dog who was with her for 17 years, 5 of which were spent in the original Brooke’s Blooms HQ. He would be there in the morning to greet all the field staff as they went about their preparations. Then he would hang out and wait for the office staff to arrive, greeting them each in turn. Buddah never left, he would wander the shed, letting us all know when someone would arrive, but he would never leave. He even had his own couch pride of place next to Brooke in her office. When everyone would arrive in the afternoon, he would be there to meet them. Buddah was an important part of the Brooke’s Blooms culture. The team loved him, and he loved them in return, and he touched a lot of people during his time in the office. It is sad that he is no longer with us, but his spirit lives on through his likeness in the mural and he is there watching over us every day.
The mural features a lot of flowers, an ode to our shared love of plants and nature. There is a beautiful Cockatoo, perched above everybody, representative of the prevalence of the iconic bird, especially as the sun goes down around Mount Coot-ha and the Western Freeway. There are lots of big trees and gumtrees. These are evocative of the journey from something small to something large- from a humble seed to a sapling, to a big strong tree. Stoic and impressive, these trees ride the hard times and the good, yet they remain, ageless. The Wattle Tree is featured which is one of Brooke’s favourite plants. It flowers in the cynical depths of winter when the days are short and cold. The Wattle flowers prolifically in bright shades of yellow and serves as a stark contrast to the environment around it. They remind Brooke of Spring, of new beginnings, that everything is going to be alright.
In the centre of the mural, high above everything, is a heart formed by the intertwining of two vines. This is the representative of the love we have of each other and the work we do every day. Bringing beautiful works of art to life in the form of gardens. The mural is something that will continue to inspire us all and everyone that views it. It is bright, cheerful, happy, and an ever-present reminder of our humble beginnings and how far we have come. Brooke’s Blooms has been built on the sincere belief in togetherness. That as a collective whole we can achieve anything. This mural is representative of this ethos. When everything else fails we have each other, and that undoubtably is the most important thing in life.
