The addition we designed for this indoor therapy pool blends seamlessly with the existing traditional home. The heated floors and 102 degree water therapy pool make for welcome retreat all year round, even in Vermont winters. The addition was constructed with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) for maximum R-value and minimum air penetration in order to maintain 90 degree air temperature year round.

Our client wanted to be “wowed” and drawn from the home into the outdoor living space. As artists, they wanted a unique design that would transition from a more intimately situated pool close to the home out into their expansive property highlighting their view. From the sand colored aggregate on the beach entry to the hand-made glass tile on the pool, spa and catch basin, every detail was taken into consideration to complement the existing home and landscape. This pool won a SILVER International and a BRONZE Region Design award The materials used on this project include a Versailles pattern Travertine decking, Lunada Bay glass tile, Travertine coping, MicroFusion exposed aggregate interior finish, Sand in beach entry, Tahoe in pool, spa and catch basin/grotto, Zodiac Jandy pool equipment. Charles Quinn Photography

The pool and spa of this expansive project is accented beautifully by the large outdoor cabana boasting an outdoor kitchen and fireplace, natural stone retaining walls, and concrete paver patio.

Request Free Quote Measuring 18’0” x 48’0”, the pool is 3’6” at the shallow end and has a 6’0” deep at the opposite end. The pool is equipped with an automatic safety cover with a custom stone walk-on lid system. The raised water feature has a raised brick wall with a curved capstone, Limestone-cladded basin and weir openings to create a unique spillway underneath the statuary. The stone and brick pick up the same elements from the house, providing symmetry in the space. Laminar flow fountain jets surround the perimeter of the pool, providing an additional vertical element to the space. outvision photography

A complete contemporary backyard project was taken to another level of design. This amazing backyard was completed in the beginning of 2013 in Weston, Florida. The project included an Outdoor Kitchen with equipment by Lynx, and finished with Emperador Light Marble and a Spanish stone on walls. Also, a 32” X 16” wooden pergola attached to the house with a customized wooden wall for the TV on a structured bench with the same finishes matching the Outdoor Kitchen. The project also consist of outdoor furniture by The Patio District, pool deck with gold travertine material, and an ivy wall with LED lights and custom construction with Black Absolute granite finish and grey stone on walls. For more information regarding this or any other of our outdoor projects please visit our web-sight at www.luxapatio.com where you may also shop online at www.luxapatio/Online-Store.html. Our showroom is located in the Doral Design District at 3305 NW 79 Ave Miami FL. 33122 or contact us at 305-477-5141.

It started with vision. Then arrived fresh sight, seeing what was absent, seeing what was possible. Followed quickly by desire and creativity and know-how and communication and collaboration. When the Ramsowers first called Exterior Worlds, all they had in mind was an outdoor fountain. About working with the Ramsowers, Jeff Halper, owner of Exterior Worlds says, “The Ramsowers had great vision. While they didn’t know exactly what they wanted, they did push us to create something special for them. I get inspired by my clients who are engaged and focused on design like they were. When you get that kind of inspiration and dialogue, you end up with a project like this one.” For Exterior Worlds, our design process addressed two main features of the original space—the blank surface of the yard surrounded by looming architecture and plain fencing. With the yard, we dug out the center of it to create a one-foot drop in elevation in which to build a sunken pool. At one end, we installed a spa, lining it with a contrasting darker blue glass tile. Pedestals topped with urns anchor the pool and provide a place for spot color. Jets of water emerge from these pedestals. This moving water becomes a shield to block out urban noises and makes the scene lively. (And the children think it’s great fun to play in them.) On the side of the pool, another fountain, an illuminated basin built of limestone, brick and stainless steel, feeds the pool through three slots. The pool is counterbalanced by a large plot of grass. What is inventive about this grassy area is its sub-structure. Before putting down the grass, we installed a French drain using grid pavers that pulls water away, an action that keeps the soil from compacting and the grass from suffocating. The entire sunken area is finished off with a border of ground cover that transitions the eye to the limestone walkway and the retaining wall, where we used the same reclaimed bricks found in architectural features of the house. In the outer border along the fence line, we planted small trees that give the space scale and also hide some unsightly utility infrastructure. Boxwood and limestone gravel were embroidered into a parterre design to underscore the formal shape of the pool. Additionally, we planted a rose garden around the illuminated basin and a color garden for seasonal color at the far end of the yard across from the covered terrace. To address the issue of the house’s prominence, we added a pergola to the main wing of the house. The pergola is made of solid aluminum, chosen for its durability, and painted black. The Ramsowers had used reclaimed ornamental iron around their front yard and so we replicated its pattern in the pergola’s design. “In making this design choice and also by using the reclaimed brick in the pool area, we wanted to honor the architecture of the house,” says Halper. We continued the ornamental pattern by building an aluminum arbor and pool security fence along the covered terrace. The arbor’s supports gently curve out and away from the house. It, plus the pergola, extends the structural aspect of the house into the landscape. At the same time, it softens the hard edges of the house and unifies it with the yard. The softening effect is further enhanced by the wisteria vine that will eventually cover both the arbor and the pergola. From a practical standpoint, the pergola and arbor provide shade, especially when the vine becomes mature, a definite plus for the west-facing main house. This newly-created space is an updated vision for a traditional garden that combines classic lines with the modern sensibility of innovative materials. The family is able to sit in the house or on the covered terrace and look out over the landscaping. To enjoy its pleasing form and practical function. To appreciate its cool, soothing palette, the blues of the water flowing into the greens of the garden with a judicious use of color. And accept its invitation to step out, step down, jump in, enjoy.

The landscape of this home honors the formality of Spanish Colonial / Santa Barbara Style early homes in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix. By re-grading the lot and allowing for terraced opportunities, we featured a variety of hardscape stone, brick, and decorative tiles that reinforce the eclectic Spanish Colonial feel. Cantera and La Negra volcanic stone, brick, natural field stone, and handcrafted Spanish decorative tiles are used to establish interest throughout the property. A front courtyard patio includes a hand painted tile fountain and sitting area near the outdoor fire place. This patio features formal Boxwood hedges, Hibiscus, and a rose garden set in pea gravel. The living room of the home opens to an outdoor living area which is raised three feet above the pool. This allowed for opportunity to feature handcrafted Spanish tiles and raised planters. The side courtyard, with stepping stones and Dichondra grass, surrounds a focal Crape Myrtle tree. One focal point of the back patio is a 24-foot hand-hammered wrought iron trellis, anchored with a stone wall water feature. We added a pizza oven and barbecue, bistro lights, and hanging flower baskets to complete the intimate outdoor dining space. Project Details: Landscape Architect: Greey|Pickett Architect: Higgins Architects Landscape Contractor: Premier Environments Photography: Scott Sandler

Linda Oyama Bryan

Jennifer Cheung

Indoor Pool at Wellesley Contemporary project. Architect: Morehouse MacDonald Associates Pool and Spa Contractor: Custom Quality Pools Photo: Sam Gray Photography

Robert Shaw photographer

BUILDER magazine

Circa 2021. This stunning garden is in New Jersey and one knows it's not Houston because of the hydrangeas. Can you say staycation?

This blue ice sandstone terrace has a cooling effect to this comfortable outdoor living space that offers a wide-open area to lounge next to the custom-designed pool. The loggia exterior of limed brick connects to the main house right off the hearth room and is embellished with mahogany shutters flanking the French doors with a bleaching oil finish.

ECO REGIONS DESIGN AND LANDSCAPE

MARK IV Builders removed a small gazebo and built a new entertainment space adjacent to this Bethesda inground pool. The new outdoor kitchen includes covered seating with an outside television. Flagstone lines the floor in the kitchen and on the patio. The pool deck is travertine. The pergola includes pendant lighting and a firepit.