Spa@Home

This nondescript back yard in the searing Valley sun was transformed into a luxurious personal retreat, with something fun for everyone in the family. The main back yard event is the exquisite zero-elevation reflection/swimming pool and spa.

Water gently cascades from a bluestone water wall, creating ripples on the pool's otherwise mirror surface. Arbutus 'Marina' and hardy variegated Dietes fill the raised planter with greenery.

The custom daybed and glass-covered firebowl create a perfect 'hanging-out' niche for adults and children alike.

A custom shadesail canopy provides much-needed shade over the dining area, and allows the stately sycamore to cast its leafy shadow patterns on the fabric. At night, landscape lighting creates a magical environment.

Glass tile highlights the zero elevation pool and spa details. The deck is a wood composite utilized to work with the sustainably-forested ipe in the front yard.

Privacy and the need to preserve the magnificent oak tree mandated the strategy for the sustainable front yard renovation. The custom steel fencing and feathery climate-appropriate plantings create a screen for the front rooms, and offer some protection from the extremely busy residential street, without becoming too fortress-like. The hedge plants are layered four rows deep, and include Crepe Myrtles, Pittosporum Tenuifolium and Pittosporum 'Silver Sheen', Leptospermum Scoparium, and Pineapple Guava. Groundcovers include Achillea and Ceanothus.