THE CANVAS: Panoramic lake view, Mediterranean-style home, a single axis
THE PALETTE: Multi-hued travertine marble, a series of circles and arcs, a peekaboo spa surrounded by 20 fountains
THE MASTERPIECE: A chorus line of dancing water, a reflection pond comes full circle
This poolscape was designed with a split personality. By day, it’s serene enough to whisper in your ear. At night, water effects mimic the lively fountains of Las Vegas’ most lavish hotel pools.
Circles and symmetry provide crucial calming elements. The designer added arced walls to a basic Roman-shaped pool, creating a radiused vanishing edge and roomy sun-shelf area.
“I love working with circles in a setting where what we want to look at is broad,” says Rick Legnon, president of Advanced Pools. “A round wall like that directs your eye across the entire scene — the lake and trees, and everything beyond the pool. Then I have a curve on the inside wall for balance.”
The designer continued the theme with a round perimeter-overflow spa that forms a concentric circle inside the sun shelf’s arc. It sits just half an inch above the pool’s surface, but rests high enough to keep cold water from spilling into the hot-water vessel. It’s also low enough that it barely breaks up the reflective surface.
Access to the spa comes via a wet walkway running across the sun shelf. It has only 3 inches of cold water and bisects the sun shelf, following an axis that starts from the center of the house. “I wanted everything to come off the center point,” Legnon says. “Symmetry was important to me.”
Circles in the stamped concrete complement the round edges of the pool. Lines within the deck follow the main axis.
The combination vanishing edge and slot overflow turn the pool into a virtual mirror to reflect the stunning scenery. Legnon capped this impression with a graceful bronze statue that seems to stand watch over the aquascape.
For entertainment value, he used water effects that bring to mind the world-famous “dancing” fountains at Las Vegas’ Bellagio Hotel and Casino. He outfitted this pool with a stunning display of 20 fountain jets. Four laminar arcs shoot into the vessel from the deck, five trumpet-head jets blast from the vanishing-edge catch basin and 11 bronze fountain heads send water from the weir wall.
Colored lighting punctuates the festive nature of the project.
