Design element: pools

In the spring, I showed a little sketch of what the outdoor room will look like at the new house. At the bottom of the sketch, the edge of a pool can be seen.

When we first started thinking about building, my husband and I were not planning on having a pool. However, once we found a lot and had a general footprint for a house plan, two things became apparent: 1) the lot was perfect for a pool 2) if we didn’t build a pool now, we would never be able to build a pool. The house we are building is ‘L’ shaped, with a garage at the tip of the ‘L’, and it would be all but impossible (or impossibly expensive) to get construction equipment around the garage in future years, given that the lot starts to slope in the back and there is going to be a retaining wall.

So, we decided to have a pool, much to the delight of our children. It’s not going to be enormous, but big enough to add visual beauty to the landscape, and to accommodate a group of kids on a hot day. As far as the design of the pool is concerned, there was never really any kind of discussion about the shape of the pool; from the very beginning, the pool on the plans has been a clean and simple rectangle. This certainly fits in well with the tailored but elegant aesthetic that seems to be emerging in the house and landscape. Alec Michaelides of LandPlus Associates has truly created a beautiful design for our back yard, with the pool as a key element in that design.

Several readers have asked me to do a ‘pool post’, so here are some pool images that have inspired me over the years. Enjoy!

The pool house had interiors by Phoebe Howard, but it is the entire scene that catches my eye; a clean lined pool, a hilltop setting, and beautiful combination of materials and textures.

One of my favorite outdoor scenes, with landscape architecture by Howard Design Studio. I love it when a pool is sited in alignment with an architectural feature, like this guest house.

One of my favorite pool designs, by LandPlus Associates. I love the beauty and elegant simplicity of this pool, and the fountain that is mounted into the wall is so charming. The limestone ball finials are the perfect touch.

A reader sent me this photo recently, from an Atlanta real estate listing. I love how the house walks out to the back (not always the case in Atlanta, where there are a lot of hills and the main level often walks out to a terrace, and the basement walks out to the yard). I also like how the pool is close to the house, but not right next to it. Finally, I like that there are pavers around the pool; so many pools these days have grass around the pool, which is beautiful but does not seem really practical when you have kids who will be using the pool (I just imagine the grass becoming a muddy mess - can anyone tell me if this is true?).

I first saw this pool image on Limestone & Boxwoods. The one of a kind setting really makes this pool special – look at the view in the distance! I really like the style where the pool has an infinity edge, but I also think that the view in the distance must be good to support the style. I suppose the topography of the land must support it too!

One of my favorite pool pictures, via Limestone & Boxwoods (photo from Martha Stewart Living). There is something so romantic about this picture, and I also love the privacy – like the pool is set in the midst of a secret garden. Initially we were going to have the steps in our pool go all the way across as they are seen in this image, but we decided to put them in the corner instead as the pool is not large, and we wanted to maximize the usable area for swimming or laps.

This image really resonates with me, because it is not dissimilar to what we are planning (although I found this image after our design had already been set). The stair design in the pool is what we will be doing. Source.

This is Axel Vervoort’s pool, as photographed by Greet of Belgian Pearls. The Vervoort’s open up their castle and grounds to the public twice a year. Greet visits any time she has the opportunity!

Another view of the pool. I love that this pool has pavers on one side, the entry to the pool, but has grass on the other side. Perhaps the perfect balance! I also like that this pool is surrounded by a fence of hedges. To see more of the Vervoort’s magnificent garden, please see Greet’s post.

Another pool by Howard Design Studio has pavers on two sides, grass on one.

This pool (again, Howard Design Studio) appears to be set in a lush garden paradise! I love the design of the steps – a set on either side. Howard Design Studio has a great Facebook fan page, and have recently had two series of pool pictures – great inspiration! Also, check out the beautiful pool and pool pavilion by Howard Design Studio in the July-August Veranda.

I am not sure where this image came from, but I love the fact that the pool area is structured like its own outdoor room, with the greenery defining the walls.

The pool at my sister’s new house is set in its own area, fully surrounded by a wood fence. I particularly liked the covered area to the right, with the Janus et Cie lounge chairs.

Finally, an image I found just last week, via Acanthus & Acorn (a wonderful blog that I highly recommend). The clean and simple shape of the pool, the color of the stone around the pool, the secret garden quality all appeal to me.

This post is particularly timely given that Atlanta has had an unusually hot summer (although we have had a bit of a break over the past week). Just looking at these images is refreshing! If you have any interesting pool pictures in your files, I would love to see them – I had to search a bit to find these pictures, and would love to have a bigger inspiration file.

Do you like the clean lined pool design as much as me, or does something else catch your eye?

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New on the market: one of Atlanta’s most beautiful homes

In the December 2009 issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, 20 houses were selected as the most beautiful examples of timeless design in Atlanta. One of these houses was recently listed for sale, which presents a rare opportunity to get a glimpse into the private side of both the interiors and the landscape design of the home.

Here is the picture that appeared in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles (photo credit: Erica George Dines). The casual observer might think that this is the front of the home, but it is not; it is the rear of the home. I have a great appreciation for a house that is as beautiful when viewing from the back as it is from the front.

As the house sits at the intersection of two charming streets, project architect Stan Dixon (Stan Dixon worked at Norman Askins Architects when he designed this house in 2000) and landscape architect John Howard sited the house at an angle to face the intersection of the streets. This enabled both a stately and commanding presence on Peachtree Battle, one of the most charming and prestigious streets in Atlanta, as well as a private motor court where the front of the house is located, with access from Woodward Way (the side street). A wing that parallels Woodward Way can be seen from this angle (as seen in the picture above, which I took last fall). To me, this is the ideal kind of a house: one that both reveals and conceals. In this case, the front of the house is only revealed to invited guests – and to readers of my blog!

I spoke briefly with Stan Dixon about the architecture of this house. He said that the historical references are Georgian, but with a uniquely American influence of 17th century Virginia architecture. Mount Airy, a mid-Georgian plantation house in Richmond County, Virginia, was a historical reference and inspiration for the design. Mount Airy was built from 1758-62, and was considered to be highly unique and distinctive at the time when it was built, with its combination of Georgian and Palladian influences. The central pavilion is made of rusticated limestone.

Here is a closer view of the street side of the house. Landscape architect John Howard was kind enough to provide me with some magnificent pictures for this post; John’s firm, Howard Design Studio, is one of the premiere landscape architecture firms in Atlanta. I have seen numerous landscape projects that John and his team have designed, and the word that comes to mind is ‘artist’ – John is truly an artist when it comes to landscape, and his designs always beautifully tie the houses to their environment, making the homes look as if they have been there for decades. He clearly has an artistic eye and skill at exterior photography as well; he took most of the exterior images that are used in this post.

John told me that “on the rear of the house, which faces Peachtree Battle, we built a limestone clad terrace off the main salon and left the outer edge as a planter for American Boxwood to create privacy. We anchored the corners of the terrace with English gas lanterns on cast iron posts matching those in the motor court, which framed the house from the street. Two mature matching Southern Magnolia trees were brought in from South Carolina and set with a crane to bracket the beautiful façade facing the street, giving the new house an instant feeling of permanence and dignity. The lawn sweeping from street to the house speaks for itself. Flanking the lawn on both streets, we created a woodland effect using Ginkgo trees and Yoshino Cherries mixed in a loose grove. The white Cherry blossoms are a striking contrast to the dark brick walls in the spring and the golden Ginkgo leaves a striking contrast in the fall. The trees were underplanted with Oakleaf Hydrangeas for a summer show. The landscape was treated with simple bold gestures to give the house the setting it deserved”.

Here is the front of the house – this is classic architecture at its best, with purity of form, perfect scale and proportion, built with classic and timeless materials. This is a house that would look right at home in the 17th century, looks incredibly elegant in the 21st century, and will still look as good 200 years from now. The bricks used for the exterior cladding of this home are old, imported from England, as the owners lived in the UK for many years and have a respect for the architecture and ancient materials used in historical houses in England.

The hardscape was carefully considered when planning this home. In landscape architect John Howard’s words, “the motor court was designed with two types of cobbles to form a subtle pattern, one stone being black Belgian cobbles and the other antique French sets. We placed a pair of English gas lanterns on cast iron posts as a portal into the court and to frame the approach to the house. The entire motor court and garden side of the house is walled in, providing intimacy, privacy and security”.

My favorite feature of the front of the home is the beautiful thick limestone door surround; it reminds me of my favorite Robert Adams designed door surrounds in Fitzroy Square in London . This house is elegant and simple, perfectly proportioned, and the door surround is the one point of ornamentation, yet with clean strong horizontal and vertical lines. The door surround culminates in a carved limestone pediment that echoes the shape of the central portion of the rear of the house.

The detail of the cobblestones in the motor court can be seen in this picture (taken by John Howard). Note the elegant Asiatic Jasmine that is planted next to the house, which suits the house perfectly. The ornamental bushes are American boxwood. It is also interesting to note that the motor court is designed so that visitors enter through the front door (Stan likes to design houses with this feature).

This image, from the real estate listing, shows the entry hall. The detail on the transom above the door can be seen. Stan noted that the interiors were not designed to be ‘period interiors’, but rather reflect a classic and timeless design suited to the needs of modern day life. I appreciated seeing the inside of the house, as I would have expected a typical Georgian layout with a center stair hall, living room and dining room on either side. I did not expect the front left window to be part of the entry, and love this unexpected surprise! I like the juxtaposition of the symmetry in the exterior of the house, and the more fluid arrangement inside. I am also a fan of stairs that are a little more tucked to the side, and this is a gracious and lovely example of a way to have a beautiful stair in the entry, but not have it dominate the space. (Image via listing)

A view from the entry to the back of the house, through a lovely vestibule defined by a series of arched doors. I love this floor – the running bond pattern is my favorite pattern for stone floors. There is a view to the back of the house, which is a feature that I like in a home. It appears as if this room is revealed when it is entered, and only a glimpse is seen when entering the home. (Image via listing)

Although I am fairly hopeless at figuring out floor plans, my best guess is that this elegant library is on the front of the house, to the right of the front door. As a bibliophile, I always appreciate a house that has a library – it speaks to a devotion to books and learning. As much as I like my kindle, I find that there it is truly no substitute for actually holding a book and being able to slip it into a spot in the bookshelf. (Image via listing)

This picture confirms my suspicion. I always appreciate when real estate photography helps the viewer discern the floor plan of a house; this is so important as most people start with the internet when looking for a home. (Image via listing)

The elegant room that can be seen from the front door. My guess is that this is the central window that can be seen at the rear of the house. I find the placement of the small paintings on either side of the fireplace to be charming. (Image via listing)

A pretty and well designed kitchen – given that this kitchen was designed 10 years ago, it is clearly a classic style as it looks fresh and current. (Image via listing)

The master bedroom is a beautiful retreat, decorated in one of my favorite shades of green-blue. (Image via listing)

Another special feature of this house is a intimately scaled formal walled garden, set to the left of the house on axis with the motor court. In John’s words, “the focal point of the axial approach is a koi pond built with stacked Cherokee stone with limestone detailing (the same materials used in the other walls on the property) . We inset an antique bronze fountain head obtained from a gallery in New York, and designed a custom pedestal which holds the plumbing mechanics for the pond, then placed a stone urn upon the top. We placed gas sconces on the garden wall to complete the backdrop. The terrace floor was laid with antique York stone purchased as salvage from England. This garden is laid out in four quadrants and is planted with dwarf boxwood and blue Macrophylla Hydrangeas. White Annabelle Hydrangeas were used behind the fountain, which drape heavily over the water in the peak of bloom. This garden can be viewed as a focal point from a loggia that is recessed into the side of the house. We placed English teak garden benches in the formal garden space and designed the Koi Pond surround at seating height”. (Image by John Howard)

A glorious view of the walled garden with the hydrangeas in full bloom; the columns of the loggia can be seen in this picture.

A close up of the beautiful fountain and koi pond.

I hope you enjoyed this tour, inside and out, of one of the most beautiful homes in Atlanta! This house is truly classic and timeless, which are hallmarks of architect Stan Dixon and landscape architect John Howard's style. It is on the market for $4,500,000.

Architects – Norman Askins Architects, Stan Dixon project architect

Landscape architect: John Howard, Howard Design Studio

Interior design - Lindsay Henderson Interiors of Greensboro, North Carolina

Listing agent: Mary Ellen Jones of Harry Norman Realtors (click here to see listing, which has more photos of the interior)

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