I was chatting recently with a landscape architect about a current project that was particularly challenging for him. The homeowners had a pool in their backyard, Iand while the wife was basically happy with the installation, the husband didn’t like it at all. “He couldn’t really verbalize what bothered him,” the landscape architect told me, “only that he thought it looked terrible.”
After extended conversations with the homeowners, it became clear that the husband felt the house just didn’t go with the yard. “He felt they weren’t connected aesthetically, and it bugged him every time he went out there.”
The entire backyard, including the pool, is currently being renovated, with special attention paid to the concept of connecting indoor and outdoor spaces. And although the house in question is a bit more modest than those pictured on our pages, the landscape architect might want to take a look at the project profiles on pages 24 and 30 for inspiration.
The first, a home in California, not only links house to yard, it also links the outdoor spaces together using water and a striking, memorable design. The second home is in Florida where the designer created an environment that effortlessly blends house, pool, lake, and a man-made lagoon. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts in this private oasis.
So if you’re searching for the missing link between you and your inspiration, these project profiles are a great place to start.
