The Keystone Falls client sought a sense of fun and adventure, while also maintaining a level of sophistication in its outdoor living area. Mom wanted an organic, natural rock structure with a swim-in grotto, while Dad’s goals included a huge spa, a sunken fire pit, and clean, modern lines. Somewhere between these two seemingly competing ideas, the kids wanted a place where they could have fun.
Typically, it is a dangerous line when attempting to juxtapose such polar opposites within the scope of a single project. So that was the challenge: to seamlessly merge the two within the same space, which came to be known as Keystone Falls and would feature a grotto for Mom, a spa for Dad, and a 30-foot slide for the kids.
The design started with the husband’s vision of a modern, clean-lined pool. We immediately established a strong center line that begins at the door to the house, where a perimeter overflow spa was placed with a secondary perimeter overflow sun shelf, adding size and scale. It is strategically located alongside the lanai with the TV and the outdoor kitchen. From there, the center line extends directly across the pool to a sunken fire lounge utilizing a change in elevation, an acrylic window, and a vanishing edge to make the fire pit feel like a continuous extension of the pool. The design gives the impression that those at the fire lounge are seated completely within the water.
To blur the boundary between a modern pool and a rocky grotto, we softened the transition by using Brazilian walnut, a natural-looking hardwood also known as Ipe. The entire deck is artificial turf to help bring those two worlds into harmony. These elements, combined with some intelligent landscaping, blended the grotto’s organic shapes and textures with the clean, modern lines of the rest of the pool.
Keystone Falls was everything this family hoped it would be. For the kids, there is a slide in the grotto and a set of swings, perfect for them to read books or listen to their music. Meanwhile, the opposite side of the pool is for the adults, complete with a day bed and ledge lounger chairs in the sun shelf. Itis one of our most successful projects: an outdoor space that captures the duality of family fun and sophisticated adult fun, all in one.
