Credits
From Laurie Rudd
Keystone Falls… Coastal collaboration of style and family fun.
Like every Ryan Hughes Design Build client, the young family who called this coastal house their home came looking for a state-of-the-art pool and a functional outdoor living space. They sought a sense of fun and adventure, while also maintaining a level of sophistication. 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 ideals, the kids wanted a place where they could have fun.
Upon learning more about this family’s diverse preferences, the designer realized that the project called for something that was an even split between family entertainment and upscale adult fun, while also reconciling a modern style with a naturalistic atmosphere. 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. As is the case with all of our projects, we immediately established a strong center line. In this case, it begins at the door to the house, where we placed a perimeter overflow spa with a secondary perimeter overflow sun shelf, adding size and scale and making the spa feel like an impressive, dominant entity in its own right. It is strategically located alongside the lanai with the TV, the outdoor kitchen, and the outdoor living set, so when you are in the spa, you are connected to the main outdoor living space.
From there, the center line extends directly across the pool to a fire pit set inside the pool. We dug deep into our bag of tricks for this one, 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. We have done several renditions of floating fire pits, but this one was unique. To enter, you have to walk around the pool and step down into it. This partitioned space spans the trough of the vanishing edge, meaning that half of it is in the upper pool and half is in the lower pool. We also created a moat around it, giving one the impression that they are seated completely within the water.
We seized every opportunity to insert fun and entertainment in this design. The acrylic window between the pool and the fire pit, for example, wasn’t just a cool little viewport. It also checked the box for family entertainment because it is a playful element for the kids. They can watch each other swim or make faces at the adults seated around the fire pit.
When it came to the wife’s vision of the grotto and the slide, we tried to make this area its own dedicated space. It is far removed from the sight line that looks out of the back of the house. As you journey into the backyard, the grotto seemingly materializes on your left-hand side. The experience of “discovering” this secluded retreat gives it the intended organic, naturalistic atmosphere.
If we had not been careful, the boundary between a modern, geometric pool and a rocky grotto could have been awkward. To mitigate the chance of this, we softened the transition by using Brazilian walnut, a natural-looking hardwood also known as Ipe. To take it a step further, instead of a traditional pool deck of marble or travertine, the entire deck is artificial turf to help bring those two worlds into harmony with one another. Otherwise, the grotto would have contrasted with its surroundings and clashed with the color and texture palette. 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.
Achieving the right balance around our modern pool required a subtle hand. While the grotto exudes an organic, almost free form design, in reality, itis carefully situated along a secondary sightline—right outside the double doors of the pool house. The natural location for the grotto was opposite this pool house, so the weight of the entire area balances out. Additionally, the various terraces achieve an understated balance as well, with natural textures used to integrate it all.
In terms of the colors, modern-looking pools tend to rely on a more monochromatic palette. You’ll notice that this is the case for Keystone Falls in everything from the tiles to the interior finish, but we also used earthy textures in the artificial turf and the Ipe deck. To add a little pop of personality, we wove sapphire blue throughout our furniture, which went well with the home’s blue doors and some of the blue balances on the lanai.
It should be noted that everything you see in this outdoor living space was executed by our team, including the furniture. Without comprehensive control, right down to the smallest components, this design would have lost its intended vibe.
In the end, 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.