Gorgeous spa by Oehme/Van Sweden

I realize that I have been neglecting one of my favorite topics, swimming pools and spas, so it is time to pick up the slack! I think that a lot of people work off of the assumption that swimming pools and spas are functional, and that means that they should be ugly mementos of the public swimming pool from our childhood. I don't know why ugly swimming pools are such a strong element of American culture, but I am determined to be a part of the movement to change that.

I have been lucky enough to get to know a few of the players in the Genesis 3 Design Group, a group dedicated to raising the design standards for the pool industry. If you have never heard of them, take a look at their website, and make sure to click through to the websites of their Platinum members. They are raising swimming pool design to an art form and you'll be amazed by what you see.

The spa I have shown here just blows me away. It was designed by Oehme, van Sweden and Associates (James van Sweden is an occasional lecturer for Genesis 3), who are high on my list of favorite Landscape Architects of all time. If you haven't read their book, Gardening with Nature (or any of their other equally amazing books), please go to Amazon and get it right now. You won't regret it- I'll even give you a link so you can get there easier!

I will try to make up for my sad neglect of swimming pools by showing off some of my favorites in upcoming posts, so keep an eye out!

Modern fountain in Mission Hills

Just in case my love of clean lines isn't entirely obvious at this point, I just have to say that I love this fountain feature! I love the intersection of planes from the tall wall, ground plane, and basin. I like that the moving water, the fountain part of the fountain, is dwarfed by the wall, but the sound still dances around the courtyard. I like the mix of rock sizes in the planters from small gravels to medium sized river cobble. I like the restraint of a single species of plant material (Aeonium 'Zwartzkoff' and please don't quote me on the spelling of that).

This is in a central courtyard of a lovely mixed use building that occupies the entire block of Washington and Goldfinch in Mission Hills. I don't know who the designer is, but if anyone does, please let me know! If you'd like to see it for yourself, you can't see it from the street. You'll have to walk into the courtyard. While you are there, take a look around at the other fabulous plantings!

Fire pits: thinking outside the [fire]box

It is very easy to get sick of seeing the same-old same-old fire pits over and over again. They look like the smaller fire pit photo (left) and they work just fine but they are so dull! Can't we look outside the box a bit more for inspiration?

The fire pit below is a simple indentation filled with rock chips (remember to be careful picking this material- some rocks explode when you expose them to high heat) and the back of it is a panel of CorTen steel with a lazer-etched design of a tree. It would be a great way to reflect the heat into the sitting area. Now, this picture actually isn't real- it is a computer rendering- but as a design concept I like it a lot. What do you think?

Artificial stone: to do or not to do

As the Tuscan craze continues and continues and continues, I get a lot of requests for stone facing on fireplaces, barbecues, walls, and columns. A lot of the time, people wonder whether they should go with an artificial stone. So I thought I would take a minute to go over the benefits and drawbacks of artificial vs. the real deal.

The main thing that is in artificial stone's favor is that it is less expensive, typically 50% to 75% of the cost of real stone. Also, because the pieces have been designed to fit together easily, the installation cost is also less. The other thing that I think draws people to the artificial options on the market is that some of the companies are fabulous at marketing so that it is very easy to tell which ones will give you that iconic Tuscan look that people just seem to drool over (as in the photo here).

So what are the drawbacks? First off, artificial stone is essentially formed concrete that is faux-painted to look like stone. That means two things: 1) that the color does not go the full way through so any chips will show the grey inside color, and 2) the paint colors aren't that natural so they are tough to match with any other natural materials you might pick (like, say, the travertine tiles that people also seem to drool over). But I think the biggest drawback is the "Disneyland effect"- they are good fakes but they are still fakes! And once your eye is trained to see the fakeness, they will never look real to you again.

So, what I like to recommend is to use the real stuff- actual stone!- whenever you can. Use it smarter. Use less of it. Use it where it counts. It will never get dated or look oh-so-2005. If it chips, you'll just see more real stone underneath. And best of all, it will always have that wonderful color and luminescence of real stone.

"But the cost," you say! It isn't as bad as you think. Luckily, a few stone companies took their cue from the artificial stone makers and came out with thin veneers of real stone that are pre-cut to the shape you want (just like the fake stuff) so they weigh less and are easy to install. They are still more expensive than the fake options, but consider this: in ten years I think we will all be pulling the fake stuff off. It will look dated and passe, but the real stuff will still be beautiful to us in the way that gorgeous Craftsman tile from the 1930's is still beautiful to us. The real stuff will be cheaper in the long run because you will still like it.

A few sources:

The fake stuff: El Dorado Stone and Cultured Stone are the two top manufacturers
The real stuff: try Thompsons Building Supply for some great options including NSVI and Montana Rockworks

And of course check out our website, www.sageoutdoordesigns.com where you can see examples of some of each!

Image of the day: craftsman fence

Just a quick photo for today of a fence I have been admiring for some time. This fence is on one of the really up-and-coming stretches of 30th street in North Park, and this building was one of the first to get made over into something special. Now the neighborhood has taken off and is flourishing, which I guess we can't credit completely to this fence...

but maybe a little?

Small fountains are waterwise

Just a quick bit of eye candy for your Friday viewing pleasure. This little fountain is by Garden Studio (out of Newport Beach). The pot itself is adorable but I think it is the ring of succulents around the base that makes it.

Steal this idea: try it around the base of a fountain, or around the base of a fire pit. Or, try a thin band of succulents pushed up against the riser of a step (but remember to still leave enough room for your foot).

A small fountain like this one is perfectly fine in a waterwise landscape. The amount of evaporation loss is small (less than you'd use flushing the toilet once), but the visual effect of the water is big. And, don't forget the lovely sound!

Lawnless front yard examples

I get a lot of questions about whether or not it is possible to completely eliminate grass from the front yard without sacrificing curb appeal in the process. I think that it is not only possible, it is a great idea! So from time to time, I'll be posting images of lawnless (but very attractive) front yards. Here are two yards I found in the San Diego State area of San Diego.

The first uses mature citrus trees to provide a screen between the home and the street, with a very decorative entry arbor to break this barrier and lead you into the garden. They used very colorful mass plantings to create interest along the street: Acalypha and Russian sage among other things. This scheme would work very well for a corner lot where the front yard covers a lot of square footage.

The second example is a small Spanish home, so it works as a great showpiece for a small scale garden. It centers on a small tiered fountain and has a dry stream bed that snakes through the planted spaces.

Want to go lawnless? We can help! Check out www.sageoutdoordesigns.com and fill out the contact form.