Just Add Water

South Florida celebrates outdoor living yearround. Water makes a splash in lavish landscapes, whether it’s with a sparkling pool, trickling fountain or waves at the beach. For proof, check out these style-soaked properties.....

Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

COASTAL CONTEMPORARY ▲

In a collaborative effort, designer Angela Reynolds worked with the home’s development team to create a harmonious space inspired by the ocean’s beauty that also complemented its modern transitional style. The home’s sleek columns, clad in sterling limestone, add to the exterior’s soft grey and white palette of understated elegance. The pool cabana, which echoes the home’s architecture, also enhances the space’s functionality with an air-conditioned retreat allowing the owners to continue soaking up the sprawling views. Reynolds’ favorite aspect of this Highland Beach backyard is the lower firepit space that provides an intimate, comfortable setting serenaded by the relaxing sound of the pool’s cascading waterfall.

Architect: Smith Architectural Group/Contractor: Davis General Contracting/Landscape Architect: Nievera Williams Design

OLD WORLD PANACHE▲

This traditional home exudes old-world grandeur with its impressive terraced yard, serene pool, guesthouse and multiple seating areas. Designer Jackie Armour’s clients wanted the spaces to feel comfortable and inviting for their multigenerational family. The two-bedroom guest house features a lanai from which guests can enjoy a poolside breakfast or afternoon snacks. Relaxing and functional seating quads surround the resort-style pool and feature a crisscross floor design that mirrors the terrace’s vine lattice overlooking the gardens. Armour dressed the interior in a soft palette that harmonizes with the extraordinary grounds. The home’s open plan, with the kitchen and family room effortlessly blending into the outdoor spaces, creates the ultimate free-flow setting for entertaining.

Architect: Patrick Segraves, SKA Architect/Builder: Edgewater Custom Homes/Landscape Architect: Parker-Yannette

A French Revival

The home, designed by Gil Walsh, showcases a formal, symmetrically classic French Regency design with timeless elements and understated details. Its elegant, museum-like façade of a royal estate complements the homeowner’s passion for art that includes a variety of collected pieces adorning the home’s walls and even extends out to the pool’s centerpiece bronze horse sculpture. The French-inspired estate evokes a sense of royal gardens while maintaining its contemporary tropical allure. With more than an acre of land in Boca’s St. Andrews Country Club, the grounds of the 12,162-square-foot home boast more than 50 varieties of native and exotic plants.

Architect: Randall Stofft/Landscape Architect: David Font

Tropical Playground

When the homeowners were looking to breathe new life into their tired backyard, they looked to TV personality Lucas Congdon of Lucas Lagoons. Known for creating over-the-top outdoor spaces on “Insane Pools: Off the Deep End,” Congdon and the team delivered a unique spin on this new grotto pool that overlooks the Indian River. Lead designer Ross Hirdes dedicated himself to creating an impressive natural stone grotto that doubles as a privacy screen while camouflaging the slide their clients insisted on having for their grandchildren. Hirdes, inspired by the plant palette and the client’s desire for a functional tropical haven, incorporated a grand tiki hut as an extension of the home along with several seating alcoves—including multiple sun shelves—to accommodate large family gatherings.

SEASIDE SANCTUARY ▲

With an expansive, nearly 5,000-square-foot outdoor living space, this Manalapan home’s centerpiece is its stunning oceanfront views that can be enjoyed from the several sitting nooks in the loggia and around the infinity-edge pool. Marc-Michaels Interior Design Director of Interior Detailing Tara Kaufmann and Senior Project Manager Melissa Adair designed the exterior to feel like an extension of the 15,000-square-foot home. They worked to create a space for their clients where the large family could come together for some fun in the sun while also having quieter areas for reading and relaxation. The gorgeous seaside pool is not the only one on the property; the lot also features a three-bedroom guesthouse with its own dreamy pool and loggia. Architect: Benedict Bullock Group / Builder: RWB Construction