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Spectacular, intricate and unique: the 2020 Pool of the Year
“The view of the pool and its surrounds are simply stunning from any angle within the garden.”
T
he 2020 National Pool of the Year is a stunning, premium-finished pool and spa built by Laguna Pools & Spas and designed by Liquid Amber Garden Design. Matt Scrase from Liquid Amber was commissioned to design the landscaping and pool for the Balwyn North backyard, following his work designing the garden at the front of the property. “The back garden had essentially been left as a blank canvas after an extensive home renovation several years earlier, with a mind to complete a landscape project when the time was right,” says Scrase. It was important to the clients that the project had its own stamp and be unique – they didn’t want to see similar projects appearing in the design magazines. Additionally, they wanted the design to be visually unimpeded by a pool fence. 42 SPLASH! December 2020/January 2021
“There was the need to move away from a traditional pool barrier as they wanted the new pool and landscape to fully integrate with the renovated home,” says Scrase. “This then allowed me to explore the eight-metre long curved negative edge wall, dressed in a specifically blended range of Bizassa glass mosaic tiles. “Since we in the state of Victoria have a limited pool season due to the climate, the client was also insistent that the pool area looks great all year round – and with a carefully laid out lighting design, the pool and spa itself would always take centre stage.”
An intricate build
Doing their due diligence, the clients sourced a number of quotes from registered pool builders including Melbourne-based Laguna
Pools & Spas. Laguna’s attention to detail and their willingness to accept the challenges landed them the project. “Not only was the shape and layout of this pool and spa combination unique, but access to the site was via a fully landscaped front yard and a restrictive side access way,” says Scrase. “Laguna dealt with all these varied issues with aplomb and put forward the best trades to complete this challenging pool build to the highest specification.” Laguna general manager Dallas Roberts says the pool was a spectacular and quite intricate design, and the clients were very particular. “They had high quality expectations and wanted it to be unique – which is certainly is,” he says. The site was quite constrictive, and the