“The emphasis needed to be  on indoor/outdoor living, complementing the couple’s lifestyle,” she says.

Indeed, the reimagined space emerged as a transportive, zen-like getaway, equally enticing for enjoying dinner off the grill, sipping cocktails under the stars, watching sports on the big-screen television inside the pool house or simply spending an afternoon with a book poolside.

Easy access from the home’s kitchen to the outdoors was mandatory. “‘Inside out, outside in’ was our mantra,” Stephanie says.

All together, the couple and Stephanie embarked on the renovation project beginning in 2019, hiring Michael Given Environments to design the pool and landscape. They tore out the existing pool, pool house, surrounding black iron fence and brick patio in favor of a 720-square-foot structure, including an adjacent outdoor kitchen.

The new 46-foot-long, 20-foot-wide zero-entry pool—featuring a linear fire pit and a spa waterfall—was filled in May 2020 as finishing touches were put on the distinctive outdoor living area remodel. 

“The design achieves the homeowner’s vision of reinforcing the connection to the landscape, maximizing the once ho-hum outdoor space into a tranquil environment,” Stephanie says. “They’re now able to enjoy this year-round, regardless of weather.”