Landscape Architect:
Bill Moore Licensed NJ Lanscape Architect
Bill Moore Licensed NJ Lanscape Architect
Chris Cipriano
Cipriano Custom Swimming Pools & Landscaping.
Utilizing vertical stone structures we developed a unique and natural look for the client with cascading plantings for a one of a kind infinity edge swimming pool.
When the homeowner contacted us and described the small size of his yard, we knew right off the bat that creativity and craftsmanship were going to outweigh sheer size and grandeur on this project. Along with the size issue, the entire property happened to be located in a flood plain, which means we had to come up with a design to protect the pool and homeowners from seasonal storm surges. The backyard neighbor was also very close; one of the priorities of the homeowner was to obstruct the line of sight between the two houses. Little did we know, this job would eventually become a work of art with precast concrete cap work design and handcrafted concrete sculpture fountains.
A terraced barrier wall on the back of the pool would provide privacy from the nearby neighbors. A brown stone veneer was used as the base for the center of the wall, the piers, and under the 16 inches of coping around the pool. Weathered limestone brickettes were used on the smaller sections of the barrier wall to assist with the transition in height and enhance the look. Custom precast concrete capping for the coping of the pool, tops of piers, and top of the barrier wall were formed and poured on site. All the precast concrete cap work features the egg and dart profile, and we also added an acanthus profile to set off the rear wall caps and piers.
With all of the practical issues surrounding the pool construction solved, our next task was to find a way to bring character and excitement to the barrier wall. We knew we could not leave it alone as a decorative wall with precast concrete capping. This wall needed a focal point for the entire yard, a centerpiece! An antique terracotta medallion, salvaged from the old Dorset Hotel building in NYC, was found and deemed the centerpiece for the wall. The centerpiece for the backdrop of the pool provided us with the idea for an “old world” style. In “support” of this idea, a limestone column from India was cut in two to serve as a frame for the antique medallion. Venetian plaster was added over portions of the limestone and hand sculpted to enhance the desired “old world” look of the pool. Hand-crafted, concrete sculptures were also placed along the barrier wall: one seahorse in the center of the medallion and two lion heads and two satyr heads spread out symmetrically on either side. The concrete sculptures brought life to the static stone work by acting as mystical spigots for fountains.
With all the custom stonework and sculptures done, the finishing touches were applied to the pool. The entire inside of the pool was finished with hand crafted pearl iridescent glass tile. Fiber optic and LED lighting was added into the pool and within the barrier wall and sculptures themselves so that the whole scene could illuminate and shine at night. The fiber optic lighting allows even the minutest details of the stonework, such as the intricate sculptures and the egg-and-dart and acanthus designs on the precast concrete cap work, to be displayed regardless of the time of day.
The dipping style pool, the hand crafted sculptures, the antique terracotta medallion, and the custom precast capping designs all fit together seamlessly to create the “old world” feel we looked to present. In addition, all of the practical issues of size, flooding, and privacy were solved in the process. The homeowners could not have been more pleased with the final product. They were equally pleased that they kept reaching for that extra level of detail to transform this small dipping pool into the piece of artwork it became. In the end, we met and surpassed all of their expectations, as well as many of our own, to create a truly unique, backyard masterpiece.
Cipriano Landscape Design & Custom Pools
Mahwah NJ 07430
Phone: (201) 819-2704
Email: chris@plantnj.com
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