CLIENT CASE STUDY

A backyard swimming pool with a hot tub, bordered by stone and concrete, with water features and landscaped plants, a privacy wall with decorative panels, and a sunset sky in the background.

THE MODERN MEDITERRANEAN:

How two empty-nesters transformed a mountain of dirt into a Mediterranean-style haven that brought their family together.

The Before

When the Evans purchased a new home after leaving a yard they loved that brought them cherished family memories, they faced a dilemma: Their new yard was a huge blank canvas, non-functional, with a less-than-inviting mountain of dirt along the entire back of their property.

It was overwhelming to fathom how to address such a large and complicated space … tastefully. 

Especially when they put tremendous effort in curating the inside of their home to achieve a beautiful Mediterranean ambiance that they wanted to extend to the outdoors. 

Having met with other “designers” prior in an attempt to figure out this perplexing puzzle, they felt the designs were ok, but nothing inspiring.

A backyard under construction with dirt and gravel ground, enclosed by a red brick wall, and neighboring houses visible under a cloudy sky at sunset.

But none of the other designs they’d looked at found a way to work with, not against their challenging space by using it to their full advantage to create something unique

And that is when they came to me — with a desire for a design that reflected who they are, as well as and their meticulous interior design efforts for true indoor/outdoor living, but most importantly, brought their family together.

Backyard with a swimming pool, hot tub, water features, patio with outdoor furniture, and a shaded seating area.
Fountain with two basins and water streams in a backyard with plants and decorative wall.

The Desires

  • Achieve an outdoor aesthetic that naturally flows from the indoors — making their yard an extension of their beautiful home

  • A yard that maximizes their real estate without wasting space

  • To be able to bring their family together and make multi-generational memories with their kids and grandkids

  • A yard elegantly incorporating outdoor dining and lounging areas for family gathering, not just a pool designed independently — one cohesive design.

  • Address the less-than-ideal yard conditions so that they seem to melt away

  • Have a yard that’s safe and fun for their family of all ages to use and reconnect, with a balance of strategic landscape elements so it doesn’t feel harsh. 

  • Incorporate shaded, functional areas to accommodate full southern sun-exposure.

Original Hesitations

Having met with multiple other designers who did not meet their goals or take the design and curation lead required for their project, they started to feel they only had three options:

  1. They’d have to take it fully upon themselves to translate ideas in their mind to fruition, while dealing with a complex space. They’d have to accept a perpetual cycle of trial-and-error and in the end, still have mediocre results. 

  2. Make a substantial time and energy sacrifice to wade through a sea of contractors and salespeople in hopes of finding a design expert with an artistic eye amongst them.

  3. Or commission a professionally trained designer or landscape architect specialising in pool and outdoor living design.

“We started seeing a pattern with designs and an “order taking” service without taking a creative lead as the expert to help us bring our ideas to the next level and address the specific challenges of our yard. Also, everyone claims they’re the best, so it was almost impossible to sort out who we actually hired would be capable of delivering our vision. Especially when considering the nuances of our lot.”
— Evans Family

The Process

  • Step 1: Site & Lifestyle Analysis


    Instead of the usual surface-level  “what features do you want?” questionnaire, we had a relaxed conversation about the root reasons for their pool and outdoor living.

    We determined how they wanted the space to feel and function, and discussed their lifestyle patterns to create a functional foundation to build aesthetics upon later.

  • Step 2: Tailored Design Direction


    We walked through the interior and exterior together for an in-depth analysis with the Evans of their site's unique advantages, challenges, and considerations, and reviewed how we could incorporate their preliminary ideas accordingly, and how we could build upon them to address their space’s unique nuances.

  • Step 3: Streamline Design™ Development


    With all of the detailed notes and analysis from our first gathering in mind, I drafted a master-planned HD 3D rendering (with all doors and windows measured exactly) to feel what living with the design would feel like from the indoors and outdoors.  

  • Step 4

    My masterplan not only included their custom poolscape, but all their supporting elements, such as curated landscaping and shaded outdoor living spaces to ensure every element complemented one another as one cohesive design.

  • Step 5

    To streamline their project’s process (my secret sauce!), I provided their detailed masterplan to a network of vetted craftsmen aligned with the specializations required for their bespoke plan to secure pre-negotiated and detailed pricing to make informed, finalized decisions.

  • Step 6

    To preserve the design dream and intent, I acted as the Evan’s personal Design Detail Director following their project at each critical phase through discerning design eyes before advancing to the next phase — avoiding costly mistakes, delays, and non-intentional changes made to the design intent the Evan’s expected.

The Renderings

A backyard swimming pool with a stone waterfall feature, surrounded by desert plants, a covered seating area, and a mountain in the background during sunset.
A modern backyard pool area with a water fountain feature, surrounded by desert plants and tall trees, during sunset.
Luxury backyard with a swimming pool, hot tub, and waterfall feature, surrounded by potted plants and outdoor seating, during sunset.

  • The “mountain of dirt” was transformed into a tasteful terrace, turning what seemed to be a disadvantage into a focal feature they could enjoy every day — even when indoors.

  • The Evans felt a seamless connection between their meticulously curated Mediterranean-themed interior and outdoors, creating an extension of the beautiful home they’d curated.

  • Aside from aesthetics, no space was left wasted as their yard was tastefully grouped into distinctive play, entertainment, and relaxation spaces for a functionally balanced experience.

The Reality

The Evans now had more than a “pool”. They had an environment that achieved their ultimate goal; to bring their family together again to continue making the memories they so cherished.

Backyard pool at dusk with colorful sky, outdoor kitchen and dining area, water features, and decorative plants.

The Results

“We can’t thank you enough for your professionalism, expertise, and understanding of our vision.”
— Evans Family
Backyard swimming pool with waterfall features, surrounded by stone and tile, with a covered patio area for seating, with a sunset sky in the background.

Key Takeaways

With the Evan’s past experiences through the traditional contractor and sales-focused design channels, they were beginning to feel forced into to a less-than-ideal result due to the challenging lot conditions that despite it’s substantial size, felt limiting and overwhelming to navigate.

They worried they’d have to continue wading through a sea of salespeople to hopefully come across something inspiring that met their vision.

The beauty of this project is that it’s the creation of a guided, methodical process (my proprietary ‘Streamline Design’ process) — and collaborative effort.

By combining the master-plan mindset with holistic design principles, it allowed me to guide the project to reflect the Evans’s personality and goals by keeping their vision in mind, and then elevating their ideas to the highest level for their specific space.

The client happened to come across a tile accent idea they liked during the process, and we collaborated on incorporating the cherry-on-top detail that tied together their Mediterranean theme.

The Evans had a strong foundation of reasons they wanted their yard and they made that destination clear through insights and feedback so that we could easily navigate the sea together. They realized this process is much more than ”just drawings”, (but a trusted collaboration???) and trusted the imperative for a continued effort from design to fruition. 

Backyard with a swimming pool, stone patio, landscaped plants, tall cypress trees, a shaded seating area, and a sunset sky.
Backyard with a swimming pool, stone waterfall, surrounded by potted plants, tall trees, and a seating area under the patio, sunset sky
Backyard pool with spa, outdoor furniture, and desert landscaping at sunset
Backyard with a swimming pool and outdoor patio area at sunset, featuring water features and seating areas.
A backyard swimming pool with a waterfall feature, lounge seating area, and decorative plants at sunset.
A backyard water fountain with two dark bowls on stone stands pouring water into a pool, surrounded by green plants and a beige wall with decorative metalwork.
Backyard with a spa, fire feature, decorative wall, and landscaping.
Backyard at sunset with illuminated swimming pool, outdoor dining area, lush plants, and decorative wall art.
A luxurious backyard pool area at dusk with vibrant blue-lit pools, landscaping, and outdoor seating.
A backyard swimming pool illuminated with blue lights at sunset, with potted plants, a stone wall with water features, a covered patio area with outdoor furniture, and a sky with colorful clouds and a visible moon.
Nighttime view of a backyard swimming pool with blue lighting, surrounded by a stone patio, with seating area and landscaping under a colorful sky with the moon.
An illuminated backyard swimming pool at twilight with a decorative stone wall featuring three ornate metal panels, surrounded by tall cypress trees and lush plants, creating a serene ambiance.
A backyard with a swimming pool, outdoor dining area, and outdoor kitchen at sunset. The pool area has blue lighting, and there is modern patio furniture and potted plants.
A backyard fire feature with a built-in gas fire pit, surrounded by landscaping with trees, bushes, and decorative wrought iron wall panels, illuminated with purple and blue lighting.
Outdoor patio at dusk with potted succulents, bushes, and decorative lighting, featuring shadows cast by plants on a white wall and a textured raised flower bed.
A decorative water fountain feature with two rectangular black bowls on stone pedestals, water flowing from each into a pool, with a pink stucco wall with metal wall decorations, plants, and trees in the background.
Outdoor kitchen with a bar area, grill, sink, and potted plant, surrounded by palm trees and greenery.
Backyard patio with tiled flooring, outdoor furniture, potted plants, a turtle statue, a grassy area, and a sunset sky overhead.

When you’re ready to discuss your project, I’d love to meet you.

Click below to choose and date and time convenient to you, and we’ll discuss your ideas and options.

RESERVE YOUR CONSULTATION