In the frame

Much has been written about fitting a pool into a tight space, but larger properties also bring their own challenges.

Landscape designer Mark Read of Natural Habitats says the main challenge for the project featured on these pages was visual continuity.

"The swimming pool and patio area needed to link to the house, which already existed. Using similar materials was a way to ensure each would complement the other."

Read consequently took his inspiration from the South Island schist cladding on the house, which gives it the look of a resort lodge. Schist pillars that are part of the original architecture are replicated in the landscape by a series of pillars that support a solid macrocarpa wood pergola.

"The pillars march right through the water the stone goes right down to the base of the pool," he says. "It's a relatively simple concept, but it adds another dimension. I didn't envisage the pergola being part of the garden as such it is more of an architectural framework that establishes the boundaries of an outdoor room."

In keeping with the owners' desire for an outdoor fire, Read added a solid schist wall with a fireplace off to one side. The wall helps to shelter the patio from the prevailing winds and creates an inviting alfresco dining area.

Another schist wall forms a backdrop to a long bench seat, which contains pool equipment. Additional equipment is hidden behind a concrete block wall at one end of the pool.

"Putting a timber door into the middle of this wall helps to break up the austerity of the concrete block," says Read.

The natural look extends to the pool built by Frontier Pools, which has a dark interior that enhances its reflective quality.

Read says he prefers to use boundary and building walls as part of the pool fencing, which minimises the need for extra fences. Where required, these fences are in clear glass.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes