For the Love of No Bug

My Bahama boaters

One of my biggest challenges to date was building a pool café, for a client. It wasn’t the construction that felt challenging because I hated pool cages until now.

Fortunately for me my clients had fabulous taste in wine and always let me sample.

How would I remodel this pool give incredible privacy, create extended ambience with a classic contemporized feel.

These job photos really cannot do this space justice as no doubt its difficult to shoot

Getting Cagey: Pool Edition

To tell this project’s story, I have to start with a personal style confession. I’ve always hated pool cages–partially due to the term. It doesn’t sound luxurious or majestic, does it?!

However, a career in exterior design has taught me that the best way to challenge myself is to take on something that requires me to stretch my limits. Crafting and building the structure itself was no problem. Pool cages (sometimes referred to as “pool enclosures”) are often part of the “function over fashion” debate in homes in southern locales. As an intuitive designer, I feel that every element of a home’s interior and exterior should radiate with reflective, inspirational energy. Focusing on function alone was not an option for me.

I decided to focus on the functional side first, however, to find a way to put a personalized spin to every purpose. For example, the biggest benefit of a pool cage is having year-round access to the joy of swimming without having to deal with the weather, debris, and uninvited guests (bugs, reptiles, etc.). The owners of this beautiful home are passionate about quality time together and making the most of the moments and memories they share. A pool cage gives them more time to soak in the sunlight, entertain, and enjoy their lives. That was my starting point.

Next, I focused on what the enclosed area could bring energy-wise on its own. A sun-warmed room, a glass of wine, and a glistening pool is the perfect way to relax (whether you’re swimming or not). This process of rethinking the pool cage resulted in me, not only respecting its purpose, but loving the beauty it brought. With the right “greenspiration” in regard to structure, light optimization, décor, and pieces, the pool cage took on a new identity. Instead of a tactical behemoth to be worked around, it began to feel like a cloak protecting and amplifying the calmness of the space.

As the project wrapped up, the light poured through and the pool surface settled into stillness. A quiet ambience took on a reverent tone and I knew that this space was now the perfect setting to embrace every new memory made within it.