Water + geometry
Pool and spa shape, edge conditions, steps, shelves, seating, depth and water features.
Design-Build · Exterior Living
Let the architecture continue into water, air and landscape.
Pools, spas, terraces, outdoor kitchens, shade, fire, lighting and landscape relationships designed as part of the complete home.
Professional credentialsCreative direction with accountable professional delivery.
Architecture + designApel Design, in association with Michael B. Maclaren, AIA.
Licensed residential constructionCreative New Dimensions Inc
CA General Building Contractor · Class B · CSLB #1056632, in conjunction with Apel Design for Design-Build
The idea
A pool belongs to the house, the horizon and the way the day unfolds.
The strongest outdoor environments are not isolated amenities. They choreograph arrival, indoor-outdoor movement, views, privacy, sun, wind, entertaining and quiet moments around water.
Because Apel Design works across architecture, interiors, site design and building coordination, these elements can be conceived together rather than negotiated after the home is fixed.
Knowledge + experience
More than a pool. A complete exterior room.
The visible experience and the invisible infrastructure are developed in parallel.
Indoor-outdoor connection
Thresholds, floor levels, doors, circulation and views coordinated with the architecture.
Terraces + gathering
Lounging, dining, outdoor kitchens, fire features, shade and furniture zones.
Site systems
Equipment relationships, utilities, drainage, structure and grading coordinated with qualified specialists.
Material + light
Paving, coping, walls, color, planting relationships and layered exterior lighting.
Construction thinking
Access, sequencing, waterproofing interfaces, mockups and field decisions considered early.
Selected work
Water becomes part of the architecture.
Courtyards, infinity edges, spas and outdoor rooms shaped for their particular home and setting.
The path
Place the experience before choosing the equipment.
Read
Study view, sun, privacy, grade, access, existing conditions and the relationship to the home.
Compose
Develop water, terraces, shade, fire, planting relationships, material and light as one scene.
Coordinate
Align structure, drainage, utilities, equipment and specialty requirements with the project team.
Build
Sequence the work, review details and keep the design intent present in the field.
Terraces
Outdoor rooms.
Covered terraces and outdoor living spaces from Apel Design projects.
Questions
Useful clarity before the first conversation.
Can the pool be designed with a new home?
Yes. Beginning together usually produces the clearest relationships among floor levels, views, structure, drainage, equipment, circulation and landscape.
Can you redesign an existing pool area?
Yes. A pool and outdoor-living project can be part of a renovation, addition or complete site transformation.
Who performs specialty pool work?
Specialty design, engineering and construction are coordinated with the appropriately licensed professionals and contractors for the project.
Pools and outdoor living
Water and terrace built with the house.
Every image below is from an Apel Design project.
Pools and terraces
Water, deck and view, built with the house.
Every image below is from an Apel Design project.