The Inspired Intermedia digital book collection
Issue link: https://inspired.uberflip.com/i/1487817
4 Inspired Outdoor Living PREVIOUS PAGE LEFT: Kirk Bianchi of Bianchi Design created this vanishing-edge, perimeter-overflow reflecting pool in Phoenix, Arizona, to showcase a majestic, salvaged ironwood tree alongside a scarlet glass tile overflow spa. Accessed by "floating" granite step stones, submerged a quarter inch underwater and backlit by fiber-optic lighting, the journey is a magical, "walking on water" experience. The pool is anchored to the guest house by a raised planter, with rills of water cascading along the path. ABOVE: A signature ironwood tree, reflected in the still pool, replaced a previous artificial rock waterfall that did not synchronize with this contemporary home. To create the calm mirror, the edge of the pool was converted to a Lautner overflow, bringing the water flush with the ground plane. The white backdrop wall, framing the tree, hides the spa beyond — creating a secret destination. FACING PAGE TOP: A gravity-defying shade structure cantilevers over the patio adjacent to the pool, borrowing its design language from the architecture of the home. A shipping container bookends the space, continuing the rusted steel vernacular while providing a textural backdrop and screening an unsightly home beyond. FACING PAGE BOT TOM: Built-in Banco seating surrounds a central fire pit with colorful cushions. Across the water, a vanishing-edge spa is the visual draw, reflecting a fruitless olive tree. To blur the line between the water and landscape, the back of the pool features a knife-edge detail to bring the two elements together. Photography by Michael Woodall Designed by Bianchi Design, Scottsdale, AZ, page xx Details