Take It Outside!

Pools, water features and thoughtfully designed landscapes blur the boundaries between home and nature, creating outdoor spaces meant for living.

Finding paradise can be as close as your own backyard. The benefits of outdoor living include improved mental wellness, focus and self-esteem. Homeowners have rediscovered the beauty of outdoor living, making the most of their yards with water features, including pools, native plants and even pickleball courts.

Dive In

With 46 years in the pool business, Pacific AquaGroup (pacificaquagroup.com) has designed pools and water features for luxury resorts and private homes across Hawai‘i and Asia. The group’s suite of companies can handle everything from the design and construction to the maintenance of pools and water features.

“A homeowner should consider what purposes the pool will serve: relaxation, exercise, entertainment; whether there is a need to appeal to children or pets; and any safety concerns,” says Ed Schultz, whose private equity firm, Parallel 21 Partners, has invested in PAG.

He notes that with the company’s long history in resort design, PAG can bring the same level of sophistication to residential projects. Recent designs have strongly embraced nature, whether it’s a pool made to look like part of the landscape, incorporating natural rocks and waterfalls, or one that seems to disappear altogether, such as a vanishing-edge pool.

Lush Life

Brian Wolf, principal landscape architect of Wolf Landscape Architects (wla.design), says his firm, founded in 2021, has grown from three homes to approximately 100 projects today. The client list includes a mix of single-family homes, multifamily properties and five-star resorts.

“We actually just finished a chapel up at Chaminade University, which came out really well. It just won an award with the AIA,” Wolf says.

Among the trends he notes are homeowners incorporating native plants and creating garden areas to grow their own flowers for lei making — “we call it a lei garden” — as well as fruits.

“We’re seeing a reduction in lawn area. ... We’re also seeing a lot of pickleball court requests and golf simulators.”