Design elements, Pinecrest to Key West
Fire, water and stone around the pool
Fire, water and stone beyond the pool itself: koi ponds, waterfalls, fire bowls, cold plunges and sun shelves that make an outdoor space your own.
Fire Pits & Fire Features, Fountains & Fire or Water Bowls
Fire and water give an outdoor space somewhere to gather and something to look at after dark. Journeys End Custom Design pairs the two: a sunken fire pit lounge sits in front of a long reflecting water feature, so the flame and its reflection share one view.
Fountains & Fire or Water Bowls share a form. A basin on a pedestal or set into a wall can hold a flame or a spill of water, and the same stone can carry either. The sound of moving water also softens whatever noise sits beyond the garden wall.
Fire features are planned, not added. Gas lines, clearances from structures and the controls all have to be drawn in with the pool and the deck, which is why they belong in the same set of plans.
Sunken fire pit lounge in front of a long reflecting water feature at Journeys End
Koi Pond, Pool Waterfalls, Over Water Steps
A Koi Pond is not a small pool with fish in it. Koi need depth to stay out of the heat, shade over part of the surface, and filtration sized to the weight of the fish rather than the volume of the water. Journey’s End Koi Ponds shows one under a cantilevered modern entry at dusk, and the Key West Custom Design Elements pond holds lily pads beside a thatched cabana.
Pool Waterfalls are a pump and a plan for the drop. A thin, level lip makes a quiet sheet, and a broken ledge makes a rush; the height and the stone decide the sound before any water runs. Over Water Steps set slabs just above the surface so you cross the pond on foot, as the stepping slabs do at Journey’s End.
Cold Plunge & Hydrotherapy Pool, Bars, Sun Shelves
A Cold Plunge & Hydrotherapy Pool is a small, deep basin kept cold, paired with jets and heat to work the other way. In Florida a plunge will not cool itself, so the chiller and the equipment pad are part of the design from the first sketch.
Sun Shelves are wide, shallow ledges a few inches under the water where loungers sit in the pool itself, and Bars bring a drink within reach of the water. Both are finished in the same stone as the deck so they read as one terrace. The Old Town Key West Residence is a small courtyard plunge pool fed by a coral stone wall spout.
To plan any of this beside your pool, call the Pinecrest office at 305.226.7510.
Engage the senses and enhance your outdoor living with elements that are beautiful and functional.
Koi and coral stone
Water you can step over, water you can hear
Browse the builds in the residential gallery: Journey’s End Koi Ponds, Key West Custom Design Elements and Old Town Key West Residence. If the pool itself is still on the drawing board, start with Custom pools.