The Multitasker
Landscape architect Gregory Lombardi envisioned more than a traditional rectangular pool for one multigenerational Massachusetts family. "The wife likes to be in warm water," Lombardi says. "But a spa can be black-and-white in use; you don’t linger there for long."

His solution: a three-pools-in-one design to sate the needs of the baby-boomer owners, their grown children, the 90-year-old grandparents, and the family’s school-age relatives. "The pool can have different user groups simultaneously," Lombardi says, "and it allows different experiences at the same time."

A spa tub and "steeping" area separated by an underwater wall of black granite occupy the square "adult" pool, which abuts the bar, barbecue grill, and cabana deck. The 3-foot-wide top step is perfect for passive pool-goers to recline on a chaise. A waterfall trickles down the wedding cake-shaped steps of bluestone to the lower pool, larger and elliptical in shape, where the kids splash and swim.

"At first, I thought it was ridiculous," the wife says of Lombardi’s square pool. "But it’s the only part I go in. I float in it all the time. It’s the best thing we ever did."

Gregory Lombardi Design, 617.492.2808, www.lombardidesign.com

SOURCES
McKinnon and Harris outdoor furniture, 804.358.2385, www.mckinnonharris.com
NanaWall doors, 800.873.5673, www.nanawall.com
Old Virginia Brick pavers, 508.587.6600, www.oldvirginiabrick.com
Janus et Cie umbrella, 800.245.2687, www.janusetcie.com

The Cliffhanger
Perched over California’s sailboat-dotted Newport Harbor, this curvy infinity-edge pool is a magic carpet of sorts: It hovers in midair, cantilevers 70 feet above ground, and rewards every user with a bird’s-eye view of the shimmering water below. "When you’re in the pool, it feels like you’re in the middle of the bay," says Finton Construction’s Michael Reeves of the stunning soaking spot. "It’s a pretty special place."

Masterminded by the original owner, the pool was designed to be an integral component of the home’s contemporary architecture. It both refers to the water views and becomes an articulation of that vista, separated from the great room only by a glass wall. "Usually a pool is part of the landscaping," he says, "but for us the pool was part of the experience of the structure and the space."

The outdoor salon and hot tub are fronted by a gas fireplace and a wall of stacked ledge rock, which buffers the sitting area, spa, and pool from cool breezes. "It’s a great outdoor space daytime, nighttime, summer, or winter," says the home’s architect, Brion Jeannette.

Brion Jeannette Architecture, 949.645.5854, www.customarchitecture.com
Finton Construction, 949.673.9587, www.finton.com

SOURCES
Dana Creath Designs lighting, 714.662.0111, www.danacreathdesigns.com
Good Sounds audio, 800.278.3730, www.goodsounds.net
Roger’s Gardens trees, 800.647.2356, www.rogersgardens.com
Modern Builders Supply stone, 760.591.4570, www.modernbuilderssupplyincsd.com

Modern Times
This modernist pool and entertainment zone, which tops a sleek, three-story house built into a hill, brings Los Angeles’ famed Hollywood Hills poolside. It also morphs into a treehouse cinema of sorts, with outdoor speakers and a concrete wall that doubles as a projection screen. "I set up a projector and had 50 people over to watch In the Mood for Love," says developer and architectural designer Kevin Wickham. "It’s a space where people can relax. You can be in the pool, watch a movie, or enjoy the view."

Fifteen outdoor lighting elements illuminate the 400- square-foot area, perched 56 feet above ground. The 20-foot-long lap pool is decked with sustainably harvested Mangaris, a South American hardwood; the rest of the space is floored with stained concrete. A cast-concrete fire pit, bathhouse, outdoor shower, and the fully wired media room, which becomes one with nature when the glass doors are opened, round out the rooftop aerie. "It’s like you’re sitting in your own outdoor amphitheater," Wickham says.

Terrain Concepts, 310.383.5736, www.terrain-concepts.com

SOURCES
Bonhoff Lumber, 323.263.9361
Limn Los Angeles furniture, 323.931.6500, www.limnlosangeles.com
Westside Wholesale Electric & Lighting, 323.939.7979
PEP/Pool & Electrical Products, 818.365.8481, www.poolelectrical.com

Jewel on the Shore
At first blush, this pool appears to be nothing more than a simple rectangle. Look below the surface, however, and you’ll see a canvas of colors that shimmer and dance like George Balanchine’s gemstone-costumed ballerinas in Jewels.

"The pool must support the architecture or style of the house," says pool designer and builder David Tisherman. "And that can be accomplished as an art piece or an art form." For this New Jersey project, Tisherman dug deeper into "what was portrayed inside the house, so it could be portrayed outside."

Inspired by the home’s murals and frescoes, Tisherman and Kevin Fleming crafted a custom palette of Italian glass tiles for the pool’s interior. "Some are iridescent, some have an acid-wash finish, others vary in opacity or glazing," Tisherman says. "They look like gems on the bottom of the pool."

The glittering underwater grotto is framed in Lompoc stone; the European-style double bull-nose coping offsets the structure ever so slightly from the water within, and the water beyond. "It makes it a little more elegant," Tisherman says. "And it all flows together."

David Tisherman’s Visuals, 310.379.6700, www.tisherman.com
Liquid Design, 856.489.1368, www.tisherman.com

SOURCES
MSM/Malibu Stone & Masonry Supply, 310.456.9444, www.malibustonemasonry.com
Frontgate furnishings, 888.263.9850, www.frontgate.com
Riedel glassware, 888.474.3335, www.riedel.com
Jandy pool automation, 707.776.8200, www.jandy.com
Cactus Stone & Tile, 800.528.9445, www.cactustile.com

The Natural
"It’s a little piece of Kyoto with views of the Hancock building, Trump International, and Sears Tower," says homeowner Jon Butcher of his Chicago rooftop garden. "I never get over how incredibly beautiful it is."

Internationally renowned landscape designer Hoichi Kurisu orchestrated the 2,000-square-foot outdoor space of reflection pools and scotch pines, all of which are manicured and trained in the bonsai style. "He’s regarded as one of the masters working today," Butcher says. "I’ve worked with him on every project I’ve done for 15 years." To protect the trees in the winter months, Kurisu created heating pads that kick on at 32 degrees to warm their root balls.

The custom-designed and -colored boulders are featherlight. "With a weight limit on the 14th floor, we had to calculate the total weight for the rocks, water, trees, and soil," explains Kurisu, who also devised a special soil mixture for rooftop drainage. "We had to make sure there would be no leakage below."

"To get a garden like this to function the way it should 150 feet above ground is a real feat," Butcher says, adding that he and his wife use the penthouse exclusively for once-a-week date nights. "I was glad to pull it off because you never really know until you pull the trigger."

Kurisu International, 888.441.5137, www.kurisu.com
Richar Interiors, 312.455.0924, www.richarinteriors.com

SOURCES
David Sutherland table, 312.205.7700, www.davidsutherlandshowroom.com
Henry Hall chairs, 773.775.6579, www.henryhalldesigns.com
The Golden Triangle accessories, 312.755.1266, www.goldentriangle.biz