Karen Larson, founder of Soake® Pools, alongside Jay MacMullan, owner of MainStay Landscape, turned this Cotuit homeowner’s dream of a little backyard oasis into a reality. The installation of a beautifully crafted plunge pool, and the complementing landscape design, revitalized this home’s backyard. In the process of picking and installing the plunge pool, the homeowner met with Larson to discuss size and aesthetics, and MacMullan to ensure the functionality and flow within the landscape. “They wanted a very elegant and sophisticated look, so that’s how they ended up choosing the beautiful black tile,” Larson recounts. The dark tile finish made the pool a reflecting water feature that added an understated luxurious touch to the yard. After the tile was selected, Soake Pools began the made-to-order pool at their headquarters in New Hampshire and delivered it with a crane right over the house and into the backyard of this Massachusetts home. While Soake Pools was designing and developing the pool, MainStay Landscape worked on how the land and the new installation were to be sited. “We essentially start by doing a site analysis of the property and speaking with the client about their wishes and wants. And then we start the concept phase of the design, which involves us thinking about everything from plant material to hardscape material,” MacMullan states. MainStay Landscape considers every aspect of an outdoor space, from traffic flow, to furniture, to lighting, to create a perfect design they take to their client for the first concept review. From there, they work on minor modifications before finalizing the design and creating a schedule. This particular plunge pool was a flush unit, meaning that the coping edge of the pool naturally flowed into the landscape. “This works better in smaller backyards to create more of an uninterrupted space… ...