At California Pools & Landscape we know that every backyard has a story and this one centers on the Lappanos from Scottsdale, AZ. The Lappanos moved to the valley from the Pacific Northwest and had a new home built northeast of Scottsdale with a natural desert backyard. Their location features stunning natural views from the rear of the home of the Four Peaks Mountain Range and the McDowell Mountains.
The Lappanos started their search to transform their backyard from barren desert to a dream oasis. While considering multiple pool companies, one backyard design stuck out amongst the rest. Project Manager Les Lull designed a seamless outdoor living environment that was custom made for the Lappanos.
“We looked at a number of companies and nobody had the design that Les had,” said Tim Lappano. “That’s what sold us, the way he designed everything coming right out of the great room and the dining room and the master bedroom. Just walk right out on the travertine and you’re right at the pool and at the spa. We just loved his design, I thought he did that so well.”
Lull focused on incorporating all the design features that were most important to the Lappanos.
“He extended our living space and did a fantastic job,” said Sandi Lappano. We wanted an all inclusive feel, something to incorporate everything we wanted. Les was fantastic, he listened to what we wanted and came up with a great plan.”
For Tim Lappano, being able to take a few steps out of his home onto the travertine deck and then take in the natural environment puts the backyard design over the top.
“I love the travertine and I love the way he designed the layout where you can walk out on what we call the runway behind us and look out east and see the Tonto National Forest and Four Peaks Wilderness, that is very very beautiful.”
Creating An Outdoor Living Environment
As project designer, Les Lull created an open outdoor living environment, taking advantage of the Arizona views that are present at the Lappano residence. The large geometric pool and elevated spa with a spillway sit in the focal points from inside the home.
The natural tones of the San Miguel Vein Cut Tumbled Travertine carry throughout this outdoor living space. Almost 1,500 sq ft of travertine carries from just outside the home to the pool and spa and down to the outdoor kitchen.
The outdoor kitchen and dining area sits on the east side of the home and faces in a way that allows the chef to interact with the guests while cooking, based on a recommendation from Lull. He also placed the kitchen in the perfect spot to escape the evening sun while tending to the grill.
“He put our outdoor kitchen in a spot where obviously he wanted the chef to enjoy the guests,” said Sandi Lappano. “That was something that he’d incorporated in his own design, but he also had it put in the shade. It’s perfect in the evenings. You’ve got a little bit of shade to enjoy your dining experience or whoever’s out cooking can stay cool.”
“It’s really nice for me grilling and having some shade,” said Tim Lappano with a smile. “We really love that touch.”
Incorporating design elements throughout an outdoor environment is a principle for the design team at California Pools & Landscape, but especially for Lull. In particular the Rainforest Turquoise 1×1 Tile is used on the spillway of the spa into the pool and on the exposed surface of the BBQ Pedestal, a decision that thrilled Sandi Lappano.
“He came up with that plan. We kind of let him do what he wanted to do and used his recommendations and that was his suggestion, he said that was going to be the wow factor and we’re very happy with it.”
A Complete Backyard Makeover Without The Hassle Of Multiple Vendors
When the Lappanos started their search for a pool company they sought out to find one that had a successful track record and the ability to handle a complete backyard transformation.
“We wanted an established pool company,” said Tim Lappano. “I think the valley has had a lot of smaller companies go under, no pun intended, but we knew California Pools had a great reputation and they’d been around a long time so we trusted their product.”
“I think the fact that we knew it was all going to be one company to deal with and one or two points of contact, that was very helpful,” said Sandi Lappano. “It just made us feel better because we knew it wasn’t going to be one person doing one thing and another person doing another thing, they coordinated it all. It was nice to have them take care of everything.”