So many of the things I love in one image

1. This is a photo from the EcoSmart Fire website, and if you haven’t been to their site, go there now. They are one of the things I love.

2. Gabions! A gabion is a metal or wire cage, filled with rocks. They are not at all a new idea, but they are gaining popularity as people look for ways to make modern designs more natural and more connected to their landscape.

3. A perimeter overflow pool with floating stepstones: I adore the mirage effect this creates. By making the pool interior an inky black (probably with black granite), and the stones a light cream, the stones look like they are floating on water. I think the cream stones look like limestone, but hopefully they are aren’t real. Real limestone would slowly be eaten away by the water.

4. The blend of cacti: the mixture of columnar cacti with the golden barrel cactus and agave is spot on for this house. It is interesting but understated. Nice.

5. Vein cut stone: the floating stepstones have lovely striations because the stone was cut in a way to show of the veins. Its called vein cut, and it’s oh so a la mode.

The website doesn’t credit the architect or pool designer, only that the house is in Las Vegas. If anyone knows who to give credit to, please let me know!