This couple found us recommended on a local community page and after our first meeting knew we were the right people for their project. We had so much fun playing with different color options. Between countertop material and tile they jumped at the chance to go through our design process. We made it quick and easy to build out the renderings for them to see everything all together. Right after Demo Day they decided they wanted to change their wall color to go better with the cabinet colors they fell in love with. We grabbed our color wheel, made a recommendation and the walls were painted within days of their decision. We couldn’t believe the difference it made! Their kitchen went from Olive and dated to Jasper Stone and refreshed (that’s the wall colors we are referring to…). Now that we have shifted some of the appliances and installed the storage solutions the flow and functionality are outstanding. Happy Kitchen = Happy Cooking

swimming pool diving rock suspended over automatic cover vault
Inspiration for a large timeless backyard stone and rectangular lap water slide remodel in New York

Commander Creative
Elegant exterior home photo in New York

This was a full backyard renovation with a complete overhaul of an existing pool. The pool was completely refinished and raised to make shallower. The shallow end was raised as well to add a 'baja shelf' so that users can enjoy the benefits of the without completely jumping. A truly relaxing place to enjoy. BKLD also designed a deck connecting the living room and master bedroom spaces to allow for true California indoor/outdoor living. The brand new fence creates a backdrop for trees and shrubs that soften the hardscape.

We had the pleasure of working in the 2016 Bucks County Designer Home tour at Foxwood Manor. See our video spot where owner Kathy Appel walks us through the Asian themed library set for the adventurous client. Jump to the 4:45 minute mark to see the details: http://wnep.com/2016/04/30/bucks-county-decorator-house-and-garden-part-1-the-first-floor/

Nautical-themed hybrid swimming pool with raised spa, sunshelf, slide, grotto, and pizza oven (September 2013) – Ask the Pool Guy and his team at Legendary Escapes recently unveiled the newest Legendary Escape, a stunning nautical-themed hybrid swimming pool. The hand-carved concrete waterfall, rock slide, and grotto are the focal point of this incredible project, and designer and builder Al Curtis has truly outdone himself this time. Behind the waterfall sits a grotto that seats 8-10 people comfortably. The waterfall, slide, and grotto area come complete with intricate details and additions that perfectly play into the project’s theme. An immense amount of creativity, talent, and skill is required to take ordinary materials like vinyl and concrete and turn them into the outstanding backyards that Curtis creates, but these details allow his creativity to shine in a different light. Curtis immerses himself completely in just one or two projects at a time, which allows him the opportunity to add those intricate details that take his extraordinary projects to the next level. Some of the details in the grotto area of this hybrid project include real ship portholes that open and close, as well as carvings and lanterns to add visual interest inside of the grotto. The project also includes a raised spillover spa and a sunshelf with a bubbling water feature. The sunshelf has steps leading into the main body of the pool, giving swimmers an easy entry point if they don’t feel the urge to jump off the top of the waterfall or take a ride down the hand-carved, hand-tiled slide. The shelf has just enough water to allow shallow wading or lounging, and the pebbled finish provides a perfect place to set a lounge chair without worrying about damaging the vinyl liner. With the spa nearby, this whole end of the pool is perfect for relaxing, talking, or watching the kids while they swim. This incredible hybrid swimming pool also includes a poolside pizza oven, so fresh, stone-fired pizza is never far away. The brick oven can cook a pizza in about 90 seconds, and produces authentic, outstanding pizzas. The homeowners have spent years perfecting their pizza crust and sauce recipes, as well as growing their own tomatoes and basil. The pizza oven adds another element of their own personality, and makes this project even more perfect for them. With a built-in countertop, it’s easy to get a couple of pies going at one time, or to prep ingredients for personal pizzas. The homeowners are very family-oriented and love to have friends and family over to their home. During the construction process, the Legendary Escapes crew met several friends and family members who stopped in for some quality time and to check out the progress of the pool. The finished product is a perfect place for entertaining, and it feels very comfortable and welcoming. With the sunshelf, spa, grotto, poolside seating, and the pool itself, there are plenty of different places to sit or soak and have conversations or splash around. Curtis is incredibly proud of this project, and he has high hopes for it. He was recently named a Master of Design by Pool & Spa News for a hybrid swimming pool he built in Brighton, MI. This new, nautical hybrid pool fits in beautifully with his portfolio, but also stands out as extraordinary. The team at Legendary Escapes anticipates positive feedback and recognition for this project, and looks forward to building more swimming pools that push the envelope and wow clients and fans.

The Monolith Features: 1. SPACIOUS SHALLOW END BENCH SEAT Want to take a break from the action and hang out with some friends? This seating area is properly sized to accommodate the whole family. 2. LARGE SHALLOW END FOR SOCIALIZING AND PLAY The problem with most deep end pools is the tiny shallow end, which is where most people gather. 3. OPEN POOL INTERIOR Want plenty of room to float and frolic? The rectangular design of the Monolith provides ample room for all of your pool activities. 4. DEEP END SEATS / EXIT POINTS When using deep end pools, people love to jump in, exit and repeat. The deep end seats of the Monolith provide a place to get in and out, as well as take a rest. 5. MASSIVE 8' 6" DEEP END Looking for lots of water? The Monolith is 6" deeper than most of the fiberglass deep end pools on the market. 6. AUTOMATIC COVER FRIENDLY The rectangular design of the Monolith allows cover tracks to be hidden beneath the pool coping, protecting them.

We built this pool with the Backyard oasis theme in mind. While there is a deeper section for jumping and canon-balls! there is still plenty of shallow area for hanging out and relaxing. The lounge end is complete with benches flaring off of the steps on either side of the custom entry.

Jump Visual
Example of a classic living room design in New York

The Monolith Features: 1. SPACIOUS SHALLOW END BENCH SEAT Want to take a break from the action and hang out with some friends? This seating area is properly sized to accommodate the whole family. 2. LARGE SHALLOW END FOR SOCIALIZING AND PLAY The problem with most deep end pools is the tiny shallow end, which is where most people gather. 3. OPEN POOL INTERIOR Want plenty of room to float and frolic? The rectangular design of the Monolith provides ample room for all of your pool activities. 4. DEEP END SEATS / EXIT POINTS When using deep end pools, people love to jump in, exit and repeat. The deep end seats of the Monolith provide a place to get in and out, as well as take a rest. 5. MASSIVE 8' 6" DEEP END Looking for lots of water? The Monolith is 6" deeper than most of the fiberglass deep end pools on the market. 6. AUTOMATIC COVER FRIENDLY The rectangular design of the Monolith allows cover tracks to be hidden beneath the pool coping, protecting them.

After turning off the highway into the trees on Bull Lake in Northwest Montana you’ll emerge from a tunnel like driveway to find this beautiful concrete log cabin perched within jumping distance of the water. Featuring our structural insulated 8″ Round EverLog concrete logs the home stays nice and warm in the winter and cool in the summer with the added benefit of never having to maintain the logs. The logs were finished in our Golden color while the EverLog Board & Batten siding used for the gables and dormers was finished in our Natural Brown.

Nautical-themed hybrid swimming pool with raised spa, sunshelf, slide, grotto, and pizza oven (September 2013) – Ask the Pool Guy and his team at Legendary Escapes recently unveiled the newest Legendary Escape, a stunning nautical-themed hybrid swimming pool. The hand-carved concrete waterfall, rock slide, and grotto are the focal point of this incredible project, and designer and builder Al Curtis has truly outdone himself this time. Behind the waterfall sits a grotto that seats 8-10 people comfortably. The waterfall, slide, and grotto area come complete with intricate details and additions that perfectly play into the project’s theme. An immense amount of creativity, talent, and skill is required to take ordinary materials like vinyl and concrete and turn them into the outstanding backyards that Curtis creates, but these details allow his creativity to shine in a different light. Curtis immerses himself completely in just one or two projects at a time, which allows him the opportunity to add those intricate details that take his extraordinary projects to the next level. Some of the details in the grotto area of this hybrid project include real ship portholes that open and close, as well as carvings and lanterns to add visual interest inside of the grotto. The project also includes a raised spillover spa and a sunshelf with a bubbling water feature. The sunshelf has steps leading into the main body of the pool, giving swimmers an easy entry point if they don’t feel the urge to jump off the top of the waterfall or take a ride down the hand-carved, hand-tiled slide. The shelf has just enough water to allow shallow wading or lounging, and the pebbled finish provides a perfect place to set a lounge chair without worrying about damaging the vinyl liner. With the spa nearby, this whole end of the pool is perfect for relaxing, talking, or watching the kids while they swim. This incredible hybrid swimming pool also includes a poolside pizza oven, so fresh, stone-fired pizza is never far away. The brick oven can cook a pizza in about 90 seconds, and produces authentic, outstanding pizzas. The homeowners have spent years perfecting their pizza crust and sauce recipes, as well as growing their own tomatoes and basil. The pizza oven adds another element of their own personality, and makes this project even more perfect for them. With a built-in countertop, it’s easy to get a couple of pies going at one time, or to prep ingredients for personal pizzas. The homeowners are very family-oriented and love to have friends and family over to their home. During the construction process, the Legendary Escapes crew met several friends and family members who stopped in for some quality time and to check out the progress of the pool. The finished product is a perfect place for entertaining, and it feels very comfortable and welcoming. With the sunshelf, spa, grotto, poolside seating, and the pool itself, there are plenty of different places to sit or soak and have conversations or splash around. Curtis is incredibly proud of this project, and he has high hopes for it. He was recently named a Master of Design by Pool & Spa News for a hybrid swimming pool he built in Brighton, MI. This new, nautical hybrid pool fits in beautifully with his portfolio, but also stands out as extraordinary. The team at Legendary Escapes anticipates positive feedback and recognition for this project, and looks forward to building more swimming pools that push the envelope and wow clients and fans.

When our clients completed a renovation of their mid-century rancher in North Vancouver's Edgemont Village neighbourhood, their home felt anything but finished. Their traditional furnishings looked dated and tired in the newly updated spaces, so they called on us for help. As a busy professional couple with grown children, our clients were looking for a polished, sophisticated look for their home. We used their collection of artwork as a jumping off point for each room, developing a colour scheme for the main living areas in neutral greys and beiges with a generous dose of rich burnt orange tones. We created interest by layering patterned wallpaper, textured fabrics and a mix of metals and designed several custom pieces including the large library wall unit that defines one end of the living space. The result is a lively, sophisticated and classic decor that suit our clients perfectly. Tracey Ayton Photography

This homeowner had a design challenge for our team. They were looking for something completely unique and special for their back yard. In a neighborhood with "nice" pools they didn't want something ordinary. Our designer/builder, Al Curtis, proposed something completely new. He proposed a swimming pool, built freeform, gunite, with a raised waterfall spilling, finished with the same quartzite coping as the pool, over into the pool, with a swim in grotto and a boat as a seating area at the deep end of the pool. His original idea had him taking an actual boat, reclaiming and reusing it to create this custom feature. The homeowners had other ideas once they heard his crazy cool idea, and asked if he could build it out of concrete. Of course, Al and our entire team was thrilled with the challenge, and hand crafted the boat you see entirely out of concrete, hand shaped, sculpted and molded the cement to form with such attention to detail that you can't tell from a distance that it is not a real boat hovering at the deep end of this pool! The boat was finished with a few reclaimed details from the actual boat it was modeled after...since details are just a part of the surprise and delight in a Legendary Escape, they add just the right elements to make this a very real experience. The homeowner also asked for a different type of coping next to the raised spillover gunite spa, to create the illusion of a swim up bar on the edge of the pool. The pool guy took this idea, raised the pool wall, added a custom poured concrete bar, and added a swim up ledge and in-pool bar stools with seats created out of concrete and stainless steel stands. The perfect custom features, finished with the thermoplastic of ecoFinish, the newest and best trend for a smoother more comfortable swimming surface for gunite pools, spas, sun ledges and seats that we use on our Michigan custom swimming pools, whether hybrid (vinyl liner/gunite combo) or all gunite swimming pools and spas. With the boat in place, it only made sense to create the outside of the grotto as if it were the boat house, for this one of a kind speedboat. The waterfall coming over the face of the grotto has two speeds, fast and warp speed...so jumping off, swimming through the waterfall, or heading down the slide from the dock/wharf patio area adjacent to the boat is a terrific way for kids and adults to enjoy this pool! Swim into the grotto and you are immersed in a 3-dimensional cave, with carvings of fish in vibrant color hand sculpted and painted by Karen, one of our on the job artisans who is instrumental in helping bring our sculptures and always surprising elements to life. Karen has an artistic whimsy, though she is also precise and accurate as she specializes in placing the coping just right and always making sure the tile is just right on every project. To complete this project landscaping, the homeowners looked to Jodi Cook, of Naturally Jodi to create a landscape that blended with the pool area to create a unique feel for the space. She used a variety of plants, ornamental trees, and even created pillars like you would see at a marina to complete the look. Once her landscaping was in, Al added a surprise element at the end of the dock - a lifesize alligator with a fishing rod catching a fish - as just one more detail to this project. Al, and his entire team aim to create a magical environment, where around every corner is just one more surprise that completes the awe and inspiring joy when visiting on of our Legendary Escapes! To say the homeowners are delighted just may be an understatement. Their kick off party included visits from superheros and Disney characters - enjoying all the elements of this backyard retreat in Rochester, Michigan.

The apartment is located in a dreamy Chaillot area near Passy Water reservoirs and Arc de Triomphe in Paris XVI. The property is filled with lots of natural light and offers magnificent views straight to the water. We can even spot the Eiffel Tower. The brief was to create a welcoming, modern yet cozy space filled with original art, modern and vintage timeless furniture and collectibles, mixing them with some already client’s owned furniture and art. The most important task was to source an exceptional dining table for 13 people to make family and friends’ jaws drop and make client’s heart jump from excitement. The client wanted to feel herself at home for the next several years of living at this rented property and wanted this interior to be her own reflection. AUTHENTIC INTERIOR design studio also sourced unique, interesting pieces of art as well as furniture. What is the most exciting about sourcing hand-made, vintage or designer pieces is to learn their origin and the “why” – the real meaning of the design. “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. – William Morris

Our clients priority was to have a more functional bathroom & optimize storage. See our project scope: -Change the tub faucet location, before they had to “jump” over it to get in and out the tub. -Change the shower head to a handheld spray. -New ceiling recessed lights layout -Add a LED Mirror and Wall Sconces -Floor Heating System -Towel Warmer -Quartz/Solid Surface Tub Deck and Shower Bench -Add a Shampoo Niche -Linear Shower Drain -Custom Floating Vanity w/ (2) Towers for additional storage and convenient access to skin care and daily used products. -Wall Mounted Faucets to clear up vanity space. -Exhaust Fan w/ Bluetooth Speaker And more. This master bathroom has everything they needed and more, not to mention the stunning finishes and eye catching wall tiles. Interior Designer: Vivian Costa General Contractor: Weslei Costa

Sound, color, light, texture, and all points in between. This one-of-a-kind Selah Pools design is truly an Oasis for all seasons. The patio extension with all the outdoor kitchen amenities is ready to serve up a great meal, just steps outside our client's backdoor. Then when it's hot outside, it's on to the pool deck and off the custom tile- jump rock to cool off.

Legendary Escapes Elegant Entertaining Swimming Pool. The Swimming Pool is Hybrid Construction boasting elements of both vinyl liner and gunite/pebble finish. The sun ledge is perfect for enjoying the sun, or can become a water feature with the bubblers. A fun and whimsical turtle jump rock and fountain adds just the right touch to this fabulous outdoor entertaining area.

Our clients priority was to have a more functional bathroom & optimize storage. See our project scope: -Change the tub faucet location, before they had to “jump” over it to get in and out the tub. -Change the shower head to a handheld spray. -New ceiling recessed lights layout -Add a LED Mirror and Wall Sconces -Floor Heating System -Towel Warmer -Quartz/Solid Surface Tub Deck and Shower Bench -Add a Shampoo Niche -Linear Shower Drain -Custom Floating Vanity w/ (2) Towers for additional storage and convenient access to skin care and daily used products. -Wall Mounted Faucets to clear up vanity space. -Exhaust Fan w/ Bluetooth Speaker And more. This master bathroom has everything they needed and more, not to mention the stunning finishes and eye catching wall tiles. Interior Designer: Vivian Costa General Contractor: Weslei Costa