Backyard Retreats

Decked out like five-star resorts, two New Jersey homes raise hanging out to a whole new level. (Photos by Joe Polillio)

Pool-house Cool
Set on sloping ground overlooking an apple orchard, this expansive Mendham backyard makes an enticing gathering spot for a large extended family. The spacious pool deck includes a shady area with furnishings set in a cozy conversation group, complete with an oversized umbrella and a unique fire-pit coffee table. Leaf-shaped chaises are scattered poolside for those who prefer reclining in the sun. The pool house eliminates the need to venture back to the main house. It was designed for comfort with a Caribbean flair, says interior designer Steven Fioravanti of Greenbaum Interiors, which furnished the space. “The homeowners wanted a relaxing, tropical, comfortable gathering space.” Indoor/outdoor fabrics make it no fuss, no muss. “You can sit on anything in wet bathing suits,” he adds. Aqua-blue walls match the pool, completing the tropical feel.

Resources:
Interior designer: Steven Fioravanti, Greenbaum Interiors, Morristown; 973-425-5500.
Pool-house architect: Bol Architecture, Berkeley Heights; 908-464-9100.
Landscape architect: Ron Cording, Cording Landscape Design, Towaco; 973-263-5003.

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Rockin’ Yard
“We wanted to have a place that was our summer retreat,” says the owner of this Allendale oasis. Working with Chris Cipriano of Cipriano Landscape Design in Ramsey, the family achieved its goals.
The centerpiece of the dramatic setting is a 44,000-pound rock that Cipriano hauled in from a Pennsylvania quarry. Placed at the top of a man-made waterfall, it became the crown of the free-form pool and circular hot tub. When the waterfall is switched off, the rock platform becomes the ideal sunbathing spot for the owners’ teenage daughter and her friends. “It’s where they always hang out and gossip,” says the homeowner.

The dramatic fireplace was inspired by a clock tower spotted on a trip to Ireland. Cipriano custom made the structure to incorporate other design elements of the house, including the rock veneer and copper accents. The pool house—the adults’ hangout—was designed to keep people out, not in. (“If you want to be inside, then go in the house,” jokes the homeowner.) Guests congregate in the bar area, designed for entertaining. “We worked with a staycation mind-set,” says Cipriano. “This really is a five-star resort.”

Resources:
Landscape designer: Chris Cipriano, Cipriano Landscape Design, Ramsey; 201-785-0800. Contractor/builder: John DiPeri, J. DiPeri Contracting, Oakland; 201-337-3366.

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(Before)

Let It Rain
A backyard—or any yard—can be as good for the environment as it is for family gatherings. Case in point: rain gardens—an environmentally sound solution for urban storm-water runoff. Simply put, a rain garden is a concave area designed to absorb runoff from rooftops, driveways, and other paved surfaces that would otherwise flow directly into streams, rivers, and lakes.

“Our water sources are getting polluted with silt, fertilizers, pesticides, oil, and more,” says Rich Cording, a landscape designer in Ringwood who was recently certified by Rutgers University to install rain gardens. “A rain garden allows those same pollutants to be soaked up into the ground and the soil, then biodegrades them.”


(After)

Rain gardens look like regular gardens for the most part, but are designed to soak up 30 percent more water than a traditional lawn. While Cording and others caution that it takes an expert to design and install an efficient rain garden, there is a rule of thumb: Set aside approximately 300 square feet of space at least ten feet from the house in an area where water doesn’t already collect. Rocks, plants, flowers, and even trees add pleasant aesthetics.

“Pollutants are a huge problem in New Jersey,” says Cording. “Rain gardens are a huge green solution.” For information, visit: water.rutgers.edu/Rain_Gardens/RGWebsite/raingardens.html.

Rich Cording transformed this 300-square-foot space into a rain garden. The rock is Delaware River gravel, especially heavy so it doesn’t wash away. Rich Cording, CLC Landscape Design, Ringwood, 973-839-6026.

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