Favorites

Originally dating to the 1970s, Hotel Carlota was revamped by JSa Arquitectura and completed in 2015. As part of the renovation, a pool became the focal point of the courtyard, and its modernized, streamlined design makes a dramatic statement.

Ernesto designed the villa’s kitchen more “for every day,” he says, but the one added to the courtyard has a professional range and parrilla to accommodate groups. “I don’t need super-fancy equipment,” Ernesto says. He and Yektajo designed the bar stools.

The pool and surrounding landscape connect the architecture with the wooded park just beyond the yard. “We used the softer textures of ornamental grasses, Japanese maples, and perennial plantings to balance the rectilinear lines of the pool and the house,” says Josh Myers of Myers + Co. Landscape Architecture.

Exterior with infinity pool-VILLA CP

Sphinx, the family Carolina dog, scouts the perimeter of the Concrete Collaborative pavers in the backyard. The pavers were installed on a slight angle to channel water to the surrounding gravel, lawn, and planting beds. This substantially lowers the landscape's water demand. Perforated PVC pipes and a pump move excess rainfall (which would otherwise go to storm drains) into an underground basin where it can later drain off. Redwood fencing reflects the material palette of the interior and creates visual continuity around the backyard.

A Workstead lamp is beside a custom sectional covered in Zak+Fox fabric.