TOPRIGHT: TIMSTREET-PORTER
childbyturningtheirbackyardsintoyear-
roundthemeparksfilledwitheverything
fromoutdoor3-Dmovietheatersandmulti-
levelputtinggreenstospagrottos,sculpture
gardens,treehouses—andevenskateparks,
baseballdiamonds,andicerinks.
Onehomeowner inBoulderCity,
Nevada,convertedhis1.5-acresite into
aDepression-eraminingtowncomplete
withwadingpools,cavegrottos,bridges
withold-timewaterwheels,andweath-
eredbuildingsscatteredoverhundredsof
redrockboulders.Another inScottsdale,
Arizona, installeda300-footzip lineand
acustomtrainreminiscentofaSantaFe
railwaycar.Meanwhile,acrossthecountry
atAlexanderJulian’s33-acreRidgefield
estate, theAmerican fashiondesigner
known forhisboldlycoloreddesignshas
envelopedhishome in formalgardens, two
enormousman-madeponds,an ivy-covered
bridge,atenniscourt,agreenhouse,andan
expansiveappleorchard—all thetrappings
ofaNewYorkYankee inConnecticut.
“Manyof the things found in theyard
thesedaysarepure folly; youcertainly
don’t
need
them,”saysMichaelBooth, co-
founderof theSanFrancisco-baseddesign
firmBAMO. Instead,hesuggests, theyare
theresimply tosatisfy theenvironmental
whimsof theirowners. Someareutilitar-
ian, suchas thehand-carvedChinese
pavilionat theMarinCounty,California,
oliveoil ranchof former
SanFrancisco
Chronicle
publisherNanMcEvoy,who
uses thestructure— totally incongru-
entwith thesurroundingbuildings— for
informal gatherings.Others, likeaPatrick
Dougherty installationof twigswoven
intoseveral sculptural structures (re-
ferred toby thechildrenas fairyhouses),
simplyexistalongsidemorepractical
featuressuchasachickencoop, anorganic
vegetablegarden, andasolarswimming
poolon twoacres in theBayArea’sPortola
Valley. “Theownersareverymuch into
farm-to-table living,”Boothexplains.
AlthoughAmericanshave longrelished
theiroutdoorspaces,especially inthe
Sunbeltwhere indoor-outdoor living isthe
norm,nowadaysdesignersand landscape
architectssay it’sbecomingmoreabout
legacy forhomeownersthanfinancial
liquidity. “Ithinka lotofpeopleare looking
togivesomethingbacktotheir families.
Typically, thesehomesareall forthekids,
friends, family.Thesearehomesthey
planonbeing in foryearstocome,”says
StoneCrestPoolsdesignerDougJohnston,
aKeller,Texas-basedexpert in“custom
watershapesandaquaticarchitecture,”as
hereferstohiscraft.
“Theboundariesofpoolconstruction
sincethe1980sand1990shavegoneto
another levelas farasdesign,engineering,
PUREFOLLY:
AT LEFT
: ANorth Texas homewith awater theme park and a 500-foot-long lazy river.
ABOVE
:
Ahand-carvedChinesepavilionpeeksout at theMarinCountyoliveoil ranchofNanMcEvoy.
SUMMER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
81
