A pool is a great place to relax, but if you want a swimming pool that transcends mere functionality and becomes a true work of art, this is the team that can elevate your pool experience to new levels.
“We love building pools and we’re passionate about it,” says co-owner Adam Showell.
Cutting Edge Pools and Landscaping has been dazzling southern Utah for the past 25 years. “We’ve been around a long time and we’re one of the biggest and best in the state,” says co-owner Josh Allred. “We’re bonded and insured and we’ll be there if you have any issues.” Although their expertise lies in luxury residential pools, they also handle a diverse range of projects including complex commercial pools, small VRBO projects, standard residential, lazy rivers, waterslides and landscaping.
Whether you’re building a new pool, refurbishing an existing one or adding a water feature with faux rocks, Cutting Edge has an in-house design team to help. They’ll draft a 3D design to make sure it’s exactly what you want. “Adam is a creative genius and I’m mechanically minded,” says Allred. “We collaborate to bring everything together and ensure success. Pools are not just our profession; they are our passion and way of life.”
“We love unique and different. We’re always on the lookout for new products, new ideas and new concepts. We spend a lot of time researching and traveling to find different features. We love making water do what it doesn’t naturally do.”
– Josh Allred, Co-Owner
Ask the Expert
What are you best known for?
High-quality pools that look amazing. We like a good challenge. It’s fun to come up with solutions to transform wild ideas into reality. It’s not just a pool, it’s an experience. Small, colorful LED lights with dimmers add sparkle. Integrate a sound system to sync with the lights and you’ve got a spectacular water feature.
What’s new and noteworthy?
There are so many upcoming innovations in the pool industry like highly efficient pumps, innovative lighting choices and new products that replace plaster and concrete. For example, one product has a sand finish. It’s rigid and solid, so it rolls underneath, up the sides and on the deck for a seamless look.
The first Arbor Day celebration was first held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, when J. Sterling Morton proposed that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. This was first observed with the planting of more than one million trees in the state, and is now celebrated all over the world.
Utah and most states celebrate Arbor Day on the last Friday of April, but some, like Hawaii and Alaska, observe it on dates that better align with their planting times.
Many communities across Utah observe Arbor Day with group tree plantings. Check your local events calendar to discover when and where you can join others in the celebrations.
In Salt Lake City, Red Butte Garden celebrates with a free admission day, inviting visitors to self-guided “tree-rific” activities and the learning of the role trees play in our lives and the natural world. redbuttegarden.org
Use Red Butte Gardens Tree Journal to track and record thoughts and observations about your favorite tree or new seedling.
Did You Know?
In 2014, Utah’s state tree was changed from the Colorado Blue Spruce to the Quaking Aspen in honor of Pando. Near Fish Lake, it is an aspen clone that originated from a single seed and is now a single root system. Pando is believed to be the largest, most dense organism ever found at nearly 13 million pounds. The clone spreads over 106 acres, and consists of more than 40,000 individual trees.
The first Arbor Day celebration was first held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, when J. Sterling Morton proposed that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. This was first observed with the planting of more than one million trees in the state, and is now celebrated all over the world.
Utah and most states celebrate Arbor Day on the last Friday of April, but some, like Hawaii and Alaska, observe it on dates that better align with their planting times.
Many communities across Utah observe Arbor Day with group tree plantings. Check your local events calendar to discover when and where you can join others in the celebrations.
In Salt Lake City, Red Butte Garden celebrates with a free admission day, inviting visitors to self-guided “tree-rific” activities and the learning of the role trees play in our lives and the natural world. redbuttegarden.org
In 2014, Utah’s state tree was changed from the Colorado Blue Spruce to the Quaking Aspen in honor of Pando. Near Fish Lake, it is an aspen clone that originated from a single seed and is now a single root system. Pando is believed to be the largest, most dense organism ever found at nearly 13 million pounds. The clone spreads over 106 acres, and consists of more than 40,000 individual trees.
Steven Wilsonis nothing if not imaginative. Case in point: His framed art pieces cleverly fashioned from up-cycled luxury bags, boxes, silk scarves and handbags. The North Carolina artist deconstructs the boxes and bags, creating canvases for his creations. He adds custom-designed embroidery directly through the materials, punching up their graphics while delivering intriguing texture. As finishing touches, select appliqués, patches and butterflies are stitched out individually and placed onto each piece to complete the artist’s captivating compositions.
Assorted 12-inch-square art pieces framed in acrylic, $1,000 each, O.C. Tanner Jewelers, octannerjewelers.com
FEATHER YOUR NEST
Looking for a way to bring nature’s simplicity and beauty into your home? Barloga Studio creates captivating imagery with its feather studies, turning photographs of individual plumes into works of art. Uniquely printed on hand-made Nepalese paper, each piece marries the delicate details and graphic patterns of feathers with the organic richness of deckle edge paper. Each print is individually hand-signed and titled, adding to its distinctive character.
20 x 30-inch print, $68 each; optional wood-and-steel hanger frame, $56,
The Garden Store, SLC, thegardenstoresaltlake.com
Living extends to the outdoors from the back of the home. A second-story balcony serves the primary bedroom while a shaded deck expands entertaining space beyond the indoor living and dining areas. A small, landscaped yard offers grassy space for the kids to play.
On a secluded street in Salt Lake City, a young family replaces its derelict dwelling with a modern home that’s small in size but big in livability and colorful character.
When Katherine Chandler and her husband Jeffrey Sherlock craved more elbow room for their 1911, 836 square-foot house located in the heart of Salt Lake City, the couple asked Renovation Design Group’s Annie Schwemmer to explore the possibilities of expanding the tiny home’s space and livability. The architect’s assessment wasn’t good news. “We discovered that the house was structurally unsound, and we recommended rebuilding it instead,” Schwemmer recalls.
Homeowners Katherine Chandler and
Jeffrey Sherlock sit with their toddlers Thomas and
Alice on the front stoop of their new home
located in Salt Lake
City’s East Central
neighborhood.
The report didn’t rattle Chandler and Sherlock. “As soon as Annie told us, we were completely on board,” Chandler says. Nor did the news motivate them to move from their beloved and secluded street where many other family members reside. “We weren’t attached to the house, but we are super attached to the location,” says Chandler, referring to a small cluster of homes on a narrow street in the city’s East Central neighborhood.
Living extends to the outdoors from the back of the home. A second-story balcony serves the primary bedroom while a shaded deck expands entertaining space beyond the indoor living and dining areas. A small, landscaped yard offers grassy space for the kids to play.
Before designing the couple’s new house, Schwemmer asked them to list everything they wanted from the home and to highlight the must-haves. “Of course, the location was non-negotiable,” Chandler states. “We also had to have lots of natural light, three bedrooms and at least two bathrooms.” Additional wants included an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) and a large dining area for them to entertain their neighboring clan. An open floor plan and simple, modern style also topped the list. “After living in old houses with warrens of tiny rooms, we were ready for something different,” Chandler says.
The playroom’s wall of folding glass doors can be fully opened to the main living area or pulled closed to confine the space while keeping the kids in full view.
Measuring less than 4,000 square feet, the small property drove the compact size of the new three-level home’s footprint measuring a mere 1,000 square feet. Zoning requirements and a desire to complement the neighboring dwellings also impacted the plan. “With its upper level tucked into the roofline, the new design maintains a similar size and feel to the surrounding homes,” says Schwemmer. “It also introduces a subtle modern sensibility marked by simplicity and subtraction of materials and elements so it doesn’t overwhelm. The architect teamed with contractor Zac Hicks of Bluebird Renovations to create the home. Hicks constructed the walls using 2-inch ZIP panels for improved thermal performance and used Boral TruExterior nickel gap exterior siding painted in a surprising hue. “We wanted it to be blue, just like the original house,” says Chandler, whose passion for color punctuates the project at every turn.
Built on a narrow street and small lot, the home features a pitched roof, clean-lined architecture and edited materiality that complements the neighborhood’s scale and other residences.
Exhibit No. 1: A glass-paned front door that dazzles with its coat of red-orange paint. “It’s the color of the Golden Gate Bridge and makes me smile every time I enter the house,” Chandler beams. The door hints at the spirited decor waiting inside, while offering a glimpse of the home’s welcoming interior. “The glass door and ample windows brighten the entry with wonderful southern light and create interesting patterns and shadows,” Schwemmer says.
The two-story entry features an eye-catching staircase defined by the simplicity of its open black railing and wood-clad steps. Upstairs, the primary bedroom and bath are joined by two other bedrooms and a bath. The home’s lowest level serves as an ADU.
To the right of the uncluttered entry, a clean-lined staircase boasts blackened steel rails and wood-faced steps. “It’s really simple, just a cascade of wood and nothing fussy,” Chandler says. To the left is a steel-framed glass enclosure that fronts the main level’s open living area. “The custom-designed, fabricated glass wall folds back similar to doors that open to patio spaces,” Schwemmer says. The enclosed space was initially intended to be Sherlock’s home office, but by the time the home was completed, it became a playroom. “We had one child during the permitting process and a second right after we moved in, so it never had the chance to be an office.” Chandler says with a laugh.
The front door, painted a brilliant shade of reddish orange, opens to the entry and open spaces of the home’s main level.
Farther back in the home, a light-filled kitchen shares the main level’s open floor plan with a notably large dining area. “We host up to fourteen family members once or twice a week,” Chandler explains. Nearby, a spacious sitting area is anchored by a large fireplace clad in dark acoustic tiles detailed with cream stars randomly placed by interior designer Susan Taggart, who worked closely with the homeowners on their new digs. “Susan was amazing and did a really great job reigning me in,” Chandler says.
The main level’s open floor plan provides the look and livability the young family craved. Savvy seating and flexibility accommodates effortless entertaining. White walls serve as a neutral canvas for daring design statements including a tile-clad fireplace, vivid blue kitchen cabinets and multi-hued dining chairs. “I love bold colors,” confesses Chandler.
As seen from the kitchen, the main living area is anchored by the large fireplace and includes a glass enclosed area used as a playroom for the kids. “We call it the cage,” Chandler chuckles.
The window frames, for example, are black rather than bright orange as Chandler originally envisioned. “Susan convinced me that would just be too much,” she chuckles. The kitchen island, however, features a must-have blue that makes Chandler giddy. “It’s inspired by an amazingly blue home that sits next to Yves Saint Laurent’s Majorelle Garden in Morocco,” she gushes. White walls, maple floors and simply formed fixtures serve as a quiet backdrop for this and other colorful statements that animate the interior, from furnishings and finishes to custom cabinets and tile. “I absolutely love handmade tile, and for me, it was the most fun part of creating the house,” recalls Chandler, who collaborated with Taggart on making eye-catching selections.
The open kitchen and dining areas lead to the backyard’s patio and shaded deck to expand the interior’s livable space outdoors. Furnishings and lighting were selected to foster the interior’s simplicity and modern style. Chandler designed and made the pottery pieces displayed on the kitchen’s open shelves.
Savvy storage also recurs throughout the house, including the entry and mudroom’s built-in cabinets. “Adequate storage was the key to making this home feel larger,“ Chandler insists. The same is true of space-saving elements like a floating bathroom vanity and a streamlined storage bench that sides the fireplace. These, along with abundant windows, high ceilings and an uncluttered decor, foster an open and spacious feel despite the home’s modest size. And for the young family of four (soon to be five), it is exactly what they wanted—and needed. Chandler beams, “We have toddlers and it is chaotic much of the time, but the simplicity and spaciousness of our home makes living here such a joy.”
The walls and floors of the main level powder room are completely tiled in white penny tile—including rounded corners. The floor has a drain if the open shower is used.
Chandler chose handcrafted zellige tile from Clé to wrap the primary bathroom in a deep green hue with a subtle aquatic feel.
Photos by Scott Zimmerman
Hand-painted wood floors and a wall of built-in cabinets deliver practicality and bold shots of color to the mudroom. The Flirt hardwood flooring is from Mirth Studio.
Not all luxury homebuilders are the same,” says Brenda Blake, co-owner and principal at Blake Design. “The truth is, we’re different—very different.” C. Blake Homes is a full-service design and build firm in southern Utah that specializes in high-end desert homes.
“We understand luxury homes and all aspects of the trade,” she says. “We started small and grew intentionally.” The firm is known for clean design that’s comfortable and makes you want to stay a while. “We design and develop heirloom properties,” says Cary Blake, co-owner. “We’re always seeking the best quality in building materials, appliances and furnishing. We build timeless homes that will stand the test of time.”
Desert homes have unique requirements: careful construction in tune with environmental sustainability, architectural design that harmonizes with the surrounding landscape, and interior design that reflect each homeowner’s lifestyle and aesthetics. This husband and wife duo can help you make the right choices in everything from site planning to products.
the minimum is expected, we offer an alternative. We have a full team of experts including in-house interior design, office staff, project management, construction, framing, concrete, tile and drywall crews. That means we can offer luxury custom work on efficient timelines.”
– Cary and Brenda Blake, Co-Owners
Ask the Expert
What are clients asking for now?
Holistic and wellness features to improve physical and emotional well-being such as infrared saunas, cold plunge tubs, salt walls and green building materials, just to name a few.
What are you best known for?
High-quality results. We have been in the business for 33 years and are completely referral-based. That means people come to us because we made someone they know happy.
What makes Southern Utah a unique place for your firm?
Blue skies and diverse scenery complement our homes perfectly. We enjoy designing and building vacation homes that take advantage of the warm weather and close proximity of several national parks.
Belly up to the home bar and avoid finding a designated driver when you want to be as bubbly as your drink and raise spirits with some spirits.
Park City is renown as one of the great mountain resort towns, and true to its heritage as a miners’ town, there is no shortage of sociable bars. At the same time, home designers and builders are creating some remarkable bars in Park City homes, and today we look at some.
Anticipating a style of entertaining is key to planning and designing the right location and configuration of a home bar. Here, the downstairs has a semi-casual seating area for socializing with drinks before or after dinner or for sports viewing. The bar is defined in the open plan by a recessed coffered wooden ceiling. The bar and back bar are stone, and there is a chilled wine cabinet and tasting room behind. Drinks can be enjoyed at the bar or taken to the sectional and chairs where the tables accommodate setting down glasses. Home built by JOC Construction (John O’Connell) and designed by Otto-Walker Architects.
This lower-level bar maintains the clean lines and uncluttered look of the home’s modern mountain design. A game table finds a place beneath the stairway. Kristen Rocke, K Rocke Design is the interior designer.
Just like a bar on the top floor of a high rise, this bar is intended to enjoy the views, especially at sunset. Instead of building a backbar, storage is in a series of low credenzas to maintain line-of-sight to the views. Located on the open-planned upper living area, it is convenient to the living and dining areas. The circular light fixture provides sufficient lighting for measuring and pouring but is sufficiently elevated to keep clear of the view lines. Upland Development (Ryan and Jesica Taylor) built the home.
When a home is built into the hillside, some lower-level rooms lack windows. Dramatic lighting in the room and backbar colorfully and playfully compensate. Home is designed by Upwall Design, interiors are by Marion Rockwood, and it is built by Midway Construction.
The contours of the space helped define the design of this bar by K Rocke.
Similarly, K Rocke designed this small bar to fit nicely into this low-ceilinged space adjacent to the stairway with a nearby table positioned under the stairway for additional seating.
This horseshoe-shaped bar can easily seat a dozen. The glass doors fold back to open the western wall to a broad patio and firepit, making serving drinks outdoors a breeze. Clive Bridgwater designed the home, which was built by Upland Development (Ryan and Jesica Taylor).
PJ Builders approached creating a bar doubling for outdoor entertainment with this design in an Old Town home with a pass-through to the outdoor bar.
K Rocke Design defined the bar in an open transitional space with color—black bar and backbar with bright red accents. The bar is conveniently close to the home theater for snacks and beverages.
Designers Jamie Bellessa and David Clyde (89 Oak) used dark wood for the bar, back bar, and a dropped ceiling for a traditional bar in a ski-in/ski-out home. Upland Development built the home and Otto-Walker Architects designed it.
If Park City is maturing to have its own building style, then I would suggest that this style includes a home bar. Even non-drinkers are including bars for sodas and refreshments. I can imagine that some of the early Park City miners might agree with putting bars in homes based on the number of bars lining the streets when I arrived in town in the 1960s.
I started the blog with plays on words, and I have more, just to brighten your spirits: “According to chemistry, is alcohol a solution?” And here is another question: “Is your relationship with whiskey on the rocks?”
I’ll close with Ogden Nash. “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.”
Dive in to a stunning shot from architecture photographer Scot Zimmerman, a frequent contributor to Utah Style and Design. See his artist insights below.
“While I will never be able to paint like Maynard Dixon, on this day I was able to photograph his kind of monumental Utah sky. Big spaces, red desert and a design/build Bluff home constructed by University of Utah architectural students using donated and salvaged materials for a Diné family meet a big, bold, thunder-filled sky. Old meets new, and nature will shortly end the day’s tranquility.”
Silver toned metals read confidently cool in a provocative decor recently imagined by Alice Lane Interiors. Creative Director Jessica Bennett welcomes us inside the home and shares the secrets to using cool metals here and in other chic interiors she and her team create.
Jessica Bennett
Take a look at some of today’s most compelling interiors and you may notice an uptick in the appearance of cool-toned metals and finishes. Jessica Bennett and Suzanne Hall—celebrated designers and hosts of our fave podcast Dear Alice—recently responded to a client’s “no brass or gold” directive for her contemporary decor. They chose cool metallics to deliver style and sparkle that make the spaces really shine. We were instantly wowed, so we asked Bennett about these materials and finishes and to share the ways she and her team used them to elevate the style of this and other projects that are undeniably cool.
“We have been seeing the cool metal tones pop up and dominate the fashion industry for at least 3 years now, and we knew it would carry over into interiors,” says Bennett. Citing patent chrome purses by Coach, alien-like futuristic sunglass shapes and blades, all things Kardashian and even chrome-toned fingernails, she explains, “The coolest of the cool have been at it for years.” Cool metals have a clean, modern feel that can help drive retro or vintage modern style. “Think of all of the beautiful vintage Ralph Lauren cars, crystal chandeliers, silvered mirrors,” she exclaims. “And with no yellow or golden tones, they never really feel old.”
HIT THE HOOD
“I always love a range hood in nickel,” says Bennett. “It feels more culinary, and I love the sheen of it against a paint grade or stain grade kitchen.” Above, a head-turning hood makes a bold statement with its organic, polished nickel form cuffed in blackened nickel.
MAKE AN IMPACT
Bennett has a simple strategy for creating the biggest impact when layering eye-catching elements like cool metals into a space. “Start by layering them at eye level, “she advises. “You’ll get extra credit for them.” High-flying chandeliers, for example, may not instantly catch your attention, but lamps, table-top accessories and other mid-level additions make an immediate impression. In the home’s library, Bennett and her team used framed art, a swing-arm sconce and a nickel-and-lucite table base to place shots of shimmering cool metallics front and center.
MIX IT IN
Yes, you can—and should—mix metals, contends Bennett. “Not leaning too hard in any one direction keeps the home feeling beautiful no matter the current trend,” she says. And for those not ready to commit to cool metals, Bennett advises easing in gradually. “Introduce them slowly. Once you start having an eye for it, you’ll be confident to do more.” These homeowners shunned brass and gold finishes, but the Alice Lane design team snuck in brass C tables and a gold-handled tray to counter—and complement—the living room’s sleek steel-framed chair and ottoman and, across the room, an arced chrome floor lamp.
THINK BEYOND METAL
There are many ways to introduce a glimmering metallic look beyond metals. Bennett includes mirrors, silver leafed ceilings, mercury glass lighting, wallcoverings and platinum-finished furnishings among them. She and her team dressed the home’s two-story stairway wall with a composition of vertical mirrors that reflect light while doubling the visual impact of the stunning, nickel-accented glass railing.
HIT THE HARDWARE
“I see the nickel, silvered and chrome finishes in an edited, chic way,” says Bennett, who turns to “all-things hardware” from drapery rods and doorknobs to plumbing suites, door hinges and cabinetry hardware to showcase these cool materials. Discreet ledge pulls, plumbing fixtures and even the window cranks shimmer in cool nickel, delivering jewelry-like accents to the streamlined kitchen.
CHILL IN COMFORT
“If comfort and warmth is the goal, using the right colors with your metals will give you those feelings, as will adding natural light, living finishes, patterns and textures,” says Bennett. In the dining room, nickel-finished chairs deliver a dash of reflective decadence to the stand-out space, while the thick rug, cascading-chain chandelier and live-edge wood table top inject soothing texture and materiality.\
WORK IT IN
Look to the home’s hardest working spaces for adding cool-metal magic. “Because we use the metals primarily in kitchens and baths, we pair them with the finest finishes in the home,” Bennett says. Think marble, wood finishes, mirrors, lighting’s glass crystals and more. “Nickel just shines against all of those gorgeous natural living finishes.”
Want more expert tips on utilizing these finishes? Read up on Bennett’s take on nickel vs chrome.
Want the recipe for a stunning home? Blend new ideas with timeless and elegant architecture and choose a site that takes your breath away. That’s the recipe Brian Geer uses in his work every day. He has earned his reputation for building quality homes by being upfront, honest, transparent and trustworthy.
Geer’s homes intentionally celebrate the breathtaking beauty of each setting, optimize views and drawing inspiration from natural landscapes. “Let your natural surroundings inspire every element of your design,” says Geer. “Every detail—from how the home is situated on a carefully chosen lot to the layout, design and materials—should showcase and reflect the spectacular landscapes that make southwest Utah so special.”
A master builder of custom luxury homes, Geer creates stunning, welcoming and personal spaces. Every detail reflects the cooperative vision of the homeowner and builder, and is backed by more than 45 years of highly respected quality craftsmanship. Just a few reasons Home Builder Digest voted him the second best Custom Home Builder in Utah in 2017.
“It’s important to trust who you choose to build your custom home. You’re not just building a home; you’re building a relationship. Make the right choice from the start by finding a person you get along with.”
– Brian Geer, Owner and Builder
Ask the Expert
Three words that best describe your business:
Personality. Honesty. Quality.
What are you best known for?
Building homes that are in harmony with the natural environment. We make the most of the lot and create homes that offer expansive window spaces, inspiring sightlines and a seamless flow from interior to outdoor living spaces.
What sets your work apart?
Quality, quality, quality. We build upper-end custom homes, not spec homes. So, each home is built precisely for the client. I give people what they spend their money on—a place that meets their needs and exceeds their expectations.
