Visitors would be forgiven for thinking this estate has graced it’s river-front site for centuries, but the newly remodeled provo home and refashioned landscape are actually the collaborative work of talented professionals recently tasked with updating and reimagining the modern-day property. As showcased in our feature Resplendent Redux, the A-list team accomplished this and more. The following photos go beyond those presented in the printed story, unveiling a spectacular residence with a timeless character—and breathtaking views of its sprawling landscape and mountains beyond.
Landscape Architect Mike Kaiser devised a covered timber loggia linking the main house to a new, pool-centered courtyard area. He planted tall trees in the foreground to visually tie the feature to the the house and its commanding height.
To a renovate their decades-old Provo estate, the homeowners teamed architect Greg Tankersley, partner with McAlpine, builder Jackson & LeRoy, designers Elizabeth Wixom Johnsen and Kimberly Rasmussen of Establish Design and landscape architect Mike Kaiser of Kaiser Trabue. Together, the A-list pros transformed the landmark home, inside and out. They dialed-back an animated Cape Dutch-influenced exterior by redefining its entry, editing the facade, eliminating highly ornate elements and reducing the mix of window types to a single style.
A graciously curved railing refines the new staircase leading from the entry to a second-story landing. Venetian-plastered walls and softly stained white oak floors provide a serene backdrop for the elegant railing and art displayed on the walls.
Designers Johnsen and Rasmussen dressed the walls of the freshly reconfigured and refined entry with an impressive, floor-to-ceiling gallery of the homeowners’ large art collection.
On the family room ceiling, Jackson & LeRoy installed raw oak timbers to resemble the underside of a floor structure from below. Garden views and a welcoming, casual style infuse the timeless space. “The design nods to the historical, but is livable and not formal,” Rasmussen says.
Palm leaf wallpaper dresses the under-stairs powder room. The designers imported the unique tank and toilet from England and fashioned a curved, reeded vanity replicating a Dutch furniture piece.
A new heart-of-the-home kitchen replaced a cramped cooking space. Painted custom cabinets and a Dutch blue La Cornue range charm the enlarged kitchen, as do ceiling-mounted porcelain lights.
The designers devised an “ almost seaside” color palette of grayed blues, soft creams and buttercream yellows that nods to the Dutch while making the interior ”light and fresh.”
In the primary suite, the team created a calming sitting area where the owners can overlook the landscape from the main bedroom space. A lantern fixture hangs above a mix of custom furnishings and fine antiques. “The lantern adds a casual feel to the room,” Johnsen says.
For a fleeting period during late summer and early fall, fresh peaches reign as Utah’s most coveted crop. For Ryan Crafts, that means it’s time to get fired up. As the grill master for catering powerhouse Culinary Crafts, he is always looking for tasty ways to serve from the flames—and peaches offer bushels of inspiration. “Peaches love the grill and can be served in both sweet and savory ways,” Crafts explains. What’s more, guests love eating local and in-season, as well as experiencing unexpected takes on the season’s most eagerly anticipated crop. Crafts takes us to the grill and fires up dishes that celebrate the versatility and vivacious flavor of Utah peaches. Things are going to get hot!
“You don’t want an overripe peach for grilling,” Crafts insists. Instead, he purposefully chooses slightly underripe peaches when playing with fire. “They hold together better on the grill and will become just as tender and sweet as ripe fruit once they’re grilled.”
SWEET AND SAVORY Not Just For Dessert
“Grilled peaches are really versatile and can be introduced into the menu at most any stage, savory or sweet,” Crafts says. Culinary Crafts often teams grilled peaches with meat and fish for a easy and surprising pairing. “A simple grilled peach makes an excellent summertime side dish for virtually any entree,” he adds. His team also combines diced grilled peaches, sweet onions, cilantro and a hit of lime juice to make a seasonal salsa “that is particularly tasty served over grilled fish or chicken.” Crafts also uses cooled grilled peaches to amp up summertime salads, and he pairs grilled peaches with tomatoes (sliced similarly), serving them caprese style with burrata, olive oil and herb toppings like basil or mint. For those with a sweet tooth, Crafts’ team often crowns grilled peach halves with a number of delectable toppings, including gelato, heavy cream, whipped cream, mascarpone and whipped ricotta sweetened with a little honey. To add dimension, they frequently garnish these with caramel and a little sea salt or Red Rock pistachios. “There’s really no end to the things you can create with grilled peaches,” Crafts says.
AS EASY AS PIE Ryan Crafts’ five steps for grilling peaches
1. Heat your grill to a medium-high to high range.
2. Half your peaches lengthwise, pit them, then brush the cut side with salted butter.
3. Place your buttered peaches cut side down on the grill for two to three minutes, or until they can be lifted without sticking. If they stick, grill them a little longer.
4. Flip the peaches over to their skin sides down and reduce the heat. If you’re using a wood fire, just move them to the side away from active flames.
5. Finish grilling the peaches more slowly on the skin side. Don’t brown the skin—just let the peach halves heat through and soften a few minutes more.
Ryan Crafts, Culinary Crafts’ president and grill master
CRAFTS’ TOP TIPS TO GETTING IT RIGHT
•Don’t move or turn the peaches on the grill too early or they will stick and shred. If they don’t lift easily, they need more time to sear. Once a crust forms on the fruit, they will naturally release.
•If your peaches are burning before they release, your grill is too hot.
•Live-wood fires elevate the peaches’ flavor, but a gas grill makes grilling them easier because the heat is easier to control.
•Grilled peaches are naturally sweet and don’t usually require sugar or honey. If you desire more sweetness, don’t add sugar or honey to peaches before grilling. Added sugar will caramelize faster than the fruit and may burn before your peaches are completely cooked. You can add either honey or sugar after grilling for a sweeter flavor, although a quick drizzle of maple syrup is even better.
While summer in Utah is generally a wonderful time of sunshine, mountain air and endless trails, the dog days can tend to get relentlessly hot, dry and dusty. In addition to creating volatile wildfire conditions, the weather can leave your whole body feeling a bit parched and in need of a respite. Fortunately, the Beehive state is full of literal and figurative oases in the desert, with a host of alpine lakes, mountain reservoirs and waterfall-fed swimming holes. Here’s our list of the best swimming spots in Utah. Some of these require a decent hike to get to, while others are just feet from the car, but they’re all perfect for staying cool on a summer day.
Swimming Near SLC
Salt Lake City has swelled into a major urban population center, but there are all types of unique swimming opportunities nearby.
Pineview Reservoir, Photo Credit: UOT Images
Mona Rope Swings: Just a 30-minute drive south of Provo, the Mona rope swings bring some excitement to the Burraston ponds. There are at least five rope swings and multiple platforms of varying sizes in the trees from which to plunge into the deep, refreshing pools of water. The rope swings have a small parking lot and are easy to find just by typing the name into Google Maps.
Pineview Reservoir: While not exactly a secret, Pineview Reservoir is one of the best spots to take a dip near SLC and Ogden. The reservoir is ringed by mountains, which provide not only incredible views, but also surprisingly good protection from the wine. Pineview Beach on the reservoir’s west end is flat and sandy and feels distinctly more like a natural lake than many of the dammed bodies of water in Utah.
East Canyon Reservoir: East Canyon is a famous, historical pioneer route for groups from Brigham Young’s Mormon pioneers to the ill-fated Donner Party. You can retrace their steps in a significantly less arduous manner by visiting East Canyon State Park for a dip in the reservoir. The snowmelt-fed water is surrounded by mountains and seems miles further from civilization than the short 25-minute drive would indicate.
Swimming in the Uinta Mountains
The Uinta Mountains are home to more than 1,000 pristine natural alpine lakes. Unlike those in the Cottonwood Canyons, they aren’t part of the watershed so they’re perfect for swimming. Access them all just east of Kamas and Park City via the Mirror Lake Highway (S.R. 150).
Mirror Lake, Photo Credit: UOT Images
Ruth Lake: Ruth Lake is only about a mile from the trailhead, which is 35 miles up S.R. 150 from Kamas. Enjoy the mellow hike through open meadows with views of the surrounding mountains like Hayden Peak before rewarding yourself with a dip.
Mirror Lake: The namesake of the famous road through the Uintas, Mirror Lake is easily accessible as it’s right off the road. Because of that proximity, it can get a little crowded from time to time, but the near perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains alone makes it worth the visit. A well-maintained path surrounds the entire lake, so you can go for a nice scenic walk while finding the perfect spot to hop in. Mirror Lake is 32 miles up S.R. 150.
Wall Lake: Start from the Crystal Lake Trailhead (26 miles up S.R. 150), and head up the Notch Mountain Trail for about a mile to reach Wall Lake. Wall Lake is flanked by cliffs of varying sizes you can jump off depending on how daring you’re feeling. The Crystal Lake Trailhead gets a little crowded, but people dissipate quickly as you head up the trail and reach Wall Lake.
Swimming in the Utah Desert
These are the literal oases we were talking about. Utah’s famous desert landscapes are dotted with refreshing, picturesque swimming holes.
Desert Waterfall, Photo Credit UOT Images
Touquerville Falls: Touquerville Falls is a wonderful spot to visit after spending a day at nearby Zion National Park. The road out there is a rough, 12-mile OHV trail. It’s passable with most relatively-capable 4×4 vehicles, but it’s not one to be attempted in your ’88 Civic or rusted out Ranger. The road can also be hiked by the hearty. Either way, once you reach the several levels of cascading waterfalls you know the effort was worth it.
Calf Creek Falls: Located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Calf Creek Falls is named for the surrounding steep sandstone walls which served as a natural pen for calves. It’s about a three-mile hike to reach Lower Calf Creek Falls with its stunning 130-foot waterfall and a deep swimming pool. Upper Calf Creek Falls takes more effort to reach but has a 90-foot waterfall of its own and far fewer visitors. The historic rock art on the stone walls help the miles pass quickly.
Mill Creek Waterfall: Ever the popular tourist destination, Moab is teeming with people looking to cool off after a long day in the sun mountain biking or hiking through Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The Mill Creek Waterfall Trail is less than a mile from downtown Moab. The full trail is a 7.5 mile out and back, but if you just want to make it to the waterfall for a swim it’s shy of two miles total.
Extraordinary structures, dazzling water features and lush gardens—all details that go into creating an enchanting outdoor oasis. In our recent feature of a Tuscan-inspired landscape, landscape architects of Northland Design Jeremy Filmore and Jeremy Talbot discuss the nine-year-long project. “There was to be an emotion and feeling to the landscape,” Fillmore explains.
Such a daring landscape is deserving of a little extra attention. So here, we take a closer look at each extraordinary destination that works to tell a grand story of reflection, exhilaration and even bewilderment. Ready to visit an Italian paradise?
An aerial shot of the landscape depicts the grand scale of the project.
A) One of the landscape’s two hanging Dedon daybeds offers a private retreat.
B) Located in the bottom corner of the property, an intimate area boasts a graceful pergola and terraced water feature.
C) Terraced into a large lawn, semicircular seating forms an amphitheater for open-air gatherings and entertainment.
D) Herb-lined paths lead to the orchard’s espaliered apple trees and rows of grape vines.
E) Water spouts from a curved stone wall designed to partially enclose the fire pit patio and direct the eye to the mountains above.
F) A tiled roof, thick stone columns and heavy beams shape the centrally located pavilion equipped with a professional-grade kitchen and centered fire feature.
G) The pool features a broad sundeck at one end and, at the other, a jumping platform sits above ornate scuppers and a submerged viewing bench.
H) The hot tub is oversized to host large groups of family and friends. Wide stone caps double as tables for those soaking in the tub.
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A cedar-shingled gambrel roof and a row of dormers give the two story house an English cottage revival style befitting its historic Harvard Yale neighborhood. Design/build by The Fox Group; landscape by Emily Brooks Wayment.
Timeless is a word interior designer Cara Fox uses often to describe the houses she and husband Tom—principals of The Fox Group—design and build for clients who crave classic style. The owners of this new residence in Salt Lake’s gracious Harvard Yale neighborhood are among them. “They wanted to live in a walkable, historic Utah neighborhood, but they didn’t want to live in an old house,” Cara says. She and Tom responded by creating an inviting English cottage-style home that complements the neighborhood’s period revival style while providing the space and livability their clients needed for their young, active family.
“We’re big on entrances,” Tom Fox explains. He and his wife Cara dressed the foyer with classic paneling, a herringbone-patterned oak floor and a handsome staircase. “We created tapered balusters and paired them with white-oak newel posts for a simple, elegant feel,” says Cara, standing on the step.
A Dutch door welcomes guests into the home. “Harvard Yale is a gracious walking neighborhood, and this door fosters friendliness while still providing a sense of privacy,” Cara says.
Tailored gardens wrap the two-story house, with its cedar-shingled gambrel roof and multiple dormers conveying stature and age-old character. Meanwhile, white-painted brick—tumbled and set with overflowing mortar—and subtle asymmetry deliver a sense of ease to the traditional facade. “The owners wanted a sense of casual elegance, and that begins at the curb,” Cara explains.
The exterior provides more than a hint of the character and charm waiting within its brick walls.
Visual Comfort Dumfries lanterns hang above the entry, where white oak floors deliver a classic pattern to the welcoming space. A peek into the color-saturated music room delivers a shot of drama and signals the beginning of harmonizing blue tones that run throughout the home.
Inside, the home is unmistakably traditional but ardently free of any clichéd décor elements of yesteryear. There are no dark tapestries, heavily carved furnishings or fussy frills. Instead, relaxed textiles, soft colors, natural finishes and spirited details deliver a sense of comfort and freshness throughout.
A painting by local artist Ryan Cannon hangs in the family room.
Just inside the front Dutch door, brass lanterns hang high above the entry’s herringbone-patterned floor and staircase, both crafted from natural white oak. “They add an airy feeling and tell you right away that while this is a traditional home, it’s light and livable,” Cara says. White paneled walls and a crisply tailored bench suggest the same. A glimpse into the nearby music room, dramatically dressed head-to-toe in dark teal, signals you’re in for a surprise or two. It also reveals a strong penchant for blue.
Art by Paige Anderson inspired the music room’s décor. “The room is super sophisticated and a little overdone,” says Cara, who chose brass accents, silk draperies and a velvet sofa to accentuate the opulence set by the room’s rich navy-teal color. “We wanted this to be a ‘wow’ moment off the foyer.”
Indeed, varied shades of blue perform as a decorative thread that ties the rooms together. Cornflower-hued ginger jars gather in the family room, cobalt glassware fills shelves in the kitchen and a lively mix of pillows, Roman shades and seating pieces running throughout the home are tailored and trimmed in a range of refreshing blues, often teamed with white. “They create such a light, summertime feel,” says Cara, who introduced striped fabrics to do the same. “Our clients wanted the look to be elegant yet casual, and stripes deliver both.” The designer added block-printed florals and plenty of tranquil solids to balance the linear stripes. Nearly all of the fabrics are finished to be no-fuss and family friendly. “They had to be hold up to the active family,” Cara explains.
Open to the kitchen, the family room offers at-ease style and an abundance of custom seating pieces for the active family. The chandelier is by Currey & Company, the lounge chairs’ block-print floral fabric is from Lisa Fine Textiles and the art is by Claire Tollstrup; all available through The Fox Shop. The family room opens into the spacious kitchen. Light wood tones and shades of blue and white help decoratively unite the adjoining spaces.
The centrally situated family room—a welcoming space with handsomely paneled walls, an abundance of windows and a finely trimmed fireplace—connects to the open kitchen and back deck, creating a busy and beloved gathering space. “We think the spaces used the most should be the most special,” Tom explains. To create a sense of comfort and conviviality, Cara was deliberate about incorporating lots of seating in the family room and, at her clients’ request, she nixed the ubiquitous TV mounted over the fireplace. “They wanted this space to be all about gathering and bonding,” she explains. Instead, a painting by Claire Tollstrup hangs above the mantle, portraying a dreamy garden scene that furthers the room’s fresh-picked style.
Natural white oak plays against white paint and tile to accentuate the open shelves, cubbies and classic molding of a built-in display wall.Beadboard, beams and detailed trim work deliver character to the kitchen ceiling. Custom built-in cabinetry and a simple range hood promote the room’s timeless style. The brass-accented lanterns are from Hudson Valley Lighting.
In the adjoining kitchen, striped barstools pull up to the long island top with Calacatta Gold marble. Above, beadboard and beams lend character to the ceiling, while built-in cabinets with glass mullion doors “make everything feel open and more custom than basic shelves would,” Cara says. The range hood is intentionally simple and elegant—”not too fussy,” she adds.
Custom built-in cabinets—designed with glass mullion doors and natural oak interiors—frame the entry into the light-filled dining room. A jaw-dropping lattice-patterned beam ceiling nods to a similar motif gracing the high-back chairs below. The Alberto chandelier is designed by Julie Neill for Visual Comfort. Cara hangs a Moravian Star light fixture in nearly every project, as she did here in the powder room. “It reminds me of a 3D compass that always leads you back home,” she says.
While the design is soothingly cohesive, unexpected elements pepper the décor with color and character. A lattice patterned ceiling—crafted of white oak—crowns the dining room and mimics the chair backs below. An exuberant pairing of striped and floral patterns in shades of red and mint frolic in the girls’ bedroom, where dormers carve out cubbies for benches and storage-rich built-ins. And in the mudroom, large black and white marble squares create an iconic checkerboard patterned floor fronting built-in lockers and an inviting window seat. ”It’s one of may favorite spots in the house,” Cara exclaims.
Vertically shiplapped walls and a checkerboard-patterned floor of honed Carrara and Bardiglio marbles animate the mudroom hall. White-oak cabinets boast a natural matte finish and decorative locker cutouts and brass-mesh drawer fronts. The white light fixture is by Aerin Lauder for Visual Comfort. A striped Ikat patterned fabric animates the Roman shades, pillows and window seat in the girls’ bedroom. “The Schumacher fabric adds a pop of color and modern flair to the all-floral room,” Cara explains.
Truth be told, details in every room foster the home’s fresh traditional style and invite lingering and lounging. “We knew this would be a house filled with kids and life,” Cara says. “It had to be as fun as it is functional, as lovely as it is livable.”
Tom and Cara Fox, principals of The Fox Group.
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Having already built one custom home, the couple found a new spacious lot in southern Salt Lake Valley and challenged Ryan Taylor of Upland Development to maintain the same level of precision construction and be even more creative in the design touches throughout their home. They enlisted Landform Design for the architectural design, Upland Development for construction, and the homeowner acted as her own interior designer. Her creativity meshed with Ryan Taylor’s, and as she recounts, “He always could make any of my ideas work.”
The front entry leads to an open-planned living, dining, and kitchen space. Looking across the living room furniture grouping is a view of outdoor living, the pool, and at the far end, an attached guest apartment that looks very much like a free-standing cottage. The wooden boards of the floor form a bold herringbone pattern. Looking up, a unique wooden coffered ceiling in a diamond pattern reiterates the angles in the floor. Light metal girders support directional spot lighting.
Just to the side of the entry and adjacent to the kitchen is a cozy room where patterned marble defines the seating area instead of an area rug. The half-circle fireplace opening with the recessed edge reminds me of Louis Sullivan designs. The design echoes the fireplace curves in the arching neck of the lamp, the roundedness of the chairs’ backs and arms, the central table, and a console table that can be partially glimpsed in the lower right. If you look closely into the fireplace, there are skulls that emit fire for a witty personal touch.
The kitchen radiates a sophisticated calm supported by strong horizontal lines, a consistent palette, and clean surfaces. Ever cognizant of the ceiling, the circular lighting is a strong design element. The stone island to the left with its waterfall edge and Lucite stools is a casual gathering spot. Stools on the opposite side offer even more seating. The wooden work island is split in two for easier circulation. One island has a sink, and there is a second sink on the far wall near the refrigerator. The design approach for the pantry/work area is one of my favorites because of its practicality: without doors as a hindrance, it is a walk-in area behind the refrigerator and freezer.
Here is a glimpse of the pantry area with ovens, microwave, another refrigerator, loads of cabinet storage, counter workspace, frequently used appliances, and open shelves for pantry goods.
The master suite is on the main level. The soaking tub in front of the colorful book-matched stone seemed like a photo waiting to be made.
In addition to the master suite and the guest apartment, there are four bedrooms with unique personalities achieved through attention to the ceilings, textured carpeting, interesting brick walls, and, of course, the furnishings.
Laser-cut acoustical foam makes for an interesting ceiling that functions for efficient sound in the home theater.
Moving on to the backyard, the L-shaped home offers privacy and wind protection for the long rectangular pool. The wing to the left of the photo is the bedrooms, and to the right is the living room and the master suite.
I’ll end with a photo that is looking exactly the opposite direction as the opening photograph. The windows at the far end are the living room and beyond is the front of the house.
Custom to the homeowners’ interests and lifestyle, it is also a very personal home that shows humor and enthusiasm for life.
The fragrance, color and incomparable beauty of roses charm The Sarah J. McCarthey & Family Rose Garden at Red Butte Garden. Forget about marching through rows of labeled cultivars. Here you meander through a diverse presentation of informally planted varieties—hybrid teas and floribundas to climbers and miniatures—as they mix with companion plants to enchant all who visit. The Rose Garden boasts color-specific sections, from a blush-toned Wedding Garden to a robustly red Marin Overlook.
Formality enjoys a surprising twist in Red Butte Garden’s Ruth P. Eccles Herb Garden, where loose curves—rather than traditional diamonds and squares—shape a boxwood parterre woven through lush beds of fragrant herbs and edible flowers.
Breathtaking mountain views grace the three-acre property located in Alpine. A grand pavilion provides a large gathering spot surrounded by glorious gardens, inviting patios and an herb-lined path leading to a small vineyard below.
The sweet perfume of lavender and roses fills the air meeting the melodic sound of chirping birds and buzzing bees. Warmth emanates from sun-washed stone walls and fountains splash among lush gardens. It’s the kind of place one can relish even with eyes closed, and that is exactly what owners Noel and Carrie Vallejo desired when they decided to transform their Alpine mountainside property into a hillside paradise inspired by the intoxicating landscapes of Tuscany.
Custom, cast-bronze scuppers spill from a patio wall crowned with a tumble of vibrant mandevilla and trailing Supertunia.
Achieving this blissful vision fell to landscape architects Jeremy Fillmore and Ryan Talbot of Northland Design. Collaborating closely with Noel, these pros quickly understood that they were to deliver more than sublime beauty to the three-acre property. “There was to be an emotion and feeling to the landscape,” Fillmore explains. The designers worked with their client to ensure every element—from grand gestures to small, handwrought details—enhanced the journey through a landscape dotted with memorable features and extraordinary destinations.
Massive iron gates designed by Northland welcome visitors from the front yard into the lavish landscape behind the home. Designed by Fillmore and Talbot and engineered by Upwall Design Architects, the extraordinary pavilion features a central fireplace, suspended stone chimney and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen along its curved perimeter. “The Vallejos are all about gathering with family and food, and this space is the hub and heart of their home’s outdoor living,” Fillmore explains.
During their initial visit, Fillmore and Talbot looked beyond the home’s simple lawns and time-worn pool. “All we saw were incredible views and humongous potential,” Fillmore recalls. The sprawling property was enclosed by a perimeter wall Noel had constructed from stones harvested from his land; mountain and valley scenes rose above the walls at every turn. The architects’ challenge was to transform the simple yard into an emotive adventure, an experiential dreamscape. From the get-go, Noel asked Fillmore and Talbot to include the finest of everything in their design concept. “Noel is a big thinker,” Talbot explains. “He wanted to know about the best options and gave us freedom to design and be creative without constraints of any kind.”
Homeowner Noel Vallejo had his sprawling property enclosed by a perimeter wall built from stones harvested from the land.
Taking their client’s lead, the duo crafted a daring concept anchored by extraordinary structures, dazzling water features and lush gardens that anchored the project’s design. “The initial concept guided the project generally but not specifically,” says Fillmore, explaining that many of the finer points evolved from figurative brushstrokes made during the property’s transformation. “Noel would say, ‘Let’s paint,’ meaning let’s play around with the details until they feel just right emotionally.” A children’s playhouse tied to the grand pavilion, a granite jumping platform added to the pool’s end and custom pots handmade to top stone pillars are just a few of many alterations and additions made to enhance the already stellar design. “It was a unique pleasure to work so intimately with an owner driven by the actual feel of a project,” Talbot says.
MAKE A SPLASH
Fillmore and Talbot’s drawing of a corbel-style scupper illustrates an intricately patterned design. Artisans used the sketch to shape and detail a life-sized clay model used to develop molds that formed the finished bronze scuppers integrated into the pool’s water feature. A patinated finish lends an aged look and feel to the water-spouting sculptures. A submerged, built-in bench invites swimmers to sit below the spilling water and granite platform above.
Noel also insisted on the use of authentic materials, from cast bronze for scuppers and ornate planters to handwrought iron for fences and hand-hewn stone for pavers—each individually crafted by talented artisans. Of course, this exacting approach required time as the inspired landscape was sculpted into exactly what Noel and its creators imagined it to be—nine years to be exact. “Great design reveals itself over time, and this project reminded us about the rewards of being patient,” Fillmore says.
A trail of stone steps leads through mounds of grasses and fragrant plantings to the pool, where water spills from hand-made bronze scuppers into the large swimming pool below.
As with many Tuscan gardens, this sloped landscape fully reveals itself only as you move through the property. It’s about exploring and discovering, with paths and steps that appear and disappear through a lavishly planted site punctuated by architecturally commanding structures, intriguing gardens and intimate retreats. “We wanted to create spaces that step with the land rather than being on one plane,” notes Talbot, who traveled to Tuscany to study its celebrated gardens and sweeping landscapes. His discoveries inspired many of the property’s plantings that he and Fillmore inserted, including lines of Taylor junipers mimicking age-old Italian cypress as well as commanding sycamores, smaller Japanese maples and hawthorns delivering canopies of shade and living sculpture to the dynamic landscape. To put the proverbial cherry on the cake, the duo signed on landscape designer Heidi Fischio-Brewer, whose blooming perennials, vibrant flowers and herbaceous plantings robustly fill bronze planters, top stone walls and garnish gardens in mass across the landscape.
Fillmore and Talbot replaced an old pool with an elongated version sagely reoriented toward mountain vistas. The pool features intricately detailed bronze scuppers spouting water from below a broad stone platform at the pool’s far end, where swimmers jump from its edge.
Centrally located, the main pool and expansive pavilion lead to an inviting fire pit patio below, seemingly transporting you to an old European plaza. Further down the incline, a lawn-set amphitheater opens to breathtaking views and a boxwood-edged, crushed-stone path that slopes down to an intimate timber pergola and water feature created especially for Carrie. It is now her favorite place to retreat in the gardens. On the opposite side of the property, a hot tub patio, tennis court and a children’s lawn and playhouse step above the centralized pool area. At every turn, surprises abound. Sparkling water spills from extravagantly decorated bronze scuppers and spouts designed by Talbot; inviting daybeds hang from soaring arched posts, tight paths unexpectedly open to expansive lawns and exuberant blooms cascade from wall tops and elevated planters.
Large stone steps lead from the large pavilion to an intimate lower-garden pergola and water feature designed specially for Carrie Vallejo. A single patinaed bronze scupper spills into a stepped, hewn Indiana limestone channel and a 500-year-old stone trough imported from England. Blankets of Apricot Drift roses soften the hardscape and deliver luxurious color and fragrance to the area.
“There is a poetry to this project,” Fillmore explains. “The different spaces evoke unique emotions but the whole thing tells a complete story.” And, like lines from an Italian sonnet, this landscape’s inspired elements provoke reflection, exhilaration, and even bewilderment and outright joy—emotions shared by the Vallejos and everyone with whom they generously share their piece of paradise.
Looking for more outdoor inspiration? Stroll through our favorite backyard walkways here.
Whether picked from your garden or a farmers market bin, Utah’s vine-ripened tomatoes are now at their peak. And while there are countless ways to celebrate them this season, for us, caprese tops the list. These easy-to-make caprese variations of this classic salad will let you serve and savor it your way.
WHAT YOU NEED: Sliced hothouse tomatoes + Basil leaves / Olive Oil / Burrata
HOW TO PREPARE: Slice tomatoes and arrange on a plate. Carefully cut burrata into slices or wedges, being sure to get shell and filling, and place on plate. Garnish with fresh, washed basil and drizzle with olive oil.
Photo by Adam Finkle
WHAT YOU NEED: Grape tomatoes + Bocconcini / Olives / Arugula Balsamic vinegar / Olive Oil
HOW TO PREPARE: Place equal amounts of grape tomatoes, pitted kalamata olives and bocconcini in a bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and toss gently.
Photo by Adam Finkle
WHAT YOU NEED: Half a yellow tomato + Goat cheese / Prepared Pesto
HOW TO PREPARE: Cut tomato in half. Cut a tiny slice from the bottom so tomato sits securely on a plate. Using a small oiled ice cream disher, scoop goat cheese onto tomato. Crisscross with pesto drizzle.
