With its shimmering azure surface that camouflages into the Intracoastal Waterway behind it, Greg and Traci Nelson’s pool design in Bellair is the height of cutting-edge glamour. At 28 feet long and 10 feet wide with a 6-foot by 6-foot spa, the saltwater feature is as vast as it is vibrant. It is the lavender blue glass tile speckled throughout the structure of the pool that gives it its signature glimmer, and it even has a 28-foot-long moat and an 8-foot sun shelf. Nestled right along the waterway, the open-air pool is surrounded by wildlife. It is practically part of the natural scenery.
The project was the brainchild of Patrick O’Connell, the owner of Landmark Pools in Odessa—a custom company that was established in 1978 and is known for its technology-mindedness. O’Connell met with the homeowners two years ago and helped complete the undertaking in two months. The Nelsons, who have a high school-aged son, Dalton, had been gradually relocating from Odessa to the Bellair residence. They had a specific grandiose vision in mind for a pool and spa that O’Connell was able to seamlessly execute.
“When I met with them, they really wanted a negative edge pool, so we started up the plans. They wanted to have a real wow factor,” O’Connell says.
Though O’Connell encountered some building difficulty because of the property’s seawall, he was able to power through it. To achieve the “wow” aesthetic, O’Connell suggested using a water blue Beadcrete®—a type of pool surface technology that is comprised of inert glass spheres that are positioned into “a carefully graded aggregate matrix by polymer-modified cements,” according to the company’s mission statement. Beadcrete® is the only patented glass finish available and it creates a three-dimensional effect.
“Traci also picked out this gorgeous tile (the lavender blue glass) to go with the Beadcrete® and they picked out an ivory travertine for the pool deck,” O’Connell says. “We used to raise the spas up six or 12 inches to get more of a spillover, but the new look is having the spa level with the pool so it makes the spa more part of the pool.”
By not raising the spa, this allowed the Nelsons to enjoy an added eight inches of walkable deck space. The final layout is fluid, easy to navigate, ideal for entertaining and cleanly modern. It represents a new wave, so to speak, in contemporary pool design.
“I think everybody’s getting away from the Mediterranean look and going more contemporary. That’s the hot look now. It’s just on fire,” O’Connell says. “By having nice, clean, simple straight lines and just a cleaner, crisper look, you get that contemporary feeling to it. I think the trend has been going on for the last three years and I’m seeing even more of it this year.”
Traci was beyond pleased with the turnout, namely O’Connell’s ability to take her magazine clippings and turn them into a dreamlike reality. “The pool feels like it goes with the whole authentic theme of Florida. It’s refreshing. I can just sit there on the sun shelf and watch Greg fish, or watch the dolphins and manatees go by,” she says. “It was important for me to have a pool we could use for fun and making memories. We’re out there every weekend, having parties and inviting the family over. We wanted to do it totally right the first time and we’re so glad we did.”