This Chapel Hill, North Carolina, retreat designed by MA Allen with senior designer Margaret Richards balances poolside practicality with spunky, tropical-nodding style. Below, Allen dishes on the details that bring the look to life.
Happy Hour: Beneath the pass-through counter to the pool is a beverage center with Marvel drawer refrigerators, a True Residential ice machine and glassware storage. On the opposite wall, we hung custom scalloped shelves to store the client’s collection of tiki barware. This feature wall has incited her to keep collecting!
Tough Stuff: Flooring throughout is a very cool precast terrazzo tile that is easy to clean and slip-resistant for wet feet. All of the fabrics we used are indoor-outdoor and the counters are White Zen quartz from Cosmos Granite & Marble—a win for these clients who enjoy squeezing fresh juice for cocktails. Entertaining is much more relaxing in a bulletproof space.
Destination Design: We wanted this pool house to highlight what the homeowners love—which is a colorful, preppy Palm Beach look. This scheme wouldn’t necessarily work for a main house in North Carolina, but it was a lot of fun to create a Florida escape in the backyard. Now, they have a place that expresses their chosen design style. How great is that?
