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Pooling Around

By Deirdre O'Shea

(page 1 of 2)

Whether your backyard is a playground for the kids or the setting for decadently delicious dinner parties—or both—a beautiful pool and patio make the most of summer

“I wanted to build an aquarium for my kids,” says Kelly Shawhan, co-owner of Hallmark Pools. “I went to fish stores and I found these reefs that I liked—the ones fish swim through. I had my artificial artisans re-create the exact decorations for our pool.” At 1,350 square feet, this saltwater masterpiece is almost three times the size of the average home pool, and cost $165,000.

Shawhan—pictured with his three little fish (from left, Keaton, 4, Kaitlin, 8, and Kourtney, 6)—says the children love swimming through the wide holes and caves. On the walls are tile-mosaic companions: Nemo, a swordfish, a seahorse and a shark chasing a seal. Like most of Hallmark’s pool-and-patio projects, this one took about three months.

In front is a shallow beach-access pool; three turtles of tile mosaic swim toward a cave over sand-colored Pebble Sheen. On the other side is a 7-foot-deep area, surfaced with midnight- blue Pebble Tec. On the rocks behind, a slide goes through a waterfall.

“From there,” Shawhan says, “you swim under a bridge to the deepest area, 81⁄2 feet, with a waterfall grotto you can stand in. You can climb to the top and jump off if you’re feeling freaky.”

Swim under the last bridge, and you’ve arrived in the 4- foot “social area.” Underwater barstools carved from rocks encircle a Jacuzzi that doubles as a bar top. The bottom is done in Turtle Bay Pebble Sheen, made with dazzling green stones.

The entire pool floor is also sprinkled with abalone shells, so it sparkles. On the center island is a palapa with an attached table. Roof-mounted solar heating (picture a giant rubber mat) by AstroSolar adds 10 degrees to the pool temperature on sunny days.

“It’s kidville,” Shawhan says. “We haven’t had the pool through a season yet, so it’s going to be wild.”