69CITYANDSHORE.COM68 CITYANDSHORE.COM

THENEW

POOLRULES

The backyard has evolved from the days when the only

thing around back was a pool surrounded by a few pieces of inexpensive lounge furniture.

Today’s well-decorated outdoor areas may now include a kitchen/

built-in barbecue, elaborate dining and an enclosed conversation area. Here’s what’s making a

splash in outdoor design.

By Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub

PHO

TO: RO

BERT BRANTLEY

Architect Benjamin Schreier designed this

oceanfront Manalapan house with bifold doors

that can open fully during the cooler months.

CITYANDSHORE.COM70 71CITYANDSHORE.COM

ARCHITECT: BENJAMIN SCHREIER, AFFINITI ARCHITECTSPHOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT BRANTLEY

Benjamin Schreier’s clients wanted the most from the oceanfront view at their two-story home in Manalapan.

“It’s a very family-oriented home,” he says. “One of the primary goals was to make sure the family room, kitchen and breakfast room took advantage of the great view. It is not typical to be able to stand at the kitchen sink and face the ocean.”

He enhanced the feeling of the outside-in with NanaWall, bifold doors that can be closed or opened completely. What was an open loggia can now be closed and air conditioned during the summer and reopened during cooler months.

The 20-by-50 foot infinity-edged pool, which appears to spill into the ocean, was designed in cooperation with Marc-Michaels Interior Design. It features a spa with a waterfall that cascades over glass tile and a shallow water sun shelf. Grass strips separate Dominican stone pavers. He completed the design with a large day bed and four chaises.

The 20-by-50 foot pool has a vanishing edge that makes it appear to flow into the ocean. A waterfall with glass tile enhances the spa. Grass strips between the Dominican stone pavers give the pool surround a classic Palm Beach look.