HILUXURY – Hawaii Luxury Magazine

Photo courtesy Maui Waterscapes

Maui Waterscapes designed this infinity-edge pool in Kula overlooking the central Maui valley and capturing the view of both sides of the island. The statues are are both objects of art as well as handrails for the spa and children's pool.

Photo courtesy DeBiasi Pacific

DeBiasi pacific created these modern, architectural fountains that spill into a vanishing-edge pool in Kahala.

Photo courtesy DeBiasi Pacific

Waterfalls cascade down a rocky slope into a natural lagoon-style pool designed by DeBiasi pacific in makiki heights.

Peace, serenity and intricate designs are hallmarks of elite Hawaii poolmakers

It started, really, with the ancient Hawaiians’ sacred pools. The tradition is now being kept alive with “living” water features, spas and infinity pools that blend into the horizon, which elicit peace, serenity and inspiration for residents across the state.

Water is the most important element in a garden, according to pool builder Steve DeBiasi, whose list of projects include swimming pools, spas and gardens at recreational and resort facilities in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific since 1983.

His firm, DeBiasi Pacific, aims to transform outdoor spaces into “private boutique resorts” with elaborate swimming pools that become just as much a part of the environment as the sky, nature and light.

Whether a contemporary pool or natural rock lagoon with cascading water features, DeBiasi’s goal is that his projects be enjoyed even when not in use.

“To me, there’s nothing more beautiful in a garden than a reflecting pool,” he says. “What’s great about it is that a reflecting pool can all of a sudden turn into an interactive garden element or recreational facility.”

High-end residential swimming pools ranging in price from $80,000 to $800,000 can be the most expensive – and rewarding – home investment, creating tranquil sanctuaries that bring relief from the daily grind.

The building process can take anywhere from two months to two years, depending on how elaborate the home or whether no new construction is needed.

According to Bill Wood, who has been in the business for 39 years and is general manager of Maui Waterscapes LLC, identifying the clients and their lifestyle is key to designing and building the perfect pool that appeals to all of the senses.

“Some people like the natural look, like a pond made years ago with lava flowing around it, while some like modern, clean geometric-looking things,” he says. “The perfect pool needs to match the location and tie into the architecture and what’s happening at the residence.”

It also should “look like it’s supposed to be there and that everything kind of flows into it, so there’s no awkwardness to it,” he adds.

For instance, a vanishing pool that gives the illusion that there’s no edge and that the water is freestanding should grab the ocean or sky to complete the illusion, according to Wood.

Among the most important characteristics of a water feature or swimming pool are the edge details such as the classic infinity edge or zero-edge, where water is level all the way around the pool.

The coloration of a pool also is an important detail that can transform it into a deep-blue lagoon with gushing waterfalls or gently flowing streams to enhance the garden element.

Natural rock waterfalls replicating a mountain stream flowing down a hill and into a pool surrounded by plants, spillways and lush greenery also play into the precision of design.

“We aspire to create a pool that has an aesthetic value when just looking out through your lanai,” DeBiasi says.

Besides creating pools and water features, both builders do ancillary work such as walkways, patios and cabanas.

Incorporating a spa within a pool or on a different level with a waterfall into the pool is another significant element of upscale design.

“If you’re a person who entertains, you want to have enough deck areas and different areas where the different groups you’re entertaining can get together and have private conversations,” Wood says.

The sound of water is “really tricky,” according to Wood, since some people like more sound while others want to see a waterfall, but not hear it.

Maui Waterscapes builds systems that allow pool owners to control the flow of water so that “waterfalls can have different personalities to suit different occasions based on the amount of water that flows over them and the lighting,” he says.

The company has actually measured the bodies of their latest clients – a husband and wife – and built templates from sand imprints to configure the spa lounges to their bodies.

“You want to enhance the home and lifestyle of the people who are there,” Wood says. “It should be a place where they can relax, a place that’s visually comforting to them and that appeals to all their senses.”