Picking a favorite Pool & Spa News Masters of Design project is like naming your favorite child. After all, each one features a unique design element and embodies the creativity that sits at the very core of the swimming pool industry.

Of course, even with all the All-Star projects we’ve honored throughout the years, a few do stand out above the rest. Such is the case for the 2012 concrete pool winner designed by Matt Schmuker of Apex Landscape and Michael Paré from Blue Water Pools, both from Grand Rapids, Mich.

As design editor Rebecca Robledo noted in her article titled Two-Sided Story, the project perfectly combines the home’s log cabin feel with a contemporary pool that features two styles when looked at from different perspectives.

“The pool/spa combination is modern when the client views it from his home. But when seen from Lake Michigan, the waterscape only shows natural materials, such as the Michigan field stone placed on the raised pool walls to blend seamlessly with the house,” she wrote.

From a see-through glass wall and buffalo grass to black Mexican beach pebble and limestone lily pads, Schmuker and Paré fused modern and natural to achieve the pefect aquascape.

Want more?

Check out all the 2015 MOD Staff Picks at poolspanews.com/MastersofDesignStaffPicks.