The perfect product choice for a contemporary poolside setting in Malvern Victoria that provided a point of difference wasn’t hard to find for Jim Fogarty, of Jim Fogarty Design. Despite endless product choices, two in particular stood out – silver granite for the pool surrounds and cobblestones for paving, both sourced by Robertson's Building Products.
Laid in a striking ashlar pattern, the silver granite ticked all the boxes Jim was looking for – aesthetics, safety (nonslip), practicality (good drainage) and longevity. Together with the cobblestones, these striking products provided the colour and the textural finish Jim was looking for. “The silver granite had a really nice uniform colour – it wasn’t too speckled – and with its bush hammer finish, it provided the prefect texture for a pool surround, offering great traction,” comments Jim. And the cobblestones added a textural element and detail to the paving, creating an interesting and attractive end result.
But what set these products apart for Jim and his clients was their originality – they were just that little bit different to anything he and his clients had seen. As Jim says “It’s nice for clients to have that point of difference, so they can have a garden that isn’t using the same material that all of the neighbours have used.”
An added advantage was that both the silver granite dropdown pool coping and pool surrounds, and the cobblestones were custom made. For Jim, and his client’s landscaper, John Bott, of Bott Landscapes, this meant solving a challenging issue with finish levels, with particular ease. “Being able to create a custom dropdown pool coper and source granite and cobblestones in different sizes and configurations provides great design flexibility,” says Jim.
This is a point on which John wholeheartedly agrees. “We specified the exact size we wanted and it was all delivered as a perfect fit,” says John. This meant that there was no time wasted cutting pavers to size, resulting in less mess on site and faster installation. John in particular liked working with the silver granite as he says, “It was uniform and hardy, so it’s sure to wear really well.”
So it was definitely smiles all around for Jim, John and their client.
And as for the finished look, the smiles continued. The colours of the chosen foliage and flowers, and the textures of the plants, really highlight the colours of the stone and the paving. In the end, there was one exceptionally happy client and an extremely satisfied landscape designer and landscaper. And, given the hardy nature of granite and cobblestones, the client is certain to enjoy their beautiful poolside setting for years to come.
