Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

Small California Yard Proves You Don't Need a Big Pool

Small California Yard Proves You Don't Need a Big Pool

A small California yard has everything one needs for the perfect pool hang.

When landscape designer Adam Sirak saw the neglected backyard area outside a new client’s house, he knew one thing it had to have: a place to take a dip—as long as it wasn’t too big, that is. “I’m always championing a small pool,” says Sirak, who’s based in Los Angeles. “I tell clients, ‘All you need is a box of water.’ People think they need these big spaces but unless you’re swimming laps, you’re really gathering in the corner and having a drink and a chat.” Even better, he adds, if the proportions are right, the pool can also look like a water feature.

The house is located in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles, where the client works as a fashion stylist. “He’s very visual,” Sirak says. “He came with a lot of mood boards, which is unusual, but I love that kind of collaboration.”


The client wanted a Marfa, Texas meets Morocco vibe, so Sirak “put that through [his] lens” and started where he always does, by figuring out the placement for three important zones: where the client would have a cocktail, where the client would have dinner, and where the pool would be located. “Those are the three key things I try to suggest to the client first,” he says. “People want to know how they’re going to live in the space, because at the core of it, a garden is about transforming the experience of your home.”

Sirak says when working with a small yard—this one is approximately 400 square feet—it’s important to include “visual destinations,” so one can imagine where they’d read a book (the hammock area) or where they’d warm themselves and have a conversation (the conversation patio with Corten steel chiminea). Each destination has its own stand-out features. The pool, for example, utilizes blue vintage tile the client found on his own, while the platform daybed behind it gives it a Moroccan feel. (“I wanted a daybed-slip-into-the-pool moment,” Sirak says.)


The house, meanwhile, got new vintage doors that were painted black and given bronze hardware that matches the Moroccan lanterns, which were found at a Santa Monica flea market. The house, which was originally yellow, was repainted in Shoji White from Sherman Williams.


As for the plant collection on the patio, “The client wanted a cast of little creatures, the weirder the better.” So Sirak bought terracotta pots and he and the client shopped together for euphorbias and cacti. The Donald Judd-inspired custom console table, meanwhile, is an homage to Marfa.

The plants, Sirak says, “are the medium that creates the emotional experience in a garden.” He says he thinks of himself as an “exterior designer.” (In other words, he’s an interior designer for the outdoors.) “Anyone can look at a couch and be like, ‘I like it’ or ‘I don’t like it,’” he says. “But I can show a plant to someone and they always have an emotional reaction.”


To achieve a tranquil southwest-desert-meets-California-Natives mood (with some Australian natives thrown in here and there), a pair of potted Yucca rostrata flank the pool, playing off icy-blue Acacia podalyriifolia trees and pre-existing bamboo that acts as a screen. Agave ovatifolia and Kalanchoe beharensis are accent plants, while the hammock hangs from a citrus tree.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that, since the garden is owned by a fashion stylist, it feels, well, fashionable. But it’s fun to learn that Sirack once worked in fashion himself as a shoe designer before he started designing landscapes. When he made the switch nine years ago, he says, “It just felt right. I loved the immediate creative control. Fashion is all based on illusion, but gardens and living organisms feel really, really real.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
×