The Art of Whimsicality

June 01, 2016

One of the most iconic cities in America lies in the middle of the scorching Mojave Desert in Nevada. Las Vegas is a city that is truly alive with activity throughout the night, with its huge shows and five star hotels and casinos. However, in all its nighttime splendor, that grand city is home to 100-degree temperatures during the day, making outdoor shade a practical necessity. For one Vegas resident, whose custom stone home overlooked the sleepless city from a hill to the east, shading his pool was of paramount importance. His backyard faced west, meaning that all of his outdoor entertainment, including a large rectangular swimming pool, was subject to the bright eye of the glaring sun from early afternoon to sunset. Not just any shade canopy from a local hardware store would suffice to cover this large area. This man needed massive, durable shade sails, attached to steel poles that would not only provide shade for years, but do so in an original and architecturally pleasing manner.

Shade sails are canopies made from HDPE (high density polyethylene) shade fabric and designed to be stretched tight between anchor points like steel poles or other sturdy structures. The tension in the sails gives them a smooth and stunning look, while the curved sides and perimeter wire rope distribute that tension evenly, resulting in a magnificent and long-lasting shading structure. In particular, the shade sails employed in this Vegas backyard were goliaths. Two blue square sails, each side measuring 50 feet stood tall over three red triangles with sides of 50 and 70 feet, totaling over 8500 square feet of coverage. These colossal canopies along with their large structural steel columns were at the scale of a commercial structure in a residential project. They were custom made to cover the owner's eccentric swimming pool below. Along the edges of the pool are paintings of sharks and other aquatic animals, but these pale in comparison to the human sized fiberglass gecko laying out on the deck and the equally large frog with a pool float around its waist and its feet in the water.

Adding to the whimsical atmosphere this client desired, yellow balls were added atop the blue steel poles. The primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, used in this structure compliment each other, making for a stunning display in both color and size. These shade sails and cool water provided much needed refuge from the torrid sun, and a cool environment to enjoy the outdoors and the wide view of Las Vegas. As the hustle and bustle of Sin City a short drive away raised dust on the horizon, the owner of this hilltop home was able to relax within his shaded swimming pool, a fantastic wonderland.