This Palomino Drive backyard in Tempe is a lagoon-style build set into mature landscaping, where the pool reads as though the yard grew around it rather than the other way around.

The freeform pool curves through the space with an artificial rock formation at the deep end, carrying a multi-tier waterfall and a rock slide that drops swimmers straight into the water. Boulders are set into the perimeter so the edge never resolves into a straight line.

Flagstone and Travertine decking ties the pool to a round gas fire pit filled with fire glass, with loungers and shade set on the wider side of the deck. Palms and desert plantings screen the yard on every side.

The palette is intentionally natural, warm stone and layered rock and planting dense enough that from inside the pool you cannot pick out the fence line.