2019 HNA Awards
Combination of Hardscape Products
Winner Residential:More than 4,000 ft²
Natural Stone Wonder Passiac County, N.J.
Joe Monello, owner/designer at Monello Landscape Industries LLC in Wayne, N.J., is a regular HNA Awards winner, although this project incorporated much more than his usual concrete pavers. The clients were looking for a design that would provide play space for their children, as well as a place to entertain, and chose Afyon Cloud®, a marble tile from Marmiro Stones of Carlstadt, N.J. The tiles were used not only for the pool decking, but for an observation deck around the back side of the house, and a third deck that’s part of a green roof.
While the pool area is dry set, parts of the other two decks are on pedestals for water management. The tiles also carry into the home where one of the project’s two outdoor kitchens exists behind nano walls. The tiles are also used as a veneer for the project’s fireplace – that supports a 13’ TV screen -- which Monello describes as one of the main features of the backyard.
Two other natural stones are also utilized in the project. Basalt from Washington, supplied by Cipriano Landscape Design & Custom Swimming Pools of Mahwah, N.J., in columns up to 20’ high, was incorporated into the grotto at the pool’s edge, mainly to provide structural support and hide the water slide, although most of the grotto is done in sculpted concrete. And, Pennsylvania fieldstone boulders supplied by Atlantic Water Gardens of Mantua, Ohio, add to the natural look of the pondless waterfall behind the grotto area.
Combination of Hardscape Products
Winner Residential: Less than 4,000 ft²
Rustic Paradise in the Middle of the City Omaha, Neb.
Executive Outdoor Living LLC of Omaha, Neb., and designer Jake Johnson brought some country to an urban environment. Executive Outdoor Living owner Mark Slobotski says the clients were looking to replace an unusable and hilly backyard with an entertainment space including a firepit and waterfall.
Because of the maturity of the setting, natural stone helped give the project an always-been-there feel. Leading the way: multi-colored glacial boulders imported from Minnesota for the waterfall. Limestone was used for steps to the bridge, while caps for the seating walls and firepit are natural stone to complement the man-made wall material.The patio flooring is a man-made product.
