Jimmy Reed, recognized as the top installer of custom, luxury glass mosaic tile water features in the United States, made another difficult installation look easy to cement an “instant classic” pool and spa for the backyard property of a young family in Irvine, California. For Reed, the long, unusually-narrow setting placed a huge emphasis on his installation of the multi-tier glass tile feature wall that visually anchors the entire landscape design program. And just like he has done for more than three decades as president of Rock Solid Tile, Inc., Reed perfectly installed every glass tile for the custom-built, 48’ x 13’ pool and spa, including the gorgeous feature wall that defines the “Laguna Hills Pool.”

For Terry Design Inc., the landscape architectural design studio in charge of the Irvine project’s overall program, the water feature was just one of the challenges presented by the tight, rectangular-shaped backyard environment. Owner Alison Terry knew right away it was critical to pay close attention to the issue of depth and space given the long, narrow dimensions. This also made the selection of the glass tile surface especially difficult for the modern, tropical-design theme, and magnified the importance of having Reed on-board for the ultra-critical glass tile installation. It was very clear that the success of the Laguna Hills Pool was tied directly to the outcome of the highly-visible feature wall, which included the liberal use of stainless-steel spillways.

“Jimmy (Reed) is absolutely at the top of his field,” said Terry. “He’s the best glass tile installer out there. I was really happy he was willing to work with us. The whole focal point of the setting from a visual standpoint was the glass tile installation of the extended feature wall. It had to be absolutely perfect for the project to be truly successful – and it was.”

Thankfully, after a determined and thorough search, Terry Design came across the ultimate surface material for the Laguna Hills Pool. The solution was the “Glasshues” collection from Vancouver, B.C.-based Interstyle Ceramic + Glass. Unlike almost any other glass tile product, the Glasshues series has a clear surface and clear body, with its color applied and showing only through the backside. This rare product design helped create a unique sense of depth the feature wall, and project, so badly needed.

For the young family with a super-active pre-teen daughter (note the full pool slide), Terry Design selected a three-color, custom-blend of sleek, stylish glass mosaics from this sophisticated collection of nominal, 12” x 12” (300x300mm) mesh-backed sheets. The very nature of the series raised the level of difficulty for the installation, but once again Reed executed with meticulous perfection. In fact, the moment the grout had dried on Reed’s artistic tile work the results were in. The Laguna Hills Pool was indeed a complete and total success for this tricky backyard landscape design in the heart of Orange County.

“The tile definitely had a specific-look to it that created a pleasant depth for the pool area and the project as a whole,” said Reed. “Finding a way to create the effect of space and depth is not common by any means. The final result was an artistic, crisp and modern-feeling pool and spa feature that’s not overpowering. It’s what the client had been looking for all along.”

About Rock Solid Tile
Rock Solid Tile, Inc. was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1982 by Jimmy Reed. Since that time the company has grown to be the top glass mosaic tile installation contractor firm in the world. For more information find Rock Solid Tile on Facebook and Twitter, or call 818.222.1031. Rock Solid Tile, Inc., 24345 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA 91302. www.rocksolidtile.com