Bridgeland

The green sits directly off the pool deck, squared up to the house so it reads as part of the architecture rather than a bolt-on. Around it, the deck is broken into a grid of pavers with turf strips between them — the same surface treatment carried right up to the water's edge.

Turf strips between pavers are more work than they look. Each strip is cut to the joint, packed on its own base and anchored on both long edges so it cannot lift or shrink back off the stone. Done properly, the grid stays crisp; done quickly, the strips curl at the ends within a season.