In landscape artist Perry Guillot’s hands, a pool is more than just a pool. It’s a breathtaking scene in which to idle the summer away, like at this private residence in Locust Valley, New York. The beauty is in its tranquility — simple scallop-cornered low yew hedges; American boxwood shrubs at the corners (“as quiet accents to complete the garden setting,” he says), and a less-is-more design approach free of paved surfaces or structures. As for seating, that’s fluid; Perry notes you can place it
wherever you want on the open lawn.