Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast

In this episode Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs interview Bill Phillips, owner of Clark Synthesis in Colorado, a major manufacturer of underwater swimming pool speakers. Bill shares his path from Kentucky to high-end audio and eventually buying Clark Synthesis, and explains how their underwater speakers work by radiating sound more like a cello, producing full-frequency audio with stro...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast and interview Mikel Tupe from Belgium, who handcrafts luxury wooden diving boards he calls “functional art.” Tupe explains he began after building a board for his own pool, then left a banking/insurance career as international demand grew, especially in the U.S. He describes two construction types—floating boards (more flexible, cheaper,...

Mike and Trey Farley interview Kurt Kraisinger, landscape architect, owner of Lorax Design Group in Overland Park, Kansas, and co-founder of Tributary Revelation. Kurt recounts his path from aspiring architect to landscape architecture at Kansas State University, building his practice across 25 states, and explains his client-first design philosophy focused on context, lifestyle, and architectural...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast with guests Chip Unnerstall and Nicole Newkirk of Oasis Pools, a St. Louis design-build firm focused on high-end residential pools and outdoor living. Chip shares starting his company at 17 after a client loaned him $50,000, leading to rapid early growth, while Nicole describes her design background, their collaboration, and her “Not Your...

The Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast hosts Mike and Trey Farley interview Sozan and Ryan Hughes of Ryan Hughes Design and Solana Outdoor Living about expanding from a second-generation Florida landscape and pool firm into a holistic luxury outdoor living platform that includes furnishings, lighting, kitchens, and specialty products. Ryan explains how the business evolved after 2009 and how furniture...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast and interview Rhonda Sheeran of Fiber Creations about Pool Stars, a patented fiber-optic “stars in the pool floor” product with a 3D twinkling effect that appears on the pool bottom and reflects off the water surface. Rhonda describes her background in pool tile, renovation, plastering, and early fiber-optic lighting, and explains how Poo...

Mike and Trey Farley host Jay White, publisher of Texas Gardener Magazine, and Morgan, a longtime DFW landscaper now with Verde Growers, to answer homeowner questions about gardening and landscaping around pools. They stress planning for sunlight, drainage, and soil (often alkaline in North Texas), using soil tests, reading plant labels, and favoring local nurseries over big-box stores. Topics inc...

Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs interview Steve Kenny of SRK Pools in East Hampton, Long Island, who describes his path from a family pool service business started in 1985 to building high-performance “chlorine-free” pools. Kenny explains how decades of service experience led him to advanced water treatment using high-output ozone with UV to create advanced oxidation (hydroxyl radicals...

On this episode of Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast, Mike Farley interviews Scarlett Hanson, owner of Floatee US, during Water Safety Month about Floatee, a France-made anti-drowning T-shirt for children that looks like an anti-UV swim shirt but automatically inflates into a life jacket when submerged, inflating in under three seconds, keeping the wearer on their back with airways out of the water vi...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast and interview Sean of Deck Remodelers from Northern New Jersey about his background from an Irish carpentry family through construction and culinary school to specializing in high-end decks since 2007–08. Sean describes winning 70+ national design awards, focusing on team-building, and advising homeowners to start with an honest budget ra...

Mike and Trey Farley introduce and interview Armen from Southern California’s Arto Brick, a family business founded in the 1960s by Armen’s father after emigrating from Egypt. Armen explains how the company began with handmade clay thin-brick veneer sold on a milk route, grew from installation into full-time manufacturing, and expanded staff significantly. He discusses working through family-busin...

Mike and Trey Farley introduce the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast from Farley Pool Designs, explaining their goal of helping homeowners avoid “dream-to-nightmare” outdoor projects by sharing industry knowledge, trends, and insider tips. In this episode, they outline step one of a homeowner’s journey: define the dream and establish a realistic budget using photos to clarify style and features, align...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast and interview Ontario-based deck designer Robert Hodichak (“Deck Da Vinci”), who designs complex outdoor structures and co-runs 33 North Design with contractor John Lee while also designing for Decks & Docks. Robert explains how remote design is enabled by photos, tools like Hover, SketchUp, and Lumion, and stresses that homeowners sh...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast and interview Winter Moore of Winter Green Synthetic Grass, a company he started in 2014 with a borrowed $10,000 that has grown to about 60 employees providing full-service artificial grass for residential and commercial uses. Winter explains why turf appealed to him, how it performs in real dog-heavy backyards, and key pros and cons: low...

On the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast, Mike and Trey Farley interview renowned pool designer Skip Phillips about his career path from a family tool business and pool service company to pioneering vanishing-edge, zero-edge, and perimeter-overflow pools, and his role elevating industry standards through education and expert-witness work. Phillips explains his design premise—intentional water/deck rel...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast and interview Scott Beverly of Signature Illumination Designs, a Dallas-based exterior lighting contractor providing turnkey design, installation, and lifetime servicing for bold residential lighting. Scott explains how professional lighting differs from DIY kits by using symmetry, layered uplighting and downlighting (“moonlighting”), and...

Mike and Trey Farley interview Mitch Martinez, design manager at Diamond Spas, a 30-year-old company fabricating custom stainless steel and copper vessels including spas, cold plunges, plunge pools, pools, swim spas, and water features for luxury residential and commercial wellness projects. Martinez explains benefits over fiberglass/gunite such as 316L shells, 304 supports, 25-year warranty, cont...

Mike and Trey Farley host the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast and interview Ginny Brennan, co-founder of One Affirmation, an online home decor shop launched after forming an LLC in 2015 and going live in 2016. Ginny shares her background (former actress with roles including Entourage and The Hit List), her move from Brooklyn to Texas, and how a 2015 trip to Thailand inspired her to source handmade t...

Mike Farley of Farley Pool Designs hosts Tanr Ross of Pool Scapes (Las Vegas) to discuss pool and outdoor living design, with an emphasis on when 3D modeling is necessary and how it improves client understanding. Additional topics include challenges and benefits of LED strip lighting and uplights (installation complexity, costs, and preference for PAL lighting support), the value of reviewing rece...

Mike and Trey Farley sit down with Alan, a sauna expert and ambassador, to discuss the rich history, cultural practices, and health benefits of traditional Finnish saunas. Alan shares his personal sauna journey, starting from infancy, and delves into details about the authentic sauna experience, including the importance of elements like proper ventilation, wood-burning heaters, and the use of birc...

Join hosts Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs in an engaging conversation with Ty from Plungie, a manufacturer of prefabricated concrete pools. With a legacy of turning backyards into personal retreats, they explore innovative solutions for adding swimming pools to various spaces, emphasizing efficiency, customization, and affordability. Ty shares insights into the design and installation...

Are you planning to transform your backyard into a stunning retreat? Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs, who have over 40 years of experience, share invaluable insights in this episode of the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast. With key topics like why you shouldn't pay for the entire pool up front, the dangers of incomplete contracts, and the importance of accurate 3D modeling, they ensure yo...

Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs delve into the often-debated topic of whether homeowners should pay a design fee for their outdoor living projects. Drawing from their 40 years of industry expertise, they explore the pros and cons of design fees from both consumer and business perspectives. They emphasize the importance of detailed, professional designs to avoid costly mistakes and ensu...

In this episode of the Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast, Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs delve into the latest trends for 2026 in outdoor living spaces. They discuss the continued popularity of indoor-outdoor transitions, the shift towards year-round outdoor spaces, and the growing trend of small, cozy niches. Key highlights include the rise of portable fire pits, the use of AI in gardeni...

Luxury Outdoor Living Podcast, hosted by Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs, features Andrew Cook, an expert in European greenhouses. The episode delves into the evolution and intricacies of setting up greenhouses. They discuss design trends, common misconceptions, and unique structures such as polycarbonate and glass greenhouses. Andrew highlights the importance of climate control and bu...