Photography by Brandon Sullivan Metalworker and designer Kris Kesler takes a break from creating a copper piece in his Phoenix workshop. Here, the craftsman and his staff produce a variety of water and fire features.

“Do you want to supersize that?” is a question you might expect to hear at a fast-food restaurant. But these words would be just as fitting coming from metalworker and designer Kris Kesler. Cutting and welding sheets of copper and stainless steel, the owner of Phoenix-based bobé Water & Fire Features creates scuppers, fountains, fire pots and more—some in mega proportions.

About five years ago, Kesler and his team completed an oversized scupper for the pool of a north Scottsdale residence. “It was a 30-foot-long scupper that was made in one piece,” he says with a grin about the project that made him reconsider his limitations. “People thought you could only go up to a certain size.”

It seems this “think big,” up-for-anything mentality comes naturally to Kesler; after all, the 29-year-old is a business veteran. First he launched Vide, a furniture-design company. But when he noticed a void in the pool industry for stylish-looking and smooth-flowing scuppers, he used the experience gained from welding stainless steel furniture to craft metal products for water features. In 2000, after discovering the potential of his new designs in terms of demand, he officially replaced Vide with bobé (also the nickname for his dad, Bob).

A series of Kris Kesler’s Radius copper scuppers spills water into a pool. The copper takes on a patina in shades of brown, blue or green

Kesler says he invented his trademark scupper—the Smooth Flow Series—to offer homeowners an option that is both functional and sleek. Fashioned from 100-percent metal, the scupper produces minimal noise and never clogs, he claims. Also of note are his fire-and-water bowls, and fire rings that light up via remote control. “We try to set the trend with our designs, so I’m always one step ahead,” he remarks.

One could argue that Kesler already was a step ahead at 10 years old, when he was introduced to the welding craft at his father’s stainless steel fabrication firm. “I picked it up and enjoyed it, and it went from there,” he relates. Inspired by his dad’s entrepreneurship, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in business at Arizona State University. “I never wanted to work for someone, so I had to figure out what I wanted to do,” he recalls. The artisan established Vide while still in school and was on his way to following in his father’s footsteps.

Now, spending most days in a 5,000-square-foot Phoenix workshop filled with several 10-foot-long heavy-duty machines, Kesler is more industrious than ever. He uses a computer program to design new collections, creates prototypes, and then delegates fabrication of the product lines to the six metalworkers who are part of his staff.

More than 400 distributors around the country supply bobé products to pool companies. The firm also collaborates with homeowners and designers on custom projects. Contributing to Kesler’s success are his wife, Adriane, and his sister, Julie, who take care of administrative duties in the bobé office.

This custom stainless steel fountain features a sleek design and LED lighting. Water flows down the V-shaped face and into a trough filled with black rocks.

One custom order they received was from Phoenix resident John Fischl, who wanted three long copper spillways to be incorporated into a large raised planter situated at the far end of his pool. “They did a nice job; it wasn’t their standard offering,” he says, and notes that he likes the way the copper blends in with the landscaping. Jeremy Smith, president of California Pools, has observed Kesler’s creativity during his years working with the craftsman. “I think he’s very innovative,” he says, adding that the products are both beautiful and functional.

Kesler loves seeing his ideas materialize, whether it is a scupper for a pool company or a 30-foot-long, 8-foot-tall, 12,000-pound S-shaped copper fountain like the one he recently designed for John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix. The artisan says the best part about his job is “the freedom of thought”—being able to craft whatever he wants.

For more information about Kris Kesler and his company, visit bobescuppers.com on the Web.