Our landscape designs are highly customised and meticulously planned. Nothing is included without careful thought, planning and consultation. Nothing is dropped in without regard to its relationship to other elements. That’s especially true of pools. A pool isn’t just a checkbox on a list of elements for a backyard design. Swimming Pool design matters.
Swimming pool designs: form and function
Swimming pools are for swimming. They’re also for cooling the air, and they help shape the aesthetics of a space. When our clients use their pools, they use them at different times and in different ways. They might be used for an early morning or an afternoon exercise session, and that exercise might be swimming, water running or water aerobics. They might be a place for a guest to dangle their feet on a hot day. They may be for young children to wade in or for adults to cool down, relax or even get a nice massage. Every one of those uses can affect the physical form of the pool: where it should be located, how it needs to be shaped, how large and deep it will be, how it will be built and how it can be accessed.
Pools might have functional or decorative add-ons like deck jets, massage jets or waterfalls. They also require security and safety features to protect young children and animals from harm. They might even have fish or plants. There’s no doubt that when it comes to landscape design, a pool is never just a swimming pool.
A pool might be integrated with built elements like an outdoor room or a canopy. Swimming pools that are designed for socialising might include a hot tub and a children’s wading area. Pools provide evaporative cooling on hot days, and they can be placed so that they’ll cool and enhance every outdoor gathering. We can place a picnic table on a deck overhanging the pool, and you’ll have a comfortable outdoor dining area.
Swimming pool designs in formal gardens
A pool in a formal garden should always harmonise with the design.
A classical garden calls for a pool in a regular, prismatic shape that’s designed to work with the flower beds and the other planned elements of the design. It might have a fountain or a statue associated with it. It might feature hand-made decorative tile. Even with a formal, classical design, a pool can be used for swimming, and it will always be cool and pleasant to sit and walk beside.
In a naturalistic garden, the pool will likely be styled to resemble a natural pond or basin. The pool or part of the pool might be shallow and enhanced with plants or with fish rather than being reserved for swimming. There might be a natural-looking waterfall, and the sides might be finished with a pebbled surface or earth-toned tile.
In a modern garden, the pool will be elegant and minimalist. It might feature distinctive materials like cut stone around the edges, and it might have a clean-looking, monochromatic interior. This type of pool design is all about geometry and the quality of the materials in and around the pool.
These are just a few of the things that impact swimming pool design. At Space Design, we’re here to make sure that your pool works with the rest of your landscape design, does what you want it to do and continues to add positive experiences to your life for years to come.
For further reading, Swimming Pools Designs: Why We Put it on Paper
