- Garden & Outdoor
- Swimming Pool & Hot Tub
Swimming Pool Ideas and Designs
The Basement Swimming Pool converts into a Ballroom and was staged with a Romantic setting in mind
A traditional Kidney Shaped Pool.
Jacuzzi in a pool area bathed with natural light.
Murray Russell-Langton - Real Focus
This chic ground-floor integrated pool and spa gets brilliant natural light from the surrounding windows and looks out onto expansive grounds. The lighting is a key feature in this elegant pool hall, from the daylight to the 3x3w Wibre underwater lighting in the pool to the grand ceiling illumination, which can be adjusted to create different moods. The client has an inviting space where the family can exercise, have fun and relax.
The pool is 13.5m x 4.20m. The shallow end is 1.5m in depth falling to 2m at the deep-end. The pool sports an Astral neck-jet water cannon on each side of the pool – these create strong waterfalls which are visually striking and fun to swim under. Steps on both sides of the spa lead into the pool. The 2.1m diameter spa accommodates five bathers, has an extended seatback and footwell – at seating level, the water depth is approximately 0.5 metres. Multiple jets deliver stimulating and soothing massages via standard air/water mix jets.
The same bespoke tiling design runs throughout the spa and pool. Large format porcelain tiles in a travertine design were cut to mosaic size and affixed to a backing sheet. To give the tiling extra pizzazz, different shades of beige and brown tiles were combined.
Completing the pool is an Ocea automatic slatted pool cover installed in a recess floor. The pool cover mechanism is hidden under a structural false floor panel, which is completely blended into the pool finish. The pool cover is a light beige colour, matching the client-designed pool surround which is made of bespoke porcelain tiles. The pool cover helps to minimise running and maintenance costs as well as providing added safety by closing-off the pool when it is not in use. When not in use, the spa is also closed-off using a Certikin Thermalux foam throw-on cover.
There is an equally impressive plant room located directly beneath the pool.
Awards: SPATA Gold Award – Inground Residential Spas & Wellness Category & SPATA Bronze Award – Residential Indoor Pool 2018
Partners: Architect: Studio Indigo. Main Contractor: Knightbuild.
Photographer: Peter Northall
Our existing clients asked if we could look at renovating their existing pool area.
Within six months we had refurbished the pool, relayed the patio, designed and built a new pool house and even added an outdoor shower.
Come grey skies or blue, this space is now able to be enjoyed all year around!
Basement swimming pool and spa with faceted mirror wall and integrated audio system.
Resort Modern in Frisco Texas
Photography by Jimi Smith
Carl Mayfield
Love the BBQ area, attached to house - nbjr
This beautiful pool in Miami Florida features one of a kind landscaping with spa and wet edge! The tile for the pool and spa are beautiful teal colors and the LED lights add extra flavor at night!
custom pool by Elements Landscape
Love the shape of the main pool and love where steps are. Like shallow bits on either side too. - nbjr
The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort.
The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision.
About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options.
Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward.
The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door.
The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses.
The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget.
As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit.
In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit.
From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa.
The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall.
The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump.
Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam.
One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish.
4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear.
A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.
Winner of the 2017 Casey Van Maris Award, given to the project awarded the highest marks for execution of unique and innovative design in landscaping. Awarded by Landscape Ontario
Photography by Linda Oyama Bryan. http://pickellbuilders.com. In-Ground Swimming Pool features limestone coping and concrete surround overlooks cedar screened porch with stone seat wall.