The pool design process

I frequently receive emails about old posts of mine, asking what I ended up deciding to do about various design decisions that I blogged about.  As the weather started to turn warmer in May, I began to get a lot of pool related questions, mostly about what color I chose for the walls of my pool.

I must admit, selecting the pool color was a very big decision!  I had never really thought about the fact that the color of a pool needs to be selected.  I wasn’t too involved in the design decisions about the shape and size of the pool (I deferred to my designer, architect, and landscape architect), as my clear request was clean and simple and rectangular, but once the pool color discussions began, I went into full force investigation mode. 
 

Posting about the pool color decision last year was incredibly helpful to me (click here to see original post).  I had all sorts of great comments from readers, as well as numerous emails with the experiences of people who had built pools all around the country.  I even got an email from a reader who lived within 2 miles of me, and she invited me to see her pool, which was one of the colors we were considering.  I took her up on the offer, and seeing her pool was incredibly helpful!

We were also able to see a few pools that our pool company installed, which was also helpful.  Although it is nice to be able to see pictures online of various pool colors, nothing really beats seeing a pool color in person.

In the hopes that my pool research and eventual decisions might help someone else, here are some pictures of my pool and some information on the design process that was involved in creating the pool.

Here is the same view that I posted in the fall, but taken yesterday in full summer mode!  The trees in the back and the elevation of the lot (Atlanta is a very hilly place) create a feel of complete privacy.  The lot is fully fenced and the pool is fully contained, but the fence is hidden behind shrubs and along the back perimeter of the property.  Since our children are strong swimmers,  we did not have to create a fence around the immediate perimeter of the pool.

The pool furniture is from my in-laws’ old house – it is Brown Jordan from over 25 years ago.  When we replace in the next few years, we will get Brown Jordan again, but probably the java color with the sling material. The plan is to have four chaises, two on either side of the grassy path to the lower yard, as well as a round table with chairs.

Here is a closer picture of the pool, as seen from the outdoor room.  As mentioned previously, the selection of the pool color was incredibly difficult!  We were primarily considering Pebble Tec, which is a product that has a pebbly texture and covers the surface of the pool, and comes in a variety of colors.  It also lasts a very long time.  In Atlanta, Tahoe Blue Pebble Tec seems to be the most popular color, but it was darker than what we had in mind.  We also strongly considered Pebble Tec Caribbean Blue and Blue Lagoon, but neither of these were quite right.  For a brief period of time, we thought about doing a simple medium gray plaster for the pool surface, but decided against this.

Our architect had recently worked on a project in Florida where the homeowners selected French Grey in the Pebble Sheen product, which is an upgrade and is a bit more expensive.  It has a smoother surface than the Pebble Tec, which had an immediate appeal to my husband.  Our pool installer located one Pebble Sheen French Grey pool for us (it doesn’t seem to be that common in our area), and as soon as we saw it we knew it was the perfect color for our pool.  Here is a good picture of the steps to the pool, which shows the different colors that the Pebble Sheen French Grey takes on at different depths. It was a medium gray when it was installed, without water – and as seen on the first step, that’s how it appears in very shallow water. However, when there is water at greater depths (which is the majority of the pool), the color appears a beautiful and sophisticated blue – not a greeny blue, but a turquoise blue that is not too shocking or over the top.  

The Pebble Sheen French Grey works perfectly with everything else we have going on the exterior of the house and the back yard; it looks wonderful with the limestone coping and the blue stone pool decking, and when looking at the pool with the house, it looks great with the Vermont gray slate roof and the neutral color palette of the house. 

Many of the pictures of the pool look more intense than it is in real life, but when the sun shines on the pool it is definitely a pretty turquoise color.  Overall I would say that Pebble Sheen French Gray is a sophisticated but beautiful blue, and people always comment on it when they see it. We are VERY happy with it!

We decided to do an elevated spa with a waterfall feature, even though some on our design team felt that this design was a bit dated or cliché.  It seems that more people are doing spas that are at the same level as the pool.  None of these comments had any influence on our decision – it might be cliché to someone who designs pools, but to us the sound of the water and the elevated platform of the spa is what we had envisioned for the pool.  Although this is not a pool designed for diving, the elevated platform of the spa is perfect for kids who want to jump into the pool!  (By the way, none of these pictures are photoshopped – this is just how the pool looked when I took pictures with my camera - some of them make the pool look intensely blue!).

Overall, the pool has clean lines and a simple design.  The tile on the edge of the pool is a basic slate-like color that balances well with the color of the pool and the color of the limestone and bluestone.

I’m also frequently asked about the choice of pool decking.  I have always admired bluestone pool decking, both for its beauty and its color.  I can’t remember the specifics about the bluestone, but we did not do the thermal bluestone or the select (although I think the stair treads are thermal bluestone – thicker and more uniform in color – as they needed to be a consistent thickness).  The decking is regular bluestone with most of the really orange pieces culled out.  We wanted some amount of variation in the look of the bluestone, but did not want it predominantly orange.  And yes – bluestone does get very hot when it is in the sun.  We have found that if you spray it off with the hose it stays cooler for an hour or so, but mainly it is not a problem – we either wear flip flops or move quickly when it is at the peak of the sun time.  The limestone coping is actually quite useful as it does not get hot, so it is easy to jump to that and walk on the limestone.  The front of our house faces west, so by the late afternoon the sun is behind the house, and the bluestone cools off almost instantenously once it is not in direct sun. (By the way, I think this picture is a very accurate portrayal of French Grey Pebble Sheen color – it is not a strong vivid vibrant blue, but rather a sophisticated and slightly grayed blue).

I hope some of you found this helpful!  At the very least, it is nice to look at pool pictures when it is hot outside.  Email me any time if you have more questions – thingsthatinspire@gmail.com.

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Selecting the pool color

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After making hundreds and hundreds of decisions over the past two years, one of the last big decisions I have to make is what the pool color will be.  I never really thought about the fact that the color of the lining of a pool is something that needs to be selected, although of course I observed that some pools are light, some are dark, some are greenish, some blue, some gray, some black.

There are many factors that determine how a pool appears after it is finished – some are from the environment (the amount of sun or shade a pool receives, whether it is a sunny or cloudy day, the reflections from the structures and the sky above the pool, the amount of debris that might end up in the pool because of leaves and such); some are from the design of the pool (decking, coping, the material itself and the color of the material used on the bottom of the pool).  Regional preferences also come into play.  For example, my landscape architect told me that most of his Atlanta clients are currently liking darker pools - Pebbletec seems to be the surface of preference (a pebble surface that both protects the pool and determines its color), and Tahoe Blue or Black Pearl are the most popular colors among his clientele.  In other areas of the country, light pools with white bottoms (giving the pool a very light blue look) are more the norm.

Given that pools are on my mind, the August 2011 issue of Architectural Digest was a great read.  The theme of the magazine was summer getaways, so there were quite a few pools to look at and think about.  Many of the pools were simple in shape and style, which is my preference.  We are doing a very simple rectangular pool. 

The colors of the pools in the magazine covered the full spectrum, from a light blue pool from a house in Florida, to a dark pool in Belgium.  There was an infinity edge pool in St. Barts whose color was clearly selected to match the deeper colors of the Caribbean waters as closely as possible (image above).  Source.

Although I appreciate the sophistication and moodiness of this pool in its environment, it is not a look that I want for my own pool. Source.

Instead, I tend to like the happier, bluer colors – like the color of the pool that belongs to Hank Azaria.  I wonder if this is a plaster bottom pool, and if it is white or light gray? This might be a bit lighter than what I am going for, but the color is really beautiful.  Source.

This pool, with landscape design by LandPlus, has a pretty light color to it.  Alec from LandPlus told me that the pool bottom it is a white Pebblesheen, a material similar to Pebbletec but made with smaller pebbles (with the result being a smoother pool bottom).  Alas, Pebblesheen is more expensive than Pebbletec.

When I initially saved this picture, via Martha Stewart Living, I saved it for the beautiful environment, but now I am appreciating the picture anew because of the pretty blue color of the water.  It was probably photoshopped, though!

My sister’s pool, photographed in the shade of the morning, has a medium gray plaster bottom.  We are seriously thinking about doing a simple gray plaster surface to the pool, because of the smoothness and because we like the old world mottled look that is often characteristic of a gray plaster pool.

This pool, with landscape architecture by Howard Design Studio, looks like a great balance between blue and green.  Source.

When looking through the pictures in my files, I come back to this picture again and again – perhaps it is because it is so similar to our general design, with the outdoor room sharing a wall with the garage, and the simple rectangular pool is aligned with the centerpoint of the fireplace.  I also love the look of the bluestone combined with the crisp blue of the water.  The designer involved in the project, Carter Kay, told me that the bottom of the pool is gray, so I am assuming it is a simple medium gray plaster.  It is almost impossible to judge a pool color from an image, especially one that has been in a magazine (as the colors have probably been tweaked), but I like what I see in this image!

Another pool that captures my eye is this pool from Atlanta landscape architect Richard Anderson’s portolio (http://www.richardandersonla.com).  I wonder what material and color the bottom of this pool is – it’s a beautiful, natural looking blue, not too dark, not too light .  Given that this does not appear to be a magazine photo, the color is probably fairly true to real life.  Source.

I must make the decision this week.  Readers, if you have any pictures you could send me that look like the colors in these pools – and you know the color and/or materials – I would love to see them!  You can email me at thingsthatinspire@gmail.com.  Of course, seeing a pool in person is probably the best way to get the feel for a color and surface material, but none of the pools I have seen have really struck a chord with me.  Any recommendations, lessons learned, or tips would be wonderful.

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Design element: pools

In the spring, I showed a little sketch of what the outdoor room will look like at the new house. At the bottom of the sketch, the edge of a pool can be seen.

When we first started thinking about building, my husband and I were not planning on having a pool. However, once we found a lot and had a general footprint for a house plan, two things became apparent: 1) the lot was perfect for a pool 2) if we didn’t build a pool now, we would never be able to build a pool. The house we are building is ‘L’ shaped, with a garage at the tip of the ‘L’, and it would be all but impossible (or impossibly expensive) to get construction equipment around the garage in future years, given that the lot starts to slope in the back and there is going to be a retaining wall.

So, we decided to have a pool, much to the delight of our children. It’s not going to be enormous, but big enough to add visual beauty to the landscape, and to accommodate a group of kids on a hot day. As far as the design of the pool is concerned, there was never really any kind of discussion about the shape of the pool; from the very beginning, the pool on the plans has been a clean and simple rectangle. This certainly fits in well with the tailored but elegant aesthetic that seems to be emerging in the house and landscape. Alec Michaelides of LandPlus Associates has truly created a beautiful design for our back yard, with the pool as a key element in that design.

Several readers have asked me to do a ‘pool post’, so here are some pool images that have inspired me over the years. Enjoy!

The pool house had interiors by Phoebe Howard, but it is the entire scene that catches my eye; a clean lined pool, a hilltop setting, and beautiful combination of materials and textures.

One of my favorite outdoor scenes, with landscape architecture by Howard Design Studio. I love it when a pool is sited in alignment with an architectural feature, like this guest house.

One of my favorite pool designs, by LandPlus Associates. I love the beauty and elegant simplicity of this pool, and the fountain that is mounted into the wall is so charming. The limestone ball finials are the perfect touch.

A reader sent me this photo recently, from an Atlanta real estate listing. I love how the house walks out to the back (not always the case in Atlanta, where there are a lot of hills and the main level often walks out to a terrace, and the basement walks out to the yard). I also like how the pool is close to the house, but not right next to it. Finally, I like that there are pavers around the pool; so many pools these days have grass around the pool, which is beautiful but does not seem really practical when you have kids who will be using the pool (I just imagine the grass becoming a muddy mess - can anyone tell me if this is true?).

I first saw this pool image on Limestone & Boxwoods. The one of a kind setting really makes this pool special – look at the view in the distance! I really like the style where the pool has an infinity edge, but I also think that the view in the distance must be good to support the style. I suppose the topography of the land must support it too!

One of my favorite pool pictures, via Limestone & Boxwoods (photo from Martha Stewart Living). There is something so romantic about this picture, and I also love the privacy – like the pool is set in the midst of a secret garden. Initially we were going to have the steps in our pool go all the way across as they are seen in this image, but we decided to put them in the corner instead as the pool is not large, and we wanted to maximize the usable area for swimming or laps.

This image really resonates with me, because it is not dissimilar to what we are planning (although I found this image after our design had already been set). The stair design in the pool is what we will be doing. Source.

This is Axel Vervoort’s pool, as photographed by Greet of Belgian Pearls. The Vervoort’s open up their castle and grounds to the public twice a year. Greet visits any time she has the opportunity!

Another view of the pool. I love that this pool has pavers on one side, the entry to the pool, but has grass on the other side. Perhaps the perfect balance! I also like that this pool is surrounded by a fence of hedges. To see more of the Vervoort’s magnificent garden, please see Greet’s post.

Another pool by Howard Design Studio has pavers on two sides, grass on one.

This pool (again, Howard Design Studio) appears to be set in a lush garden paradise! I love the design of the steps – a set on either side. Howard Design Studio has a great Facebook fan page, and have recently had two series of pool pictures – great inspiration! Also, check out the beautiful pool and pool pavilion by Howard Design Studio in the July-August Veranda.

I am not sure where this image came from, but I love the fact that the pool area is structured like its own outdoor room, with the greenery defining the walls.

The pool at my sister’s new house is set in its own area, fully surrounded by a wood fence. I particularly liked the covered area to the right, with the Janus et Cie lounge chairs.

Finally, an image I found just last week, via Acanthus & Acorn (a wonderful blog that I highly recommend). The clean and simple shape of the pool, the color of the stone around the pool, the secret garden quality all appeal to me.

This post is particularly timely given that Atlanta has had an unusually hot summer (although we have had a bit of a break over the past week). Just looking at these images is refreshing! If you have any interesting pool pictures in your files, I would love to see them – I had to search a bit to find these pictures, and would love to have a bigger inspiration file.

Do you like the clean lined pool design as much as me, or does something else catch your eye?

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