A contemporary pool designed for swimming laps or year-round entertaining.
Although the pool and adjacent entertaining area rely on clean, uncluttered lines to deliver a modern, minimalist look, the overall ambience is inviting. This is due to the perfect balance of materials — water, plant, stone and timber — which tempers the angular styling and hard surfaces to create a feeling of warmth.
The work of Out from the Blue, the pool was designed to have maximum impact while still functioning as an integrated part of the landscape. The granite paving was carefully designed to draw the eye towards the swimming pool while appearing to extend through it and then re-surface on the other side to form a stunning rectangular feature.
The startling water colour is achieved through the use of Smartsyd blue mosaic tiles, imported from Japan. This works well with the surrounding paved areas and the recycled hardwood decking, all of which provide the homeowners with ample space for hosting social gatherings, both big and small.
As well as looking spectacular, the pool is perfect for swimming laps. In fact, a pool designed for exercising was on the owners’ must-have list. But they also wanted something that would function as a family pool.
A restrained approach was taken to the soft landscaping. A tiled planter was built into the rear pool wall to house a series of six uplit agaves (Agave attenuate), an easy-to-grow succulent, nestled into a bed of clean white pebbles. To one side of the planter, a large, angular water wall rises up, commanding attention no matter where you are in the backyard.
The feature planting of native Australian grass trees (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii), each with its own uplight sunk into the gravel mulch, is a simple but inspired touch. The slightly gnarled trunks and fan-like grass tufts add a quirky yet quintessentially Australian element that softens the uncompromising lines of the hard landscaping elements.
Functionality hasn’t been overlooked in the design and construction of this pool. This extends to the heating (a combination of gas and solar heating) and lighting (both underwater and garden), which make using the pool an appealing proposition no matter what the season.
DETAILS
Out of the Blue website: http://outfromtheblue.com.au/
