15 Modern Pool Ideas
Installing a pool in your backyard can transform your landscape into a lavish oasis and serve as a stunning centerpiece that complements your home. If you plan to add a pool to your backyard, consider one of these modern pool designs.
1. Private Oasis
This corner-lot Palm Springs residence offers maximum privacy and stunning views. The house's modern design seamlessly blends with its surroundings, creating a serene oasis for its residents. The property’s pool area boasts a double-gated motor court and a six-foot perimeter wall, enhancing its private oasis feel.
The pool courtyard presents an idyllic setting for al fresco dining—or epic pool parties.
2. Master Stroke
Architect Padraic Cassidy transformed a simple pool into the centerpiece of a Southern California home, overcoming existing structures as the biggest obstacle. The 750-square-foot raised pool, marked by a bold yellow stripe, creates a visually appealing backyard with a pool at the center, making it visually appealing and functional.
The final, layered look of the pool and its surroundings—which mitigates a 30-inch drop from house to guesthouse—was completed in 2008.
3. Wooded Retreat
Nestled among 10.5 wooded acres with views of Broken Top, this Oregon home features an amazing outdoor space that rivals some of the best vacation retreats. The heated pool and hot tub are among other outdoor amenities, including a built-in BBQ, gas fire pit, dog run, and roof-top patio. Who needs to go on vacation when you have a resort in your backyard?
This Bend, Oregon, home is currently listed for sale by Stephanie Ruiz and Jordan Grandlund of Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty.
4. Epic View
Imagine soaking away the day’s worries with stunning Sonoran Desert mountain views. This home, designed by Wendell Pickett, co-designer of No. 7 at Desert Mountain, has a large outdoor living space that flows seamlessly into the pool deck for the ultimate outdoor entertaining. The saltwater pool and spa offer tranquility in the Sonoran desert.
Epics views from the patio and pool of this Sonoran desert home.
5. Passive Cooling
Taller Estilo Arquitectura designed a passive cooling pool that helps reduce the temperature of the air before entering the house. The outdoor space features a polished concrete patio deck and a block perimeter wall, creating an "air chimney" that circulates air up and away from the home while allowing light to filter down. This innovative design not only enhances the aesthetic value of the outdoor living space but also contributes to the home’s energy efficiency.
A polished concrete patio deck and pool, along with a simple block perimeter wall, make smart use of available materials.
6. Hotel Suite
The 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City boasts a top floor that rivals the most luxurious suites at 5-star hotels. The area, complete with an indoor-outdoor dining space, primary suite, and pool, seamlessly opens up with large glass doors that disappear into pocket walls. The rooftop courtyard pool area features diverse indigenous plants, including banana trees, palm trees, lion’s claw, Mexican breadfruit, and native vines.
The rooftop courtyard is lined with a verdant mix of indigenous plants.
7. Laps
Wright Feldhusen Architects designed this house for a client who loves to swim. The lap pool provides a stunning visual feature and allows the client to indulge in their passion for swimming while enjoying the breathtaking views of the ocean. The house’s design integrates the lap pool, fostering a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces and ensuring an immersive experience.
A lap pool connects the home to the ocean that lies beyond the property in Maroubra, Australia.
8. Palm Springs Stunner
The Rancho Mirage neighborhood of Palm Springs is home to this 1957 midcentury modern building by architects Donald Wexler and Richard Harrison. Master-planned by William F. Cody, it sits on over half an acre of land with stunning mountain views. The house features simple board-and-batten siding, natural rock walls, and a masterful use of light and shadow, balancing orientation and views. The outdoor dining area features a firepit and a sparkling pool, creating a tranquil oasis for relaxation and entertainment.
This Rancho Mirage, California home is currently listed by Keith Markovitz of Compass.
9. Reflection
Designed by award-winning architects Warren & Mahoney, this New Zealand home encompasses more than 11,990 square feet of living space, including a putting green, an indoor soak pool heated by natural hot springs, a tennis court, and an infinity pool. The extensive use of travertine marble is a key design element, along with the grand internal courtyard and reflection pool.
New Zealand home with a reflection pool and plenty of dramatic views.
10. Out West
Architect Joe Day transformed a 1940s Silver Lake tract house into a modern, open home that welcomes neighbors and makes the most of its surroundings. A picture-perfect Southern California garden surrounds the home’s lap pool, a refreshing focal point in the urban home’s small backyard. All exterior stone, including the lower wall next to the pool, is made of Pennsylvania bluestone.
Day takes a swim in a new lap pool framed by a lush Southern California garden.
11. Contemplation
The designers of this Palm Springs midcentury modern home didn’t let a sloping backyard stop them from creating an outdoor oasis. The single-story home has floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows that open up to the home’s unique triangular saltwater pool, which is accented by a gas fire pit to give you plenty of time to contemplate breathtaking scenery year-round.
Outside, a triangular saltwater pool overlooks breathtaking views.
12. Desert Hideaway
Not all modern-style pools have to be in-ground. The owners of this 3-bedroom home found the perfect way to cool off in the middle of the desert. The home is located on five acres in the Mojave Desert and features a shipping container from Modpool. The shipping container has been transformed into an impressive above-ground pool featuring a glass wall that provides breathtaking views of the desert landscape. The pool is heated and easily adjusted to your desired temperature, making it the perfect spot to relax and unwind during those cool desert nights.
The shipping container Modpool is controlled by a smart-tech system, which allows it to double as a jacuzzi.
13. Aquarium
This Brazilian home boasts a striking glass-walled swimming pool in its exterior garden. The narrow, elongated pool features a vertical green wall that can be seen from inside the apartment. The pool creates an aquarium-like wall, bringing a sense of calm and peace to the space both inside and out.
The four panels of aquamarine and green look like a work of art.
14. A Little Bit Country
This Boston mansion’s contemporary raised ground pool complements the home’s traditional style architecture perfectly with its crisp, angular lines and tile surface. The mix of greys in the tiles gives the pool enough interest while tying into the home’s architectural style. The pool also serves as a stunning focal point, adding a touch of modernity to the overall design.
The expansive backyard features a raised swimming pool and a large lawn.
15. To Infinity
The Cape Town home features clerestory windows that flood interior spaces with natural light, creating a bright and airy atmosphere. The gardens on each level provide a calming environment and enhance the connection between nature and architecture. The sloped landscape is integrated with an infinity pool, offering lush views of the mountain scenery.
The infinity pool seems to stretch into lush views.
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