Hi there - what species of bamboo did you plant please? As it may grow upwards or outwards depending.... I tend to add Mexican feather grass (stipa tenuissima) between plants OR if it has a pretty culm (stem) I strip the lower leaves down and add lighting which looks stunning.

Try a mid-century modern rug like Hemphill's Rex Ray Area Rug Collection or Jaipur Traverse Caracas. I looked up 'mid-century modern rug' and chanced upon these on Houzz. I like the muted colours which would soften the cream on brown. The mid-century motifs would highlight the mid-century chair. Good luck!

Thanks for the ideas - I realise that only looking at flooring as the 'link' between inside/outside is limiting. We will have a brick boundary fence that will connect to our inside brick (but don't want brick pavers, too small and busy for our small space). We will also have a timber pergola that links to our beams/doors/flooring. So perhaps it's not essential that the pavers 'match' the flooring. I do like Travertine, and certainly large pavers are the idea. Also that pic that Swaneee posted - I would never have thought of that as 'slabs of cement', but it looks nice - where do you get that kind of thing, and what sort of cost? PS: I never said twin boys, it's one boy and one girl - but just the same in terms of pebbles being out!

That's a good question! Unfortunately, it is difficult to say as it seems that shedding depends on the type of bamboo you get. You would be best of getting professional advice on what type of bamboo would be best suited for a pool area. It may be the case that, if you are looking for very low maintenance, bamboo might not be the best option in this regard. Here's a link with a number of comments on this topic which might help: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1743451/bamboo-around-pool