Design ideas for a contemporary lap pool in Melbourne with decking.

Contemporary design for this custom gunite swimming pool surrounded by stone walls Photo: Francine Gardner
Inspiration for a contemporary lap pool in New York.

A traditional house that meanders around courtyards built as though it where built in stages over time. Well proportioned and timeless. Presenting its modest humble face this large home is filled with surprises as it demands that you take your time to experiance it.

Design ideas for a traditional lap pool in New York.

Design ideas for a mid-sized midcentury backyard rectangular lap pool in Brisbane with with privacy feature and tile.

A couple by the name of Claire and Dan Boyles commissioned Exterior Worlds to develop their back yard along the lines of a French Country garden design. They had recently designed and built a French Colonial style house. Claire had been very involved in the architectural design, and she communicated extensively her expectations for the landscape. The aesthetic we ultimately created for them was not a traditional French country garden per se, but instead was a variation on the symmetry, color, and sense of formality associated with this design. The most notable feature that we added to the estate was a custom swimming pool installed just to the rear of the home. It emphasized linearity, complimentary right angles, and it featured a luxury spa and pool fountain. We built the coping around the pool out of limestone, and we used concrete pavers to build the custom pool patio. We then added French pottery in various locations around the patio to balance the stonework against the look and structure of the home. We added a formal garden parallel to the pool to reflect its linear movement. Like most French country gardens, this design is bordered by sheered bushes and emphasizes straight lines, angles, and symmetry. One very interesting thing about this garden is that it is consist entirely of various shades of green, which lends itself well to the sense of a French estate. The garden is bordered by a taupe colored cedar fence that compliments the color of the stonework. Just around the corner from the back entrance to the house, there lies a double-door entrance to the master bedroom. This was an ideal place to build a small patio for the Boyles to use as a private seating area in the early mornings and evenings. We deviated slightly from strict linearity and symmetry by adding pavers that ran out like steps from the patio into the grass. We then planted boxwood hedges around the patio, which are common in French country garden design and combine an Old World sensibility with a morning garden setting. We then completed this portion of the project by adding rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that frames the yard. This design is derivative of those found in morning gardens, and it provides the Boyles with a place where they can step directly from their bedroom into a private outdoor space and enjoy the early mornings and evenings. We further develop the sense of a morning garden seating area; we deviated slightly from the strict linear forms of the rest of the landscape by adding pavers that ran like steps from the patio and out into the grass. We also planted rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that borders this portion of the yard. We then landscaped the front of the home with a continuing symmetry reminiscent of French country garden design. We wanted to establish a sense of grand entrance to the home, so we built a stone walkway that ran all the way from the sidewalk and then fanned out parallel to the covered porch that centers on the front door and large front windows of the house. To further develop the sense of a French country estate, we planted a small parterre garden that can be seen and enjoyed from the left side of the porch. On the other side of house, we built the Boyles a circular motorcourt around a large oak tree surrounded by lush San Augustine grass. We had to employ special tree preservation techniques to build above the root zone of the tree. The motorcourt was then treated with a concrete-acid finish that compliments the brick in the home. For the parking area, we used limestone gravel chips. French country garden design is traditionally viewed as a very formal style intended to fill a significant portion of a yard or landscape. The genius of the Boyles project lay not in strict adherence to tradition, but rather in adapting its basic principles to the architecture of the home and the geometry of the surrounding landscape. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

John Siemering Homes. Custom Home Builder in Austin, TX
Photo of a large transitional backyard rectangular lap pool in Austin with a hot tub and concrete slab.

Pool wall for dream outdoor space
This is an example of a modern backyard custom-shaped lap pool in Sydney with tile.

Inspiration for a mid-sized tropical backyard custom-shaped lap pool in Los Angeles with a water slide and natural stone pavers.

Anthony Crusafulli
Design ideas for a contemporary backyard rectangular lap pool in New York with a water feature.

Greg Wilson Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary lap pool in Tampa.

Dennis Mayer Photographer
Photo of a mid-sized mediterranean backyard rectangular lap pool in San Francisco with concrete pavers.

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard rectangular lap pool in Atlanta with natural stone pavers.

Mid-sized traditional backyard rectangular lap pool in San Francisco with brick pavers.

Perfect paving slab for modern poolsides and backyard design, Blu Grande Smooth is a large concrete patio stone available in multiple colors. Its smooth texture is sleek to the eye but rougher to the touch which avoids it from getting slippery when wet. Learn more about this large modern concrete slab here: https://www.techo-bloc.com/shop/slabs/blu-grande-smooth/

Design ideas for a large contemporary backyard custom-shaped lap pool in Tampa with a hot tub and natural stone pavers.

Pool (covered) and bar in the surrounding backyard
Inspiration for a small mediterranean backyard rectangular lap pool in Kansas City with with a pool and concrete pavers.

Mid-sized country backyard rectangular lap pool in New York with a pool house and natural stone pavers.

Design ideas for a large transitional backyard rectangular lap pool in Other with a pool house and concrete pavers.