Nestled perfectly along a mountainside in the North Scottsdale Estancia Community, with views of Pinnacle Peak, and the Valley below, this landscape design honors the surrounding desert and the contemporary architecture of the home. A meandering driveway ascends the hillside to an auto court area where we placed mature cactus and yucca specimens. In the back, terracing was used to create interest and support from the intense hillside. We brought in mass boulders to retain the slope, while adding to the existing terrain. A succulent garden was placed in the terraced hillside using unique and rare species to enhance the surrounding native desert. A vertical fence of well casing rods was installed to preserve the view, while still securing the property. An infinity edge, glass tile pool is the perfect extension of the contemporary home. Project Details: Landscape Architect: Greey|Pickett Architect: Drewett Works Contractor: Manship Builders Interior Designer: David Michael Miller Associates Photography: Dino Tonn

Kenny Manchester
Large modern backyard custom-shaped pool in Houston with a water feature and tile.

Photo of a large modern backyard rectangular infinity pool in Los Angeles with a water feature and tile.

This modern pool uses a unconventional mosaic color giving a beautiful and distinctive look. The mosaic is color 260, and it has bands of aventurina, which gives it a subtle glittery effect. There are many mosaic colors that share this effect including greens, browns, blues and more. Combinations can also be made to fit your style.

Photo of a small modern backyard rectangular pool in Atlanta with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard rectangular lap pool in Miami with a hot tub and concrete pavers.

This modern/transitional design included a 50' infinity pool and spa, a pavilion with a large outdoor kitchen, bathroom, and fireplace, and other great features like terraced travertine patios, a 10' fire pit behind the infinity edge, cable handrails, LED lighting, landscaping, a paver driveway extension, and an in-ground trampoline!

Gold Winner - Five Star Spas - http://www.fivestarspas.com.au/
Photo of a small modern backyard pool in Adelaide with a hot tub and decking.

Russell Abraham Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard rectangular infinity pool in San Francisco with natural stone pavers.

Photo of a large modern backyard custom-shaped natural pool in Baltimore with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Custom pool and outdoor living space designed and constructed by Liquid Assets Pools in St. Louis. Contact us for a free consultation.
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern backyard rectangular lap pool in St Louis with a hot tub and concrete pavers.

Caleb Kerr - http://www.calebkerr.com
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard rectangular lap pool in Austin with natural stone pavers.

This Palm Springs home is a beautiful example of integrating modern materials with the warm hues of Ipe wood and blending it with the native environment. Designed by: Stephen Strugula Design

Tribal Waters Custom Pools Phoenix area pool builder
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard rectangular lap pool in Phoenix with a hot tub and natural stone pavers.

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

This is an example of a large modern backyard rectangular pool in New York with tile.

Scott Smith Photography
Photo of a modern pool in Orlando.

Commissioned uplit sculpture appears to float above its iridescent glass tiled perimeter overflow base. Photographer: Christian Terry
Design ideas for a large modern backyard custom-shaped pool in Los Angeles with a water feature and concrete slab.

Frameless Pool fence and glass doors designed and installed by Frameless Impressions
Photo of a small modern backyard rectangular lap pool in Melbourne with decking.