Photo of a large contemporary backyard rectangular pool in Melbourne with a pool house and natural stone pavers.

We were contacted by a family named Pesek who lived near Memorial Drive on the West side of Houston. They lived in a stately home built in the late 1950’s. Many years back, they had contracted a local pool company to install an old lagoon-style pool, which they had since grown tired of. When they initially called us, they wanted to know if we could build them an outdoor room at the far end of the swimming pool. We scheduled a free consultation at a time convenient to them, and we drove out to their residence to take a look at the property. After a quick survey of the back yard, rear of the home, and the swimming pool, we determined that building an outdoor room as an addition to their existing landscaping design would not bring them the results they expected. The pool was visibly dated with an early “70’s” look, which not only clashed with the late 50’s style of home architecture, but guaranteed an even greater clash with any modern-style outdoor room we constructed. Luckily for the Peseks, we offered an even better landscaping plan than the one they had hoped for. We proposed the construction of a new outdoor room and an entirely new swimming pool. Both of these new structures would be built around the classical geometry of proportional right angles. This would allow a very modern design to compliment an older home, because basic geometric patterns are universal in many architectural designs used throughout history. In this case, both the swimming pool and the outdoor rooms were designed as interrelated quadrilateral forms with proportional right angles that created the illusion of lengthened distance and a sense of Classical elegance. This proved a perfect complement to a house that had originally been built as a symbolic emblem of a simpler, more rugged and absolute era. Though reminiscent of classical design and complimentary to the conservative design of the home, the interior of the outdoor room was ultra-modern in its array of comfort and convenience. The Peseks felt this would be a great place to hold birthday parties for their child. With this new outdoor room, the Peseks could take the party outside at any time of day or night, and at any time of year. We also built the structure to be fully functional as an outdoor kitchen as well as an outdoor entertainment area. There was a smoker, a refrigerator, an ice maker, and a water heater—all intended to eliminate any need to return to the house once the party began. Seating and entertainment systems were also added to provide state of the art fun for adults and children alike. We installed a flat-screen plasma TV, and we wired it for cable. The swimming pool was built between the outdoor room and the rear entrance to the house. We got rid of the old lagoon-pool design which geometrically clashed with the right angles of the house and outdoor room. We then had a completely new pool built, in the shape of a rectangle, with a rather innovative coping design. We showcased the pool with a coping that rose perpendicular to the ground out of the stone patio surface. This reinforced our blend of contemporary look with classical right angles. We saved the client an enormous amount of money on travertine by setting the coping so that it does not overhang with the tile. Because the ground between the house and the outdoor room gradually dropped in grade, we used the natural slope of the ground to create another perpendicular right angle at the end of the pool. Here, we installed a waterfall which spilled over into a heated spa. Although the spa was fed from within itself, it was built to look as though water was coming from within the pool. The ultimate result of all of this is a new sense of visual “ebb and flow,” so to speak. When Mr. Pesek sits in his couch facing his house, the earth appears to rise up first into an illuminated pool which leads the way up the steps to his home. When he sits in his spa facing the other direction, the earth rises up like a doorway to his outdoor room, where he can comfortably relax in the water while he watches TV. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

Artistic Pools
Photo of a large mediterranean backyard rectangular natural pool in Atlanta with natural stone pavers.

Malibu, California traditional coastal home. Architecture by Burdge Architects. Recently reimagined by Saffron Case Homes.
Design ideas for a large beach style backyard rectangular pool in Los Angeles with a pool house and concrete pavers.

Marion Brenner Photography
This is an example of a large modern backyard rectangular pool in San Francisco with decking.

Photographs by Jimi Smith Photography
Design ideas for a large mediterranean courtyard custom-shaped pool in Dallas with concrete pavers.

custom pool by Elements Landscape
Photo of a large traditional backyard rectangular pool in Atlanta with natural stone pavers.

Situated on a double-lot of beach front property, this 5600 SF home is a beautiful example of seaside architectural detailing and luxury. The home is actually more than 15,000 SF when including all of the outdoor spaces and balconies. Spread across its 4 levels are 5 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, his and her office, gym, living, dining, & family rooms. It is all topped off with a large deck with wet bar on the top floor for watching the sunsets. It also includes garage space for 6 vehicles, a beach access garage for water sports equipment, and over 1000 SF of additional storage space. The home is equipped with integrated smart-home technology to control lighting, air conditioning, security systems, entertainment and multimedia, and is backed up by a whole house generator.

The complexity yet calming beauty of the outdoor space shines with the custom lighting features as well as fire features and glowing waters. The path into the pool surrounded circular fire patio provides the perfect vantage point for taking in all the well-appointed areas and outdoor rooms. Natural plantings are utilized to soften the hardscapes and add overhead colorful interest. Photography by Joe Traina

This late 70's ranch style home was recently renovated with a clean, modern twist on the ranch style architecture of the existing residence. AquaTerra was hired to create the entire outdoor environment including the new pool and spa. Similar to the renovated home, this aquatic environment was designed to take a traditional pool and gives it a clean, modern twist. The site proved to be perfect for a long, sweeping curved water feature that can be seen from all of the outdoor gathering spaces as well as many rooms inside the residence. This design draws people outside and allows them to explore all of the features of the pool and outdoor spaces. Features of this resort like outdoor environment include: -Play pool with two lounge areas with LED lit bubblers -Pebble Tec Pebble Sheen Luminous series pool finish -Lightstreams glass tile -spa with six custom copper Bobe water spillway scuppers -water feature wall with three custom copper Bobe water scuppers -Fully automated with Pentair Equipment -LED lighting throughout the pool and spa -Gathering space with automated fire pit -Lounge deck area -Synthetic turf between step pads and deck -Gourmet outdoor kitchen to meet all the entertaining needs. This outdoor environment cohesively brings the clean & modern finishes of the renovated home seamlessly to the outdoors to a pool and spa for play, exercise and relaxation. Photography: Daniel Driensky

Design ideas for a large contemporary backyard rectangular lap pool in Denver with a water feature and concrete slab.

This is an example of a large country backyard custom-shaped pool in Nashville with natural stone pavers.

This spa features an infinity edge, black porcelain tile, and view. Other surrounding features consist of raised hardwood decks, cantilevered umbrella, BBQ island, fire pit, covered patio, and drought tolerant landscaping.

Water flows over the edge of a sleek, glass-tiled pool at this hillside home in north Scottsdale. The temperature-controlled pool makes it ideal for year-round fun. Project Details // Sublime Sanctuary Upper Canyon, Silverleaf Golf Club Scottsdale, Arizona Architecture: Drewett Works Builder: American First Builders Interior Designer: Michele Lundstedt Landscape architecture: Greey | Pickett Photography: Werner Segarra https://www.drewettworks.com/sublime-sanctuary/

Design ideas for a transitional pool in Minneapolis.

Circa 2021. This stunning garden is in New Jersey and one knows it's not Houston because of the hydrangeas. Can you say staycation?
Photo of an expansive traditional backyard custom-shaped lap pool in Houston with with a pool and natural stone pavers.

Design ideas for a large beach style backyard rectangular natural pool in Phoenix with a water slide and natural stone pavers.

Fun, sleek, modern pool with amazing features: cabana, fire bar, splash pad with LED lights, long dolphin slide, outdoor kitchen with retractable doors and a secret garden/play area for the kids. Photos by Farley Designs

Designed by Bill Einhorn,RLA at F Capparelli Landscape Design. We expanded the small terrace,added a luxurious bar and BBQ area as well as a stunning gas fire pit.