Patrick Redman
Photo of a large contemporary backyard pool in Melbourne with a water feature.

Fotografía: Jesús Granada
Inspiration for an expansive country backyard custom-shaped infinity pool in Barcelona with a water feature and decking.

THE BRIEF The clients asked us to help them get the most out of their backyard; the area accounts for roughly a quarter of the entire house block, but they rarely used it, as it felt removed from the house. With 3 young children, they wanted to create an area that they could spend family times as well as sharing good times with their friends – and a pool was at the top of their list. THE CHALLENGES The outside entertainment options were very few – on the upper level, a cramped deck off the house had seen better days, wasn’t really wide enough to have more than 4 people on it at a time, and was not up to group entertaining. This deck was almost 2 metres off the ground, so it was hard for the adults to keep an eye on any of the backyard action from inside the house. On the lower level, a cramped bricked courtyard, featuring overgrown shrubs, could only really fit a small trampoline and a chicken coop. Garage access cut into the trampoline area, making it even more restricted, and this also meant that they had to traverse the entire area to get from the garage to the house. The brief was to get a usable pool in, make the most of the outdoor areas, improve sightlines from inside the house to the backyard, and create better flow between the areas between the garden and the house. THE DESIGN The Pool Area Visibility was identified as one of the key issues, and so we decided to ‘lift up’ the future pool area so that it would be visible from inside the house. To do this, we built the pool up about 600mm, with paved areas surrounding it in tumbled travertine in an ashlar pattern – this pattern makes the space seem bigger than it is, and the travertine stays nice and cool underfoot. The spa was elevated another 500mm, so that its warm water would flow into the pool, creating a water feature as it runs into the pool, and extending the use of the area to year-round. An ‘outdoor lounge’ was made to luxuriate in, with a bar fridge to keep drinks cool and a pergola custom made from powdercoated steel; this throws patterns across the area, and looks incredible at night. By moving the garage door around the corner, we were able to really maximise the pool area, creating a more direct passage from the garage to the house. Entertaining Entertaining is very important to this family, so step one was to extend the deck area to be able to accommodate family and friends. Glass balustrading keeps everyone in sight, and building the new deck allowed us to install a change room underneath it – now when the kids’ friends come over for a swim, they can get changed here and leave all their stuff out of everyone’s way. EXTRA FEATURES A small vege garden and a contemplation space added to the other areas of the garden make the space feel a lot bigger than it is, and ensure that no space is wasted. Instead of moving home and their lives to get what they wanted, this family found they could stay put and have more than they dreamed was possible. Pics by Pat Redmond

This is an example of a mid-sized modern backyard rectangular aboveground pool in Paris with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

This is an example of a mid-sized modern backyard custom-shaped pool in Other with a water feature.

Cette piscine avec ses enrochements de pierres reconstituées aux couleurs claires, pourra faire penser à une piscine Hollywoodienne. A l'arrière plan, ruisseau et cascade ajoutent "glamour" et un subtile dynamisme à cette piscine de grand luxe

Patrick Redmond
Inspiration for a small contemporary courtyard rectangular lap pool in Melbourne with a water feature and decking.

baignade naturelle
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary custom-shaped natural pool in Le Havre with a water feature.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary backyard custom-shaped natural pool in Other with decking and a water feature.

Inspiration for a transitional backyard rectangular natural pool in Brisbane with a water feature and decking.

Rick Liston
This is an example of a large mediterranean courtyard rectangular pool in Other with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Rupert Keys
Large country backyard rectangular natural pool in Other with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Yann Bouvier
Inspiration for a contemporary backyard custom-shaped lap pool in Marseille with a water feature and decking.

Surrounded by travertine tiles in a French pattern, the plunge pool measures 5.0m x 3.0m with full width steps and benches in the shallows. The lush formal English garden complements the black-like pool interior, creating a classic and timeless beautiful aesthetic to be admired and enjoyed year round.

This small pool was custom designed to optimise the limited outdoor space available alongside the recently renovated period home in Yarraville. Measuring 5.0m long by 3.0m wide, the plunge pool features a full width step and bench and a custom floor profile reaching 1.8m in water depth.

Built: 2018. Type: Design and Construct. Project details: Fully tiled Bisazza interior, cantilevered pool side cabana, custom pool water feature wall, Hardiedeck flooring, bluestone tiling, custom outdoor shower, Enviroswim pool sanitation, electric pool heating, lineal garden planting and LED garden lighting. Another beautiful house built by Baker Developments Pty Ltd - check out their work

This is an example of a contemporary rectangular aboveground pool in Sydney with a water feature.

Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard l-shaped pool in Other with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern backyard custom-shaped pool in Other with a water feature.