A Sympathetic In-between Positioned at the edge of the Field of Mars Reserve, Walless Cabana is the heart of family living, where people and nature come together harmoniously and embrace each other. In creating a seamless transition between the existing family home and the distant bushland, Walless Cabana deliberately curates the language of its surroundings through the Japanese concept of 'Shakkei' or borrowed scenery, ensuring its humble and respectful presence in place. Despite being a permanent structure, it is a transient space that adapts and changes dynamically with everchanging nature, personalities and lifestyle.

Small modern rectangular pool in Melbourne with tile.

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

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.

This project, by Houston based pool builder and authorized Ledge Lounger Dealer, Custom Design Pools, features multiple seating areas, both in pool and out of pool, making it ideal for entertaining and socializing.

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

Photography by William Psolka, psolka-photo.com
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard rectangular pool in New York with a pool house and tile.

What happens when everything and everyone comes together? This project, an outdoor living and entertainment environment anchored by an OMNIA Group Architects designed poolhouse, is a perfect example of synergy of client and a team of skilled and talented professionals and craftsman. It started with a sophisticated client looking to put in a pool - but they wanted something special and the form they decided on was a beautiful shape which blended the shapes of their land, the sun and the existing house structure (also designed by OMNIA Group Architects.) The client had toyed with the idea of a cabana / pool house of some sort and contacted us to design it. We worked together to create an indoor - outdoor experience of infinite flexibility. Featuring folding walls of glass (www.nanawall.com) this wood and stone and stucco structure seamlessly blends formality and a sleek nature inspired modern character. This essence is enhanced by neutral hues which reflect the colors of the home and the pool decking. These neutrals are punctuated by natural wood browns and subtle greens on the cabinetry. The poolhouse is comprised of an encloseable dining space, an arbor capped living space which features a fireplace for cooler fall nights, a dressing area with washer dryer and ingenious OMNIA Group Architects designed cabinetry for towels and storage and finally a cool simple powder room. A typical example of the melding of features is how the vertical grain of the grass colored bamboo bar cabinet doors mimic the tall modern grasses specified by the landscape designer, Landscape Design Group. The pool was designed and built by Armond Pools. THe project is located in Skippack, Pennsylvania.

Photo of a large modern backyard rectangular pool in Melbourne with stamped concrete.

Swim spa with custom water features
Small backyard rectangular pool in Salt Lake City with with a pool and stamped concrete.

Luxury doesn't have to equal tons of space. In fact, the inherent parameters of a small yard are a fun design challenge for the team at Big Rock Landscaping. Using neutral tones, clean lines, and a simple design, this small contemporary pool has lots of impact with ease.

This modern rectangular pool incorporates both a spa and beach style shallow lounge area. A waterfall wall offers soothing sounds to relax to while lounging poolside. Built in plaster planter boxes and white plaster walls surround the luxe backyard escape.

The clean shape of the reconfigured pool is defined by the black waterline tiles and the grey Pebble Tec Tropical Breeze interior. The slightly elevated 6’ x 7’ spa at the shallow end has a black Pebble Tec interior edged with black tile. When not in use the spa overflows into the pool and looks like a glistening sheet of black glass.

Design ideas for a large modern backyard rectangular pool in Las Vegas with a water feature and tile.

This is an example of a large modern rectangular pool in Sydney with with privacy feature and tile.

This backyard leisure retreat is the highlight of a new retirement residence for a couple in Aurora. They pursued an outdoor living lifestyle and asked Betz to include features they could enjoy throughout the day, from morning to evening. The yard may be compact, but it is brimming with aesthetic appeal and practicality.

Relaxation extends beyond the pool from loungers on the sun shelf to a hanging swing in front of a mosaic design wall and ipe wood decks. Photography by Jimi Smith.

Photo of a mediterranean pool in Charlotte with a hot tub and tile.

Black river rock and concrete slabs around modern pool with limestone coping
Photo of a small modern backyard natural pool in Tampa with a pool house and stamped concrete.