Gorgeous Pools and Pool Houses

PAVILLIONS AND POOL HOUSES

NEOCLASSICAL SYMMETRY

A pool bordered by allées of olive trees leads the gaze to a Neoclassical pool house in Atherton, California. Architect Eric J. Smith worked with landscape architect Peter Cummin on the formal grounds. The pool house serves as the property’s focal point from the rear of the main house, mirroring the symmetry of the home’s Georgian facade. In FLOWER magazine’s book review of Renewing Tradition: The Architecture of Eric J. Smith, we show you the view looking from the other direction. Photo by Peter Margonelli

CONVERTED BARN

“It’s like Southern style meets Hamptons style,” says designer James Farmer. When the Martin family renovated their historic home in Oak Bowery, Alabama, an old barn on the property found a new life as a backyard pool house. A long porch across the front offers a shady respite just steps from the curved edge of the pool’s entrance, where a wide platform invites wading. See more from this home. 

PERFECT HARMONY

The Palm Beach landscape design team of Nievera Williams Design, Inc. designed the pool and garden at the 2020 Kips Bay Palm Beach team. They call the garden a “Palmetto Paradise” designed in the Mughal Style of Persian architecture. See more highlights from the Kips Bay Palm Beach house.

FIT FOR AN HEIRESS

When FLOWER magazine highlighted Hamptons florist Michael Grim in 2013, we got an exclusive peek into the Wainscott backyard of one of his clients—none other than Aerin Lauder, style and image director for the Estée Lauder Companies and founder of the luxury lifestyle brand AERIN. Grim decorated white picnic tables with blue and white hydrangeas for a pool party. 

FRENCH FROLIC

The vaulted pool house of this Dallas home with interiors by Kara Adam provides a gathering spot to escape the heat. The pool side of the pavilion features a charming eyebrow dormer. All of the outdoor furniture is upholstered in Perennials Fabrics. See more from the pavilion and this art-filled family home in “Artfully Designed.” 

FLORIDA IN THE HAMPTONS

Richard Keith Langham often serves pre-dinner drinks in the tented pavilion by the pool at his South Hampton, New York summer home. The plastic pink flamingos keep things playful and fun.

WOODLANDS GREEK TEMPLE

Designer Bunny Williams’ pool house on her 12-acre Connecticut estate is a rustic ode to a classic Greek temple. Found fallen white oak trees became rusticated versions of Greek columns. For a clever finishing touch, Williams used pinecones to fill in the pediment. The result has become an architectural landmark as well as an oft used space to entertain casually in the summer.

IN THE ROUND

Blue is a recurring theme outdoors at Grey Gardens, from the garden gates to Liz’s table linens on the East terrace. Munder-Skiles chaise longues, designed by Mark Sikes, accompany the round pool for a charming outdoor tableau. The pavilion beyond was drawn by architects Bories & Shearron. See more of Grey Gardens’ renovation.

LUSH LIFE

Architects Richard Bories and James Shearron designed the tent beside Kate Rheinstein Brodsky’s pool to serve as a temporary pool house that packs away during the colder seasons. Appointed in varying shades of green, it blends with the lush landscape. See more of Kate’s garden and outdoor entertaining tips.

POOLS FOR PLAY AND LOUNGING

RELAXED REGENCY

For landscape artist Melissa Gerstle’s work in the Fall 2020 Kips Bay Decorators Showhouse, she created a Hollywood Regency feel for the pool and patio. Poolside daybeds with sleek cocktail tables were designed by Melissa. See more of Melissa Gerstle’s designs and our Q&A with the designer.

POOL WITH A VIEW

Expansive views of rolling hills and lemon groves await those lucky enough to be invited for a swim at designer Jennifer Amodei‘s pool. Nestled in a small town in Southern California, the 30-acre property features two acres of formal gardens, as well as a pair of charming stone buildings near the pool that serve as changing cabanas.

UNEXPECTED BONUS “ROOM”

Trey and Jenny Laird assumed that a small cornfield at the end of their Hamptons property was communal. Upon discovering it was theirs, they suddenly had room for a pool and pavilion. “We created an outdoor living room where we spend most of our summer days,” says Jenny. See more Hamptons houses in an excerpt from Out East: Houses and Gardens of the Hamptons by Jennifer Ash Rudick.

POP OF COLOR

A smooth, coral-colored wall, complete with a built-in fireplace and lighting, provides a backdrop for the seating area in a poolside garden designed by Steve Martino. Low planters flank the seating area, while another planter, built around two existing palm trees, projects into the pool. 

SUBURBAN OASIS

Living space at this home with Denise McGaha designed interiors extends into a backyard oasis, with porch swings and dining areas set amid stone-lined fountains and a pool. The soothing sound and Zen-like design of the backyard pool and water features provide serenity and privacy, particularly desirable given the proximity of neighboring Highland Park houses. See Denise McGaha’s interiors from this Dallas home renovation.

GEOMETRICALLY DEFINED

Internationally renowned garden and landscape designer Fernando Wong used a geometric design of confederate jasmine to define the pool area of a Palm Beach home. 

ARIZONA OASIS

In this Steve Martino-designed garden, the pool reflects Blue Palo Verde trees, the state tree of Arizona. They bloom every spring when desert plants come alive with brilliant colors.

ICONIC STYLE

Charlotte Moss sits poolside with Daisy, one of her Cavalier King Charles spaniels, at her East Hampton getaway. The McKinnon and Harris sofa is a favorite spot to relax. Photo from the book Living Floral by Margot Shaw, FLOWER magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief

CALMING MOMENT

This Keith Williams landscape’s free-form, zero-edge pool provides a calming moment compared to the densely planted areas along the sides and front of the Jupiter Island, Florida house. Photo by Michael Stavaridis. See more from this diverse seaside garden.

RIGHT-SIZED FOR A GARDEN

Rebuilding an early 20th-century home in Birmingham, Alabama, after a fire meant major construction. Homeowners Patty B. and Dave Driscoll took the opportunity to cut the pool in half, filling it in so they would have more space to garden and entertain.

TIMELESS ELEGANCE

Hundred-year-old olive trees create a shady canopy by a pool, evoking a scene that Scott Shrader describes as “old-school glamour” in his book The Art of Outdoor Living (Rizzoli New York, 2019). See FLOWER’s book review. 

RESORT-STYLE LIVING

Australian artist Marcella Kaspar and her husband, designer Mark Cooper, built their open-air home based on the premise of five-star resort living. “We love the concept of the indoor and outdoor areas merging, so the house was oriented around a central courtyard with a pool,” says Kaspar. “This means the house is always cool in summer, and we enjoy the wonderful play of light as reflections from the water move through the interior spaces.”

BIG EASY ESCAPE

The pool at this New Orleans home is nothing short of an oasis, where Queen Palms tower overhead, poolside planters double as fountains, and mosaic containers brim with flowers and greenery.

Produced by Jason Burnett and Terri Robertson

SEE MORE OUTDOOR LIVING STYLE

• A Dozen Dream Outdoor Spaces
• Choosing Outdoor Seating
• John Carloftis: City Roofs & Country Roots
• Extend the Garden Season