On a hot summer day, nothing is quite as refreshing as a pool. Besides being a nice place to cool off, they add visual interest to your yard and can even become the defining feature of your outdoor oasis. Click through to get inspired — and maybe a little jealous — of these stunning pool designs.
This space is all about comfort and ease — and having fun. The pool house features sliding barn-style doors that open to a bedroom, bathroom and sauna, perfect for family and friends who visit in the summer.
Photographer: Janet Kimber
Source: House and Home August 2015
Designer: Nicholas Lewin
Make the most of water vistas with an infinity edge pool. Glass safety fences don’t hamper the view.
Photographer: Brenda Lui
Source: House and Home July 2012
A small reflecting pool looks natural in this English garden-inspired backyard. Because the pool is so small it doubles as a hot tub!
Photographer: Ted Yarwood
Source: House and Home June 2008
Designer: Angela Brown
The original idea to add a pool in this small backyard was met with disbelief, but it’s since become one of the family’s favorite parts. The fiberglass pool has a hot tub at one end, making it ideal for hot summer days and cool nights.
Photographer: Janet Kimber
Source: House and Home August 2015
Designer: Nicholas Lewin
This dreamy city garden shows that even the smallest plot can make a big splash. The compact, geometric shape of the pool makes it ideal for the tight outdoor space. Its deep, lagoon-like color adds visual drama.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House and Home September 2015
Designer: Joel Loblaw
A hot tub with an infinity edge built into the pool and a multi-tiered concrete patio makes a unique and modern statement.
Photographer: Kim Stuart
Source: House and Home July 2012
The addition of waterfalls adds intrigue to this simple backyard pool.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House and Home July 2012
Designer: Artistic Design Toronto
With the lawn running almost to the water’s edge, this pool has the look of a naturally occurring pond.
Photographer: Ted Yarwood
Source: House and Home July 2012
The clean lines of this simple Montecito, California swimming pool let the magnificent views take center stage. Chic white patio furniture and a minimalist design invite relaxed West Coast living.
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: House & Home May 2015
Designer: Bruce Gregga
Old world English charm meets modern design in this beautiful backyard. A long lap pool, sleek and contemporary, contrasts a weathered cobblestone path.
Photographer: Tracey Ayton
Source: House & Home May 2015
Nature is literally at Vancouver artist Bobbie Burgers’ doorstep. A wide pond runs around the east side of her house, bringing Zen to the entire space. The tranquil water feature is the ideal spot for her kids to play on a hot summer day.
Photographer: Kim Christie
Designer: Burgers Architecture
A sheer-descent waterfall in the pool is a fun element for swimmers, and also adds ambiance and a soothing focal point when dining on the patio to the right of the pool. A wrought-iron fence sections off a special garden for the kids with a playhouse, butterfly bushes, and edible berry trees.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home June 2009
Designer: Adam Gracey
Palm Beach’s year-round warm weather allows for gorgeous pools, like this simple green-blue one.
Photographer: Pamela Purves
Source: House & Home May 2014
Nestled in the middle of a wild country garden, this small cottage pool glistens like a gemstone. A garden gate covered in clematis and surrounded by lush hydrangeas adds charm, while sleek loungers keep the look modern. The owners were inspired by Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France.
Photographer: André Rider
Source: House & Home May 2014
Products: Landscaping, Caroline Bouchard.
A beautiful greenhouse at one end of the pool draws the eye to the foot of the backyard, creating a symmetrical vista. A garden shed can fulfill the same purpose, while storing supplies. An allée of crabapple trees on the right frames a dramatic approach to the structure.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: House & Home May 2013
At designer Sloan Mauran’s bungalow in Florida, the loggia is a true indoor-outdoor space with an open-air living and dining room — perfect for entertaining.
Photographer: Kim Sargent
Source: House & Home December 2012
Designer: Design, Sloan Mauran, Sloan Mauran Interior Design; architect, Thomas Kirchhoff, Kirchhoff Architects; landscape architect, Keith Williams, Nievera Williams Design; general contractor, Timothy Benitz, Benitz Building
“The homeowners of this gorgeous plot wanted intimate spaces that were comfortable enough for the family, but stylish and elegant enough for entertaining,” says Maureen Sedran of Mark Hartley Landscape Architects. To that end, the team designed and installed a 12-by-35-foot saltwater pool, as well as a multilevel yard that gradually descends in stages from the house. The pool’s deep, shimmering blue gives the whole yard a tropical feel.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home July 2012
Designer: Mark Hartley Landscape Architects
Furniture groupings create separate rooms in this Vancouver backyard. When night falls, guests instinctively congregate in the area around the firepit, which acts as an outdoor living room all summer. Lights in the pool, cabana and firepit area cast an ethereal glow.
Photographer: Kim Christie
Source: House & Home June 2012
Designer: Architecture and landscape design, Tony Robins, AA Robins Architects
A covered wooden walkway surrounds the interior courtyard of this Dominican Republic getaway, linking all the rooms that open onto it. Lush greenery and stately Royal palms frame the slate-lined reflecting pool and fountain.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home May 2012
Designer: Architecture, Selman & Associates; construction, Anton Casanovas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
At Monica and Michael Belcourt’s sleek, modern getaway home in the Dominican Republic’s luxe Casa de Campo resort, all the principal rooms along the front of the house open onto the pool area, which offers spectacular views of the Caribbean across a sprawling lawn.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home May 2012
Designer: Architecture, Selman & Associates; construction, Anton Casanovas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
These homeowners wanted to turn their overrun English garden into an effortless escape, so they actually swapped their lawn for a flagstone patio. Meredyth Hilton of Artistic Gardens raised the hot tub so its edging could provide extra seating. Its warm water flows into the pool — an economical way to heat it — in a waterfall effect.
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home May 2012
Designer: Meredyth Hilton, Artistic Gardens
This gorgeous escape in Magog, Quebec, is home to a family of six. Homeowner and interior designer Alyson Wood wanted a nautical, Ralph Lauren-inspired look. Surrounded by bluestone pavers, the large, elegant pool balances the size of the house and echoes its classical style.
Photographer: Monic Richard
Source: House & Home May 2012
Designer: Alyson Wood
Michael Bublé and his wife, Luisana, spend most of their time on the home’s deck, which wraps around the entire house, offering sweeping views of the city. The deck is accessible through glass doors from the open living area and principal bedroom and features a large pool and a firepit.
Photographer: Joe Schmelzer
Source: House & Home November 2011
After their three kids left home, homeowners Mike and Sandra Lawrence enlisted landscape designer André Boisvert to convert their conventional pool into a garden lagoon. André took out the slide and most of the cement paving, planted right up to the edge with lilacs, lilies, low-growing cedars and the odd rose bush, and then laid stone for a sitting area.
Photographer: Angus McRitchie
Source: House & Home October 2011
Designer: André Boisvert
The sophisticated pool garden creates a grown-up setting, with a sitting “room” shaded with a barn-beam pergola. Eventually, wisteria vines will form a ceiling.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home July 2011
Designer: Sheilagh Crandall of Gardens by MsPlants
An expansive loggia, accessed by French doors from every room, and a widow’s walk overlook the pool of designer Matthew Sapera’s summer home.
Photographer: Eric Roth
Source: House & Home July 2011
Designer: Matthew Sapera Fine Homes
A shady ipewood deck at the foot of the water wall is a secluded spot to enjoy views of nearby Lake Ontario. For a loud-yet-soothing splashing sound, the water wall was built of rough, split-face Algonquin limestone laid in a staggered and recessed pattern.
Tour this backyard on H&H TV .
Photographer: Ted Yarwood
Source: House & Home October 2010
Designer: William Mockler and William Mockler
Built on a slope, the tiered terrace steps down to an infinity-edge pool, drawing the eye to the water and trees.
Photographer: Ted Yarwood
Source: House & Home October 2010
Designer: Landscape architect, Ron Holbrook
Toronto architecture firm 3rd Uncle designed this modern home for a busy family of five, and the pool offers a serene escape year-round. The 16-foot saltwater reef tank to the left is visible from the living room as well, and casts a soft glow from the pool back into the house at night.
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: House & Home October 2010
Trend expert Karen Von Hahn’s patio is perfect for entertaining large crowds. An aluminum railing on the back deck overlooking the pool adds a dockside feel. The oversized table was made from a 19th-century French iron gate welded onto a custom steel base. Its glass top keeps the look airy and water-like.
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: House & Home August 2010
You’d never know this cottage was in Ontario and not the tropics. The soaring peaked roof of the pool house has a dramatic silhouette against the sky. Wood decking frames the pool like a boardwalk, and fiberglass sofas add a glam note.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: House & Home July 2010
Designer: Ron Carter
The pool at architect Ron Carter’s cottage is simple and stunning. Set on a high point of land, it has expansive views of the rolling hills surrounding Orangeville, Ontario.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: House & Home July 2010
Designer: Ron Carter
In this idyllic backyard pool area, a large crab apple tree offers shade, while the columnar cedar is reminiscent of a sculptural cypress tree.
Photographer: Ted Yarwood
Source: House & Home May 2010
Designer: Anthony Belcher
Landscape architect Mark Hartley designed the flagstone deck to look rough and natural, like it had been there for years.
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Source: House & Home April 2009
Designer: Landscape architect Mark Hartley
Fashion designers Joe Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran pose in their Toronto backyard. The home’s exterior, along with the terrace and cabana that surround the pool, are made of Indiana limestone with a patina finish — to make the home look older than it is. The focal point of the backyard is the 50-foot-long pool, surrounded by an axial garden design with symmetrical sightlines from the loggia.
Photographer: James Tse
Source: House & Home September 2008
Products: Planters, Design Within Reach.
Designer: Architect, Gordon Ridgely; landscaping, Ronald Holbrook.
The neoclassical façade of fashion designers Joe Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran’s house — designed by architect Gordon Ridgely with landscaping by Ron Holbrook — is elegantly clad in Indiana limestone. The terrace uses the same material for a seamless look.
Photographer: James Tse
Source: House & Home September 2008
Designer: Architect, Gordon Ridgely; landscape architect, Ron Holbrook
This Toronto home is perched on a steep grade down to the beach, so architect Sharon McKenzie designed several terrace levels to make the yard more livable.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home June 2008
Designer: Landscape design, David Mather; architect, Sharon McKenzie.
Cast-concrete walls and decks surround this angular backyard pool. A waterfall feature provides a focal point and square stepping stones create a path to the other side of the yard.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Nestled in the woods in Catskills, New York, a contemporary pool makes up for the lack of lakefront near this weekend retreat. The surrounding towering trees provide the perfect view for lounging waterside.
Photographer: Anastassios Mentis
Source: House & Home May 2015
Designer: Brendan Kwinter-Schwartz
Landscape architect Ron Holbrook wanted classic architectural details to define this Toronto yard. Two pavilions draw the eye outward from the house. A gravel area with bistro table is a casual spot to snack after a swim, with comfortable lounge chairs flanking each side of the pool. In the foreground, an upper terrace offers a more formal dining area for entertaining.
Photographer: Virginia Macdonald
Source: House & Home April 2004
Designer: Landscape architect, Ron Holbrook