First popularized in Europe, natural swimming pools are starting to catch on across America. Natural pools feature a unique look, but their environmentally friendly design and customization options are significant selling points.
Whether designing your natural pool this winter or dreaming of a refreshing dip in the summer, a seasoned natural pool designer can turn your boring backyard into a relaxing swimming oasis. But it’s always nice to have a couple of ideas in mind before reaching out to a designer.
That’s why we put together this quick list of 5 natural pool ideas to get your brain thinking. Ditch the boring rectangles and chlorine for something more realistic and creative this year.
What is a Natural Pool?
What if you could recreate those summertime memories of swimming by the lake every year from your own backyard?
By choosing a natural swimming pool rather than a traditional pool, you will get all of the benefits of a swimming pool without any of the chemicals getting in the way.
A natural pool is “designed to imitate pools, ponds, or other bodies of water. They can have irregular shapes, along with rocks, waterfalls, and boulders.” The most significant difference between natural pools and traditional pools, though, is their environmental impact.
Traditional pools use chlorine and other chemicals to maintain cleanliness, whereas a natural pool is filtered organically. In fact, a natural pool has little to no environmental impact thanks to its chemical-free nature.
You can also expect lower maintenance costs with a natural swimming pool as owners can skip “most of the maintenance required of a traditional pool, including chemical filtration and pH balancing.”
For unique, lower maintenance, and environmentally friendly swimming options, choosing to design your own natural swimming pool is the right choice.
5 Natural Pool Ideas
Designing a natural pool doesn’t have to be rocket science. We decided to take a look at some of Reflections’ favorite designs over the years to provide you with some inspiration to help you build the natural swimming pool of your dreams.
1. Beach and Swimmable Natural Pond
One of our favorite projects was this beach and natural swimming pool.
We wanted to create a natural backyard swimming pool that allowed their people to swim and play in the sand while remaining environmentally friendly. Our pool landscaping team stepped up to the challenge and created an amazing, natural pool.
Instead of stones surrounding the pool, our team decided to have grass and plant life meet the pool’s edges.
What’s great about this particular swimming pool is not only that it’s massive, but there is plenty of space for adults and children to hang out on the man-made beach as well.
2. Relaxing Space
Building a natural swimming pool is excellent, but what about those nights you just want to hang out by the water with some friends without getting wet?
We decided to build a Japanese teahouse that overlooks the pool for this particular client. Offer guests some snacks, maybe a drink, and a place to dry off after a nice swim.
Connected to the backyard with a wooden deck bridge, this particular teahouse also features a space in the front large enough for a picnic seat where guests can relax and enjoy the scenery.
Don’t just plan out your natural swimming pool, but think about how you can enhance the environment with small buildings nearby.
3. Tranquil Waterfall
There’s a reason why so many white noise machines feature the soothing sound of a babbling brook or flowing waterfall.
We decided to add more sound to their environment with this natural swimming pool. We built an actual waterfall in their backyard using natural rocks and a couple of construction tricks.
Replicating the look of something you would find in a stream or lake, this waterfall is designed to look and sound as natural as possible.
Remember to think about what kinds of natural sounds you might want to add to your swimming pool during the design process. Something like a soft waterfall in the background won’t only make your realistic swimming experience more beautiful but more relaxing as well.
4. Natural Scenery and Plants
Outside of the environmental, maintenance, and cost differences between a natural swimming pool and a traditional option, one thing that genuinely makes a natural pool stand out is the scenery that surrounds it.
Take what Reflections does here for an example: we added a collection of organic plants around and inside the pool itself. These lily pads add a nice touch to the aesthetic of the pool but also the cleanliness of the area.
Lily pads protect algae growth and absorb nutrients from the water to keep the water looking clear throughout the summer.
We also made a stone pathway and surrounded the swimming pool with natural grass to add to the look.
Adding natural scenery to your swimming pool is a great way to help the environment, accessorize the area, and develop your unique space.
5. Furniture
The last step to perfectly designing your natural swimming pool is to get the right kind of furniture. As you saw in our section about the cozy buildings, that family decided to put in a small picnic bench for folks to sit in.
For others, we added a couple of chairs right near the waterfall to allow folks to relax, unwind, and enjoy the soothing sounds of rustling water.
Have Your Own Natural Pool Ideas? Call Us!
We love to collaborate with our customers to create their dream natural oasis. Whether you love one of the ideas above, or have something else in mind, call us today to get in touch so you can escape to your backyard this summer.
