A swimming pool is just the start of unlocking the full potential of your backyard. As you begin to add different features and change the look of your landscape, make sure to consider how to connect your home and your pool. Here are some landscaping tips for achieving a cohesive design for the areas around your Babylon, NY swimming pool.
Related: 4 FUN DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR FIBERGLASS POOLS IN BABYLON AND SAG HARBOR, NY AREAS
Patio and Walkway Pavers
Give consideration to the surfaces that will make up your pool area. These are the places where you and your loved ones will spend time drying off, relaxing, entertaining, and playing. The right patio pavers will make a huge visual and practical impact on the way your pool blends in with your landscape and home.
First, consider your home's design style. Older homes tend to follow a more traditional or rustic design that could call for natural stone or the look of brick for the patio or walkway surfaces. Meanwhile, more modern homes often follow a minimalistic, contemporary style that could be best accommodated by large-format pavers with neutral tones such as grays.
When in doubt—for example, if your home features more than one architectural style—constructing your pool deck, patio, and walkways with mid-toned, moderately sized pavers will blend both modern and rustic aesthetics. A smooth flagstone-inspired paver is a good example of this transitional type of paver.
As an aside, choosing permeable pavers could be a great option for your pool area. Water tends to splash out of pools, and water that collects on the surface can present a slipping hazard. Standing water also presents other obstacles such as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. In the winter, any standing water can freeze. By using permeable pavers, the water will more easily seep into the ground where it can reenter the water supply, and your pool area will become drier and safer.
Whether a pool deck is remote from the patio (separated by landscaping and connected with a walkway) or attached, using the same types of pavers for consistency can be the best way to keep the area feeling unified. If this isn’t possible—such as if your pool addition is recent and the patio pavers are no longer available—you could opt for a complimentary style and tie the two spaces together with the following techniques.
Consistent Greenery
Shrubs and trees provide visual treats that can enhance any pool experience. They also help define spaces and provide welcome shade. Consider using a consistent row of shrubs that helps to box in the pool area and tie into the formal or informal feel of your home—for example, carefully trimmed cedars for a serene, spa-like look or free-form deciduous shrubs for a lush, tropical look. These same shrubs could also grace the front of your home; continuous landscaping like this automatically creates a cohesive look.
Expert Masonry
Tying your pool area and home can also be achieved with retaining walls. Even if your property is flat, you can use a retaining wall to create a welcoming embrace at your home’s entry, and that same wall material could be used as a “foundation” for a pool fence.
Outdoor Lighting
Modern LED light fixtures are very small and can be incorporated into masonry. Keeping the same types of lighting consistent throughout your hardscape areas will make the space feel like “one” at night, even if the hardscape materials are different.
Related: 6 DESIGN IDEAS FOR ADDING A SWIMMING POOL IN THE OLD WESTBURY AND OYSTER BAY, NY, AREAS
