In-ground swimming pools conjure memories of backyard parties and happy splashing kids having fun in the sun, or visions of your worries floating away as you relax on a floating lounge. But a swimming pool can remain an attractive focal point in the off season, too. Here are must-have features for your Southampton, NY swimming pool.
The Pool Deck
Start with an attractive pool deck. The area around your pool needs to be safe and easy to maintain, and there’s no better material for the job than concrete pavers. This modern alternative to a poured concrete pool deck is much more beautiful and durable. Pavers come in many styles, including those that mimic the look of flagstone or bluestone - but with a non-slip surface and without the risk of spalling and cracking that can occur in natural stone. Pavers tie the pool deck into the rest of the hardscape and achieve the look of a luxury retreat.
The pool deck needs to be spacious enough to accomodate enough lounge chairs for the whole family, as well as provide plenty of space to move around safely at the water’s edge. This spaciousness can be limited to one or more sides of the pool, with the other side(s) being filled with more natural landscaping.
Related: Unique Swimming Pool Shapes and Designs to Take Your Oyster Bay, NY, Outdoor Space to the Next Level
Permanent Shade with Amenities
Patio umbrellas may be inexpensive, but they require constant repositioning to target their shade. A cabana is a more sophisticated alternative, which offers all-day shade and can protect you if it starts to rain.
Think of a cabana as an outdoor living room and you will find that you can make it feel just like one, with the addition of comfortable outdoor furniture, a fireplace, and a minibar with a beverage cooler and ice maker! Position your cabana so that it takes advantage of the best views and it will serve as a wonderful retreat on a gloomy or chilly day, too. All you need to do is grab your favorite beverage and light a fire.
Moving Water
For even more visual interest around your pool, add water jets, a sheer descent waterfall, cascading waterfall, or even a Roman-style wall fountain. Jazz up the look of your poolside at night with colored spotlights. Imagine one side of your pool as a boulder-lined natural creek with a waterfall or a retaining wall with a fountain and hanging plants. The design opportunities for adding moving water are endless, and they help to transform your pool area into a retreat.
Related: Fiberglass Pools vs. Vinyl Liner Pools - Choosing a Pool For Cold Climates in Southampton NY
Landscaping
Although grass is beautiful, from a practical standpoint, you should avoid having it too close to the pool. The chlorine in pool water damages grass. Grass clippings can get into the water and grass is notoriously slippery when it’s wet. Once the ground is saturated with water, it becomes a muddy mess.
Swimming Pool Southampton NY - Must Have Features
You can extend your pool deck to create a buffer between the pool and the landscaping or choose plants that shed their leaves or needles only minimally for the sides of the pool on which you’d like plants close by - so that you’re not constantly picking things out of the water.
If you love the idea of relaxing in a secluded lagoon, incorporate plenty of greenery around your pool. Dense plantings also provide a natural privacy screen. You can also construct a wall to shield your pool deck from the world. A beautiful masonry wall or teak slat wall can be customized any way you like, with landscape lighting, built-in seating, planters, or flowering climbing vines.
