PERFECT POOLS

Design your pool with the changing lifestyle needs of your family.

Written by Darin Bradbury, Mint Pool & Landscape Design

It’s an exciting time when you’re considering adding a pool to your backyard. You’re thinking of all the fun and benefits ahead — from enhanced fitness to entertaining your children, family and friends – and, of course, the aesthetic appeal (and value) it will add. While there’s no shortage of pool inspiration out there, there are many design features to consider to ensure your pool provides for every age and purpose. From catering for young children who can’t swim to teenagers lounging in a spa or adults relaxing on a champagne shelf, we’ll cover the top design elements you need to consider when planning a family pool.

Underwater seating

If you have young children, pool safety is everything. To encourage water confidence and provide a safe retreat where children can play and learn to swim, underwater bench seats and shallow areas are a great design feature. Bench seating often works best when located at the side of a pool, allowing swimmers plenty of uninterrupted space to swim laps. Running a bench seat along the entire length of the long side of the pool means that the little ones always have an easy way to exit the deep end of the pool and encourages them to move into the deeper areas safely.

Oversized entry steps are an equally important feature for children (and grownups) to gradually work your way in to and out of the pool.

Anyone for champagne?

How about a champagne shelf? These are just bench seats in your pool of course but who can resist a catchy name?

Colloquially known as the ‘champagne shelf’ these are the seating areas around the perimeter of your pool that are typically 600mm deep which, as it turns out, is exactly the perfect depth for you to rest your arms and a glass of Veuve Clicquot. How convenient is that?

As much as you may want to have the ability to sit and have a drink anywhere in the pool, it's best to locate these seated spaces near social areas (such as the alfresco or spa) or, if you're lucky enough to have one, facing an amazing view.

Fun and games

As kids grow and more and more of their friends are around to enjoy the pool, there is a 100 per cent chance that pool games and water sports will be taking place.

Wherever kids can stand with their heads above the water is where they tend to gravitate, meaning the angle between the shallow end and the deep end needs to maximise the middle-depth space. Or you could choose a ‘sports pool’ design which has a shallow area at each end and the middle is slightly deeper.

We will often recommend to our clients that they maximise the width of their pool to provide space for ball games and jumping in from the sides. The more width you have, the less you’ll be stressed about them hitting their heads on the side of the pool.

A spa makes sense

We always do a bit of a spiel about spas to our clients. Being pool owners ourselves and evaluating how our clients use their pools over the years, we can tell you that a spa, although a pricey addition, will maximise the use of your pool area more than anything else.

A pool is a big investment so it makes sense to get the most you can out of that investment. Due to its smaller size, a spa can be heated quickly and used all-year-round, even in the depths of winter.

Teenagers in particular use the pool for lounging and chatting. They’re usually drawn to a spa setting for its convenient and cosy bench seating. Most modern pools include provision for a spa and they’re often the most used feature of the pool. Sporty teens (and adults) will also appreciate the warm hydrotherapy benefits of a spa.