Sunbathing season is finally upon us. While there are plenty of good ways to bask at the beach or in a park, the best quality vitamin D time is spent by a pool. All the better when that pool is surrounded by a well designed patio or deck. To get your outdoor space ready to make a big style splash during the warm months ahead, we're spotlighting 25 beautiful pool deck ideas from landscape designers and architects across the country. Take notes from these stylish hangout setups to find the right decking materials, patio lighting, and more so you can live your best outdoor life.
Maximize Green Space
A sleek swimming pool, manicured lawn, and native palm trees make this Hawaiian home designed by Catherine Kwong a modern oasis. Minimal landscaping accentuates the incredible views, but the best part of this pool area is all the lush greenery. If you love the tropical look, limit the patio and decking materials to the perimeter of the pool.
Embrace Existing Quirks
"I thought, I don’t want to fight this house; I want to go with it. It has storybook whimsy-the beautiful ivy on the brick, the magical old windows-that I couldn’t take away," says designer Leanne Ford of this LA home. Irregular stonework on the deck hugs an oblong-shaped pool that feels like a lagoon hidden in a majestic forest thanks to overflowing greenery.
Build a Transparent Enclosure
Danielle Fennoy of Revamp Interior Design worked with Morrel Landscape Associates to create this sleek pool deck for a contemporary home. A few pieces of modern furniture, clean polished concrete flooring, and barely-there glass enclosures let the geometry of the house's architecture take the spotlight.
Allow Materials to Set the Scene
Designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, this Point Dunne Malibu swimming pool makes life feel like a permanent vacation. Lawrence Bullard and architect Robbin Hayne clad the home in reclaimed barn wood for a rustic feel that dresses down the luxe furnishings and sleek lap pool.
Don't Let Size Stop You
Designer Fitz Pullins's Jacksonville, Florida, home balances a modest backyard and even smaller pool with a dramatic tree and climbing vines.
Opt for a Fun Wood Stain
Designer Tamsin Johnson Interiors, gives classic cabana-striped lounge chairs a contemporary edge thanks to whimsical umbrellas, playful side tables, and a refreshingly modern light gray stain on the wood decking.
Make It Round
Ike Kligerman Barkley designed this circular pool to play off the wave-like shingles of the pool house's show-stopping roof. The combination feels whimsical yet sophisticated and creates a softness in the landscape design that you don't get from rectangular swimming pools.
Match It to the Roof
While the pool and rippling terra cotta shingles draw us into this backyard by Nickey Kehoe, it's the climbing vines and canopy of trees that really make it pop. The symmetry between the brick patio and the clay tiles sets the foundation.
Find Clever Work Arounds
In this breathtaking Sonoma property by architect George Bevin and designer Ken Fulk, a narrow water feature surrounds the outdoor areas and eliminates the need for view-obstructing railings. It hooks around the patio and continues around the bend, feeding into a larger pool behind the house.
Use Fun Tiles
Designer Madeline Stuart gave the backyard of this SoCal home by architects Wallace Neff and John Byers plenty of personality, from the eclectic tiles lining the pool to the blooming bougainvillea and playful umbrella.