Before and After: 3 Reimagined Landscapes Transform Plain Pools
Landscape designers turn basic backyard pools and poolscapes into inviting outdoor areas
A backyard pool can be a bonus for many homeowners, but it’s important that the surrounding area also be appealing. When faced with three lackluster pools and poolscapes, the landscape designers below took creative approaches to give the homeowners what they wanted. The results include a plant-filled redesign, a celebration of midcentury modern style and a much-loved garden that replaced an unused pool.
After: Palimeno increased the size of the hardscape around the pool, installing beige-and-cream decking made of Blu 60 slab pavers in the texture Slate by Techo-Bloc. The pavers feel cool underfoot on hot days.
He used brick pavers that were salvaged from another part of the property to add color and contrast, and also to highlight the pool’s shape and the decking’s edge. He designed a new waterfall feature at one end of the pool as well, and incorporated a small pocket garden along one side of the pool, which helps break up the hardscape.
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He used brick pavers that were salvaged from another part of the property to add color and contrast, and also to highlight the pool’s shape and the decking’s edge. He designed a new waterfall feature at one end of the pool as well, and incorporated a small pocket garden along one side of the pool, which helps break up the hardscape.
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The enlarged pool deck allowed Palimeno to add two lounging areas. Shade lovers can relax under two oversize umbrellas at one end of the pool, where they can also enjoy the sounds of a fountain.
Two chaise lounges on the opposite side of the pool welcome sun. “We were able to take that space and make it really functional where it wasn’t before,” Palimeno says. Massed plantings create a green backdrop for the area.
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Two chaise lounges on the opposite side of the pool welcome sun. “We were able to take that space and make it really functional where it wasn’t before,” Palimeno says. Massed plantings create a green backdrop for the area.
Read more about this landscape renovation
2. New Deck and Desert Plantings
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Marina Yoakum with her husband, David, and their three sons: Max, age 16, and twins Chase and Grant, age 12
Location: El Encanto neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona
Size: 8,712 square feet (809 square meters)
Landscape designer: Prideaux Design
Landscape contractor: Desert State Landscape Construction
Before: New homeowner Marina Yoakum saw the potential in a neglected midcentury modern gem in an historic Tucson neighborhood. When it came time to rejuvenate the outdoor space, she asked landscape designer Kathryn Prideaux for a design that would reflect the home’s architecture and desert locale.
Fortunately, the pool itself had barely been touched and the original craftsmanship was still in place. “The entire interior is little round pebble tiles. There are about four or five different colors of blue, and they’re circles ranging from about three-quarters of an inch to 2 inches,” Prideaux says. “It is something that I don’t think anyone could ever touch, because it is something that nobody would do now. It is so expensive.”
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Marina Yoakum with her husband, David, and their three sons: Max, age 16, and twins Chase and Grant, age 12
Location: El Encanto neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona
Size: 8,712 square feet (809 square meters)
Landscape designer: Prideaux Design
Landscape contractor: Desert State Landscape Construction
Before: New homeowner Marina Yoakum saw the potential in a neglected midcentury modern gem in an historic Tucson neighborhood. When it came time to rejuvenate the outdoor space, she asked landscape designer Kathryn Prideaux for a design that would reflect the home’s architecture and desert locale.
Fortunately, the pool itself had barely been touched and the original craftsmanship was still in place. “The entire interior is little round pebble tiles. There are about four or five different colors of blue, and they’re circles ranging from about three-quarters of an inch to 2 inches,” Prideaux says. “It is something that I don’t think anyone could ever touch, because it is something that nobody would do now. It is so expensive.”
“After” photos by Fletcher & Co.
After: Prideaux preserved the pool and updated the surrounding landscape. She replaced the original pool deck with Desertlock pavers. The team also added new steel gates that lock for safety.
New plants show off the home’s desert style; they include the slipper plant (Pedilanthus macrocarpus, USDA zones 9 to 10; find your zone) seen here.
30 Stunning New Pools and Poolscapes
After: Prideaux preserved the pool and updated the surrounding landscape. She replaced the original pool deck with Desertlock pavers. The team also added new steel gates that lock for safety.
New plants show off the home’s desert style; they include the slipper plant (Pedilanthus macrocarpus, USDA zones 9 to 10; find your zone) seen here.
30 Stunning New Pools and Poolscapes
Prideaux also planted candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica, Zone 8) and Mexican organ pipe cactuses (Pachycereus marginatus, Zone 9), also known as Mexican fence post cactuses, evenly spacing them in a row along the wall.
Though they look small, the succulents will rapidly grow. “These Mexican fence post cactuses will fill this entire wall, and it will look amazing in just two to three years,” Prideaux says.
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Though they look small, the succulents will rapidly grow. “These Mexican fence post cactuses will fill this entire wall, and it will look amazing in just two to three years,” Prideaux says.
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Photos by Daniel Bosler
3. Lush Landscape and Hot Tub
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark Sandelson
Location: Santa Monica, California
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters)
Landscape designer: Bosler Earth Design
Before: Sometimes the best way to reimagine a poolscape is to imagine something else in its place. That was the case for Mark Sandelson, who had never liked or used the large pool that came with his Southern California home. “I’d looked at this pool for 25 years and been in it once,” he says. Instead, he wanted plants with color and height. “I want to look at something that’s soft and alive,” he says.
Sanderson asked landscape designer Catherine Bosler to remove the pool and replace it with a garden. “Being British, he loves gardens,” she says. She gave him a lush, plant-filled landscape inspired by the English countryside but filled with unthirsty plants that would thrive in the California climate.
3. Lush Landscape and Hot Tub
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark Sandelson
Location: Santa Monica, California
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters)
Landscape designer: Bosler Earth Design
Before: Sometimes the best way to reimagine a poolscape is to imagine something else in its place. That was the case for Mark Sandelson, who had never liked or used the large pool that came with his Southern California home. “I’d looked at this pool for 25 years and been in it once,” he says. Instead, he wanted plants with color and height. “I want to look at something that’s soft and alive,” he says.
Sanderson asked landscape designer Catherine Bosler to remove the pool and replace it with a garden. “Being British, he loves gardens,” she says. She gave him a lush, plant-filled landscape inspired by the English countryside but filled with unthirsty plants that would thrive in the California climate.
After: The new garden is filled with paths that weave through the plant-filled beds. Bosler also wanted to infuse the garden with color, texture and softness. To get the look while keeping things climate-friendly, she chose native and drought-tolerant plants, including many from Australia and South Africa.
Patio vs. Deck: Which Outdoor Structure Is Right for You?
Patio vs. Deck: Which Outdoor Structure Is Right for You?
Bosler also created numerous spots for lounging. A new raised deck has a great garden view and features a built-in bench and fire pit. Nearby is a new hot tub, nestled next to the house. Bosler reworked the outdoor kitchen and added a covered reading lounge and a separate covered dining spot.
She installed a small copper fountain between the deck and reading lounge. Its soothing trickle of water attracts both human and wildlife visitors. “I always want to attract hummingbirds and butterflies,” Bosler says. Native milkweed (Asclepias sp.), yarrow (Achillea sp.), grevillea and sage (Salvia sp.) provide food for the creatures. “One of the first things that happened when the project finished was that two monarch butterflies showed up. I just watched them fly in circles,” Sandelson says, adding that he immediately bought and planted milkweed seeds to attract more of them.
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She installed a small copper fountain between the deck and reading lounge. Its soothing trickle of water attracts both human and wildlife visitors. “I always want to attract hummingbirds and butterflies,” Bosler says. Native milkweed (Asclepias sp.), yarrow (Achillea sp.), grevillea and sage (Salvia sp.) provide food for the creatures. “One of the first things that happened when the project finished was that two monarch butterflies showed up. I just watched them fly in circles,” Sandelson says, adding that he immediately bought and planted milkweed seeds to attract more of them.
Read more about this landscape renovation
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Browse thousands of landscape photos
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1. Elegant New Surroundings
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their daughter
Location: Haddonfield, New Jersey
Lot size: About half an acre
Landscape designer and builder: Ledden Palimeno
Before: The inground pool in this New Jersey backyard was in good shape, but the landscape surrounding it needed help. “My clients loved the property’s location, and the house had great bones, but it had a tired, outdated concrete deck around the pool, plus a couple of old pressure-treated wooden decks that were falling apart,” says Joe Palimeno, owner of and lead designer at Leiden Palimeno.
Palimeno had landscaped the homeowners’ previous property, and they asked him to completely renovate this new space. “All we left was the pool and the driveway,” he says.
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