5 Swimming Pool Patio Ideas

During the summer, if you have a pool, you spend a lot of time by it, even if you’re just watching the kids swim. So why not enliven that pool patio area? Here are five ways to make your pool patio more inviting and appealing.

1. Add a spacious deck. According to HGTV.com, you will find numerous possibilities when designing a deck for your swimming pool. Adding a deck provides a place for swimmers to leave towels, to dry off, and to eat and relax poolside. It also helps to keep grass and dirt out of the water. Because people spend as much time poolside as they do swimming, an inviting deck by the swimming pool can really enhance its appeal for hosting cook outs, playing the role of backyard lifeguard, or even working. The deck can become a destination all its own, even for those not quite ready to jump in the water.

2. Furnish an outdoor living room. Adding outdoor furniture can make the pool patio or deck a second living room. Grouping comfortable chairs around a coffee table is all that it takes to create a wonderful place to be outside. Alternatively, long benches (with waterproof bench pads) along one side of the deck can provide plenty of seating for swimmers and spectators alike. Investing in durable, weatherproof outdoor furniture can add functionality to your pool area – family and guests will find it a comfortable spot for dining, morning coffee, game playing, conversation, or even movie night (with a projector screen).

3. How about a fireplace? If you want to enjoy your yard in the cooler weather, don’t try to huddle around a barbecue pit to stay warm. An attractive stacked stone fireplace can add a sense of ambience and enhance that outdoor living room effect. During a cool evening, watch your guests gravitate naturally to the comforting, soothing experience of a warming fire. Imagine sitting next to the fireplace on a cool evening, drinking wine and unwinding from the work day. It doesn’t get any better than that.

4. Now about that fountain...  As you add elements, your pool area gets more inviting. To mask noise from traffic and other sources, landscape designers often recommend installing a fountain, and you have a great spot for one next to your pool. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and build that lovely fountain: you can go high-end and blend it in by using the same construction materials you did for your fireplace or you can go low-budget and make a simple DIY fountain from a solar pump and a flower pot. Now on a summer evening, you can sit in your outdoor living room on the swimming pool deck and listen to the soothing sounds from the fountain. The kids are at soccer practice, it’s wonderfully quiet, and the fountain makes your time the most restful and peaceful you can imagine.

5. Go wild with plants. Lush plantings can enhance a pool patio area in a gorgeous way, and add privacy and shade as well. However, you will want to carefully consider what plants will work well in the area around your pool before digging and planting them. Basically, you want plants that can withstand pool chemicals, that do not shed, and that will not create so much shade that your pool water stays too cold for swimming. In addition to planting, you can make arrangements of potted plants and move them around to suit your preferences. Imagine sitting in pleasant shade by the pool while the kids are splashing around, surrounded by the wonderful fragrances coming from the plants that accent every part of your deck.

The family pool patio is only limited by your imagination and desires (and of course, by your budget, but that’s a topic for another time). You’ll be spending a lot of time in the pool area, so why not create a warm, inviting, and visually appealing area that makes you want to drift out to the pool, even when you aren’t swimming.

If you liked this post, find out more at  InTheSwim.com.