“There’s nothing like a pool for bringing people together,” says renowned pool builder Mark Dorsey. “I built a pool for a family where the father was very disconnected from his children. A couple of months later, the mom contacted me to say thank you, because they now spent so much time in that pool with each other, splashing about and having fun.” It’s pleasurable, relaxing, good for your well-being, and two recent U.S. studies have found that swimming can even help you to live longer and aid cognitive function. Time for a dip.
Going underground
Winner of the Most Beautiful Indoor Residential Pool category in the international Pool Design Awards 2020, this serene, spotlit subterranean pool was created in the former stone-block wine cellar of a hôtel particulier (private mansion) in Bordeaux, France. Completed in 2015, the 32.8-foot x 9.8-foot (10 m x 3 m) lap pool, designed by architects Atelier Cambium, is tastefully tiled with natural slate and fitted with a clever counter-current swimming system and massage jets to keep swimmers stimulated. And when exercise is over, underfloor heating and humidity control throughout the basement make getting out of the pool pure pleasure.
ateliercambium.fr
On cloud nine
Mark Dorsey, owner of Medallion Pool Company in North Carolina, designed this exquisitely engineered infinity-edge Cloud Pool (above), which perches 3,000 feet (914 m) up in the Appalachian Mountains. So elevated is the secluded spot, it’s not unusual to swim amid wisps of cloud—hence the romantic name—although a remote-controlled heater ensures the water is warm enough to use all year round. When the sun dips down below the horizon, underwater LED lights create a magical glow, and with an integrated spa, floating chair lounge, and sunken pavilion with bar, pizza oven, and flatscreen TV, the pool deck is the perfect place for hosting a party.
medallionpool.com
Let it slide
“The desire for a home pool stems from its unique combination of comfort, convenience, and lifestyle enhancement,” says a spokesperson for U.K.-based indoor pool specialist Origin. This large, sumptuous swimming pool (left) that the company created for a family on the south coast of England effortlessly mixes a calm spa aesthetic with a stylish sense of fun. Its focal point is the high-gloss, sculptural slide created by Splinterworks. “The kids feel like they’re at a water park every time they use it,” explain the owners, although the cozy seating area, coffee station, sauna, and spa are key elements to making this space a wonderful sanctuary for the whole family.
originpools.co.uk
