The Kidney Pool Can Still Be cool
Alex’s Pool – The Before
Nothing really wrong here - just not serving us the tropical oasis feel we are looking for
It’s worth repeating that if your backyard looks like this – don’t worry. Nothing is wrong with it! This just wasn’t the vibe the we were after.
The Vibe we ARE after:
Alex’s pool is a modified kidney shape and is smacked right in the middle of her back yard with minimal area on either side for seating, and a pretty pronounced slope away from the pool on all sides. That slope isn’t great for watershed towards the house, and also just doesn’t lend itself well to even seating areas – so another thing we wanted to address in the redesign.
See how all the seating is crammed up against the house - we want to free that up to capitalize on the killer view!
The history of the kidney shaped pool dates back to the Finnish architect Alvar Alto – one of the greats in modern architecture. We decided to embrace and honor that history by leaning into a more midcentury aesthetic. The existing gray concrete pavers followed the shape of the pool and called more attention to where the pool deck met the yard than the pool itself. By squaring off the deck on the sides and installing a beautiful natural shell stone paver, the pool became a feature within the deck rather than focusing on the deck itself. Win!
The pool at Villa Mairea – designed and built by Alvar Alto in 1939 Source
Another benefit of going with the lighter natural stone – it is much cooler underfoot than a gray concrete paver; Alex’s house faces west so while she gets the most killer sunsets, her pavers get baked in the Florida sun all afternoon!
To minimize the importance of the coping, we opted for a much smaller bullnose to match the thickness of the pavers. This also allowed us to expose our beautiful new waterline tile.
Waterline tile is such a fun way to add an unexpected pop of interest or color to your pool. Don’t settle for the standard selections your pool builder shows you! We chose a beautiful soft peachy-pink rectangular tile handmade in California by FireClay in the color ‘Tumbleweed’. We stacked the tile vertically (a must with the curved edges of the pool) and cannot get enough of how gorgeously it turned out!
Some shots of the progress – it’s gotta get messy before it gets good!
The finished pool deck, coping and waterline tile - who says an old pool can’t be cool again!
Stay tuned for more updates on Alex’s total exterior refresh – soon to come – new windows and doors, landscaping and some killer patio furniture!