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We’re considering putting a swimming pool in our garden. What are your thoughts — do they always look a bit naff?
Shouldn’t all gardens include some kind of water feature? Be it swimming pool or bird bath, I am sure this is a common belief held by many enthusiastic gardeners, as well as garden designers. (I’ve been enjoying Sir Roy Strong’s book Garden Party recently, and he has a lot to say on the subject.)
I long for a bit of water in our garden at home in the country. I love, for example, the idea of a reflecting pond, long and thin, its shallow depths inky and dark, a mirror almost, reflections of silvery clouds dancing on its surface . . . As we rent our cottage, I think I’ll have to make do with something much less grand. More old stone trough than elegant reflecting pond, I should think.
To answer your question: no, not all swimming pools are naff. But they are not all made equal. To be totally upfront, I’m not keen on bright blue pools. I mean, yes, in a David Hockney kind of a way, they can work in the right context. If I lived in California, I could imagine myself with one, surrounded by metal loungers with mattresses in primary colours.
Generally, however, I find that luminous swimming-pool blue too abrasive and a touch . . . obnoxious. A bright blue pool in an English garden, say, will stick out like a sore thumb, and more often than not I prefer a pool that blends better with its surroundings.
I’m going to round up a few of my favourite swimming pools, which I hope might provide some helpful inspiration. A pool I think about often is the one at Asthall Manor, close to me in the country. Asthall, a Jacobean manor, was once the childhood home of the Mitford sisters, but these days plays host to sculpture exhibitions, along with various other events and courses.
The pool at Asthall is a showstopper for several reasons: it’s a natural pool, complete with waterlilies, and is surrounded by grass on all sides. Now, I adore grass running right up to a pool’s edge. Much, much nicer than sad stretches of concrete or just a tad too many tiles. At one end of the pool sits an extremely charming pool house made from wood painted pale blue and dark green, with a corrugated iron roof. It has the appearance of a miniature Swiss cottage and is the perfect accompaniment to the pool.
Also close to me in the Cotswolds is the ever-inspiring Painswick Rococo Garden, in which sits another of my favourite pools. It’s actually more of a plunge pool, with a mossy stone surround and wonderful garden view. I love this pool because it fits so snugly into its environment, nestled as it is in a shady corner, surrounded by a deep green blur of plants, trees and flowers. A visitor to the garden could almost miss it completely . . . in fact, I very much like the idea of a partially hidden pool, a surprise to discover. This romantic, grotto-ish vision certainly appeals to me much more than a giant health club-like, chemical-filled pool complete with a regiment of sun loungers.
Last, I must mention the pool at one of my favourite hotels, La Colombe d’Or in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. The backdrop here, of trees and mountains, along with the ivy-covered hotel itself, could not be more idyllic but what really makes this pool special is its green tiles, which give the water a wonderfully inviting turquoise hue: it just works so brilliantly with the surrounding old stone buildings and the planting. If the pool was bright blue, the entire effect would be ruined. In addition, the pool’s edge is adorned with a Calder sculpture, which naturally only makes the whole package even more sublime to behold.
My advice? Go down the natural swimming pond route. I believe that Asthall’s pool was converted from a regular pool to a natural one. It’s also possible to convert regular ponds into swimming pools. In my opinion, natural pools look a thousand times nicer than your regular blue versions, they’re more wildlife-friendly, and they tick my harmonious-in-the-landscape box.
As a 2018 Country Life article puts it: “With dragonflies glinting on the reeds and waterlilies drifting on the surface, they look just like a real pond and are excellent for wildlife, but allow for entry without getting mud between your toes.” (This works because chemical-free natural pools have a shallow shelf, where oxygenating plants clean the water and a barrier separates the shelf from swimmers.)
If you decide to go natural, investigate companies such as Gartenart and Clear Water Revival. Yes, I very much like the idea of a natural swimming pool. Complete, perhaps, with an 18th-century style shell grotto? I can dream . . .
If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall
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