Popular Swimming Pool Designs

Swimming pool designs have come a long way since their popularity began in the backyards of California. The standard rectangular or oval pools became mostly a thing of the past since creative pool designers have turned to using natural elements and visual illusions to create beautiful and unique swimming and relaxing pools.

If you are looking for an outdoor pool design and don't want to have a swimming pool that looks exactly like your neighbors, you should look into vanishing edge or infinity pool designs. These designs remove the walls around a swimming pool, giving the impression that the pool is a natural feature of the landscape.

Vanishing edge swimming pools can be designed give the illusion of a beach leading down into the water - complete with sand and gradually increasing water depth. This type of pool is perfect for throwing summertime beach parties without leaving your backyard.

Other cool types of swimming pools include the original vanishing edge pool that featured water flowing over the edge of the pool. This design is still very popular. Although it seems that the water is flowing away, it's actually collected in a hidden trough that re-circulates the water back into the swimming pool.

Natural looking waterfalls for your swimming pool can be created by using your existing landscaping or building it up from rocks or concrete shaped mini mountainsides. These waterfalls also give the illusion that the pool is just a natural piece of the landscaping and not a manmade feature. Waterfalls can be built to provide several levels of water flowing into the pool and they can be smooth and peaceful or rough and noisy like a natural waterfall. A "noisy" waterfall pool is perfect for backyard areas that are exposed to the noise of traffic or other distracting sounds. As in the vanishing edge pool, the water is re-circulated back into your swimming pool. If you can afford it, you can even have your pool's waterfall flow controlled by a remote that lets you adjust the rate of flow into the pool or turn it off altogether.

Another customizing feature of your swimming pool is a fountain. Fountains can be used to create drama and to give your pool an artistic or classic feel - or they can be as simple as a place for your kids to splash and play. Because fountains mix and re-circulate your pool water, they can actually help in keeping the water fresher and cleaner. Pool fountains are also another way to quiet distracting noises from around your swimming pool area.

Now that you know some of the alternative swimming pool designs that are available to you, you can start dreaming up your own custom shapes, sizes and features you want your pool to have. You are only limited by your imagination and the skill of your pool designer. There are many swimming pool books and websites to start your imagination working. There's no need to settle for the plain, boring swimming pool design that your neighbors have.