I love the creativity that this designer used with the small pool designs they chose to accent the somewhat bare an boring ground level patio area. I have certainly never seen a cool modern style lap pool with so much style before. Between the cool river rock boarder and unique architectural detailing on the overhang that covers half of the design, it is a piece of outdoor artwork in itself. Despite the small size, there is actually just enough room to exercise or simple float around if that is what you choose. No to mention the fact that half is covered by the overhanging deck and half is exposed to the sun, makes the small inground pools extremely versatile if wish to stay out of the weather.

I had never thought to incorporate small pool designs in a deck above the ground until I saw these photos. It is actually a brilliant idea, especially for coastal areas like this where the soil may be harder to get a good foundation.  Above ground pools like this cost so much less than their cement counterparts and are generally much quicker to install as well (a win win this late in the season).  I think that the key to making these designs look less like cheap is to make sure you have a very high end and well designed deck surrounding them. This pool looks like it is part of the outdoor living area (as it should) rather than an after thought that was added much later.

I can't tell you how many times homeowners have asked me if they should consider small pool designs for their blah and boring backyard and my answer is just about always a resounding YES.  First of all, not only do awesome small backyard pools add monetary value to the home, but I cannot tell you how much it can increase yours and your family's quality of life.  Of course they are quite costly to install and maintain, so definitely do not take this project on if the financial requirements will put a strain on your budget.  Pools are a "want" not a "need" in my opinion.  But, if you are going to take the plunge (pun intended), definitely check out this house for some of my favorite pool ideas 2020.

Small pool designs are something that I have been seeing over and over in the landscape design world this past year.  With your typical inground pool cost being so high, I can definitely see the draw of installing a single lap lane or even a small rectangular design like this.  You still get the look and entertainment factor of a full size pool, but it is a fraction of the cost to install and maintain.  Even better, if you are into modern pool designs, I actually think that it is easier to come up with cool and unique looks when you do it in miniature form like this.

Even though I was initially looking for small pool designs, I really gravitated to this all white look with just a touch of cobalt blue in the accent tile.  Our home has a similar exterior with white stucco and black accents so, even if we are limited to small swimming pools due to our yard size, I think that we could still imitate the style of this one just on a more miniature scale. I would love to mimic the same white color of the stucco for the liner of the pool and then just bring a pop of color in through tile.  Even better, one of my favorite parts of inground pool designs, is always the under water lighting so we would want to do something really cool with ours.