Newlin Lap Pool

This client’s hobbies of swimming and casual gardening acted as my team’s North Star as we designed a pool and surrounding gardens. Knowing that the owner wished to be able to swim day or night in the warmer months, we nestled the lap pool close to the house’s deck and screened porch, providing easy access and logical transition points for moving from indoors to out. The pool’s long and narrow shape was not only ideal for the client’s intended use but also for the difficult contours and small size of the plot. Our design team coordinated the full site planning and pool details as well as walked the project through the design, permit, and construction phases. This process involved township approvals, competitive bidding, lap pool construction, and landscape installation.

The lot’s diminutive size, odd shape, steep slopes, and poor drainage posed real challenges and required innovative solutions. To generate the illusion of a larger space, we used the “borrowed landscape” of an adjoining community common area. In other words, we extended sight lines beyond the space’s actual parameters with our selection of plantings. Rather than have an expanse of mowed turf that ended abruptly at the property line, the natural and native plantings of this home flowed seamlessly into the landscape beyond. Mixing perennials, native grasses, flowering shrubs, and evergreens, we were able to create interest, continuity, and intimacy. Secret patios and resting places dot the premises and offer new perspectives on the garden. Whether viewed from the house, outdoor sitting areas, or pool, the gardens provide texture, color and a sense of expanse, resulting in the sense of ease and relaxation that the client sought.