SARAH’S TOP TIPS FOR CREATING A RESORT STYLE POOL

What could possibly be more refreshing than plunging into a resort styled pool on a hot Australian Summer’s Day. My sentiments exactly when designing our pool at Dream Home 5 – Modern Aussie Resort

For so long, I romanticised about creating a pool area that resembled the look and feel of a resort styled Bali Villa, a tropical getaway or ‘staycation’ for my ever-revolving door of family and friends, as well as a beautiful space for my kids to enjoy with their very own friends. Perfect timing with COVID, right?

I put pen to paper and considered what made a great tropical getaway, down to every minor detail including creating a flawless pool. When it came to choosing the kind of pool ‘Modern Aussie Resort’ would have, opting for an inground concrete pool was the natural choice. The two biggest reasons (besides the bleedingly obvious) were the countless size and colour options available – I knew this would allow me to achieve the exact look and feel I was after.

POOL SIZE

The options are limitless when electing for a concrete pool; the size, shape and design. Everything is completely customisable down to the choice of steps, how many and how wide you’d like each one. You can actually even choose the length and width of the pool right down to the centimetre which was perfect for us (yes, we had to redesign our pool to make it fit – it was too big for the land available on the original plans can you believe). Another great and handy customisable feature I added to this build was a large ledge area which is perfect for younger, less confident swimmers #safetyfirst.

POOL COLOUR

When it comes to selecting the finish and colour for an inground concrete pool, the variety is unimaginable. With the particular finish I had in mind, I opted for a white tile for the waterline in combination with a glass bead mix by Designer Bead Crete for the remainder of the pool, offering a sleek appearance. Glass beads are smoother and finer in size than traditional pebblecrete AND offer you the freedom to completely design your own mix of colours, wow!

  Is smoothness important? Comfort and maintenance of course…you know how much we love low maintenance! Unfortunately, with a pool there is always some level of maintenance – they haven’t created a waterless pool yet, algae can still grow #bummer! BUT…did you know algae is quite fond of rough surfaces? Choosing this super smooth surface of glass beads gave me the upper hand at keeping pesky algae at bay. A little algae can quickly turn into a big problem with pools – it can double in size every 20 minutes.. yikes! 

I guess all those years working in pool water chemistry counts for something right?! Bet you didn’t know that about me! If you’re now picturing me in a lab coat and glasses #supersexy just know, there are definitely no lab coats left in my wardrobe.

So…I covered off the look I wanted to achieve – a resort styled pool you’d expect to see in Bali. I think it’s only fair I share how I achieved the perfect water colour at Dream Home 5! The fab team at Crystal Pools helped me create the winning combination, a custom colour just for me! Yes, you heard right, they create custom pool colours designed to your style and taste.

THE SECRET REVEALED

Ok, you twisted my arm, I’ll give away my secret ingredients list: the colour was made up of 30% green + 10% turquoise + 5% black and the remainder of the mix was clear glass beads and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I think it’s safe to say our whole house is wrapped by this pool (figuratively and metaphorically speaking) and resort styled sun lounges and umbrellas that accompany it. You know where to find us this summer!

Sarah xx