9 Tips for Elevating Poolscapes With the Right Hardscape Touches

Having a private pool is the ultimate in outdoor luxury, offering the full resort experience in your own backyard. However, when you’re looking for ways to up the ante, these nine pool hardscaping tips will easily elevate your poolscape with elegant touches.

Pool Landscaping Tip #1: Directional Walkways

No doubt, your pool is the focal point of your backyard design. However, you don’t want to miss some of the other features that help pull your landscaping scheme together.

A walkway that directs the eye through different aspects of the yard creates intrigue and movement, especially when incorporating restful curves around various backyard elements.

The flow of your yard is positively impacted by wayfinding walkways that take people to different elements, whether it’s a firepit, a bench under a shady tree, your favourite flower bed, or something artful such as a sculpture.

Walkways also direct people to different areas of the pool, such as an outdoor shower, changing cabana, or lounging areas. As well, choosing paving stones that complement your pool deck pavers helps create a sense of harmony throughout your outdoor space.

Pool Landscaping Tip #2: Compelling Water Features

Water features are not only visually appealing, but can also work wonders to block out neighbourhood noise. Whether it’s loud music from noisy neighbours, traffic, or local construction, the gentle trickle of a water feature brings tranquility into your space.

Incorporating water features such as a water wall into your poolscape works beautifully at your pool’s edge, but can also be slightly shifted to create movement and interest as a backdrop to your pool area. You can create contrast with natural materials such as large rocks or a slate water wall, or use paving stones to create a more modern, elegant water feature.

Pool Landscaping Tip #3: Coping Stone Finishes

Coping stones are designed to finish various areas in outdoor spaces, including your pool edge. They are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, helping to prevent water seepage. Incorporating coping stones creates a more comfortable pool edge where people can sit with their feet in the water or ease themselves in and out of the pool.

Coping stones are also ideal to create a more organic seating area around the pool where people can sit and chat, or parents can keep watch on the kids.

Coping stones come in a wide range of sizes, colours, and styles, allowing you to seamlessly integrate them into an existing design.

Pool Landscaping Tip #4: Party Patio

The area around your pool can serve double-duty as a gathering place and lounge area. Creating a larger patio area with deck pavers makes the most of smaller backyards, allowing you to entertain poolside in a more luxurious, expansive area.

The poolside patio is very resort-chic and can become a focal point of your poolscaping, whether you choose a Park Avenue terrace feel with large yet simple concrete slabs, something more whimsical with a checkerboard pattern, or an English garden look with smaller, rustic “cobblestones.” Of course, a poolside patio is also a slip-and-fall risk, so be sure to choose a practical hardscaping material that will be safe to walk on.

Pool Landscaping Tip #5: Comforting Firepit

Night swims are one of the benefits of a backyard pool, but they can be a little chilly. The luxury of a poolside firepit provides the perfect place to dry off and relax after an invigorating dip. It also adds a pleasing contrast against the water with the warm glow of the fire and the cool blues of the pool.

Poolside firepits are easy to incorporate into your poolscape designs using coping stones and pavers. It is not only a stunning addition to your outdoor space, but also much more affordable than you might think.

Pool Landscaping Tip #6: Raised Flower Beds

Raised flower beds help protect poolside plantings from chlorine while creating a splash of colour and texture. A retaining wall topped with coping stones creates a polished look while managing the risk of petals, leaves, and soil spilling onto the path and into the pool.

You can incorporate elegant plantings such as boxwood, shrubs, or evergreens; use ground cover for low-maintenance beds; or do a mix of your favourite perennials and annuals. Whichever you choose, raised flower beds neaten your landscaping while adding depth, intrigue, and texture.

Pool Landscaping Tip #7: Consider Privacy

Features such as water walls and retaining walls can provide more privacy for your pool area. Although local building codes dictate how high these features can reach, even strategically placed lower walls help keep prying eyes away.

You can create a focal point that makes the wall feel less imposing using water or lighting. Elegant walls create a sense of separateness that makes your pool feel secluded while adding texture and interest, especially when combined with ambient lighting at night.

Pool Landscaping Tip #8: Set the Mood With Lighting

Incorporating lighting into your hardscaping is easier than ever with the introduction of advanced solar lighting. Pot lights in retaining walls, along walkways, in flower beds, accenting water features, and on stairs all add an upscale look while enhancing poolside safety.

String lights are very popular and can be installed along fences and walls to add more atmosphere and a cozier feel to your outdoor space without being overly bright.

Pool Landscaping Tip #9: Install a Poolside Bar

A poolside bar makes entertaining a breeze and can be incorporated using affordable materials such as paving stones. They create a sound base that can be topped with counter materials or natural stone pavers, tying in beautifully with your existing deck pavers.

They can also be used over a substrate such as plywood to create a unified look that is elegant and practical. When paired with the right stools and other high-end features such as a sink and fridge, you can serve up cocktails in style, taking entertaining to new levels of sophistication.

Contact the Experts at Luxe Landscape & Construction

As you can see, these hardscaping ideas add sophistication, practicality, and intrigue to your poolscaping with minimum effort and cost.

Before you start your next hardscaping design project, reach out to the experts at Luxe Landscape & Construction. You can call us at 289-800-7124 or contact us online. We’ll lead you down the right design path and ensure exceptional workmanship to create an idyllic outdoor retreat.