The long, narrow pool sets the tone from the first view: a rectangular in-ground pool design laid into a backyard that has been turned into a place for swimming, sitting, and moving between water and shade. Large terrace slabs frame the basin in straight lines, while the covered patio by the pool sits just to one side, close enough for a quick step out of the water. The result is not busy. It is arranged around length, edges, and clear routes from the house to the pool and back again.

Swimming, sauna, and a place to pause

The programme goes beyond the pool itself. A sauna was added to create a home spa backyard sauna setting, so the garden now holds several ways to slow down without leaving home. The pool measures 10 meters long, 4.1 meters wide, and 1.55 meters deep, which gives the water a strong horizontal presence. That long in-ground pool layout is reinforced by the placement of the surrounding paving, which keeps the eye moving along the length instead of across it.

Material choices stay close to the visual brief of the project. The Nova 100 pool from Starline is described as being made from fiberglass-reinforced vinyl ester, and the Nova Line form keeps the walls slightly less than 91 degrees. In the setting shown, that geometry matters: the basin reads as a clean, contained shape against the garden planting and the hard edges of the terrace. The grey finish, called Stunning Grey in the source text, shifts with the light and gives the water a different blue tone depending on the time of day.

A pool edge that leaves room for swimming

The owner wanted more uninterrupted water to swim in, so steps were placed on both the left and right sides. That decision keeps the center of the pool open and supports the sense of length. It also connects directly to the integrated swim against current system, called Endless Swimming in the source material. The current is described as natural, with even flow above and below the surface, and the system offers six speed settings. In practical terms, that means the pool is not only for dipping in and out; it is set up for repeated laps and a steady rhythm in the water.

Because the pool occupies a straight, measured rectangle, the steps do not break the composition. They sit at the edges and leave the main body of water clear. That is visible in the photos as well, where the pool holds its shape between the paving and the planted borders. The whole arrangement favors movement over ornament, but it never feels bare. Every line has a job: to keep the basin legible, to support the swimmer, or to connect the pool to the rest of the garden.

How the terrace and veranda work beside the water

Right beside the pool, a covered patio by the pool gives the garden a second tempo. The overhang creates a sheltered strip of shade, and its posts mark out a lounge area that sits close to the water without interrupting it. In daylight, the paved surface reads as a broad platform for reclining. In the images, the terrace slabs continue around the pool with crisp joints and straight transitions, which keeps the setting visually calm even with several functions in play.

Seating is spread across the terrace and under the veranda, where the roof line forms a clear pause between the house and the pool. From there, the view crosses the lawn, the planted borders, and the pool’s dark rim. The arrangement makes the garden easy to read: water in the middle, paving around it, and a protected sitting zone to the side. That covered patio by the pool is not an added afterthought. It is part of the spatial order of the project.

Plants, paving, and the objects that shape the garden

What softens the hard lines is the planting around them. Low borders, clipped greenery, and tufts of ornamental grass keep the edges from becoming too stark. The photos also show a fountain and sculptural elements, placed as fixed points in the landscape rather than as decoration scattered everywhere. Their presence helps set a slower pace near the pool, especially where the paving widens into the lounging zone. The garden reads as carefully composed through those small shifts in height, texture, and shadow.

The paving itself is an important visual layer. Large-format slabs run in straight seams around the basin and under the veranda, creating a clear grid against the water’s surface. A dark pool edge gives the bowl a sharper outline, while the surrounding lawn remains open and level. Together these surfaces make the backyard feel measured, but not rigid. The transition from grass to stone to water is easy to follow, and that clarity is what keeps the whole setting legible at a glance.

Light changes the pool after sunset

When the evening light comes on, the project changes character without changing shape. Underwater lighting lifts the pool from within, and the garden lighting picks out paths, walls, and planting edges around it. This modern backyard pool lighting makes the blue water stand out against the darker garden. Reflections gather on the surface and on the terrace slabs, so the hard lines of the day become softer after dusk. The basin remains rectangular, but the light gives it a second reading.

Those nighttime images are among the most revealing in the set. They show how the pool, veranda, and surrounding planting work together once the sun drops. Warm points of light sit low along the garden edge, while the water reflects a deeper blue. The covered patio by the pool becomes a shaded frame for the illuminated basin, and the rest of the garden recedes into dark foliage and small light accents. It is a quiet effect, built from contrast rather than excess.

A backyard laid out for daily use

What makes the project convincing is the way it keeps function visible. The long in-ground pool layout gives the swimmer space. The sauna adds another use without crowding the garden. The veranda offers shelter beside the water. Even the steps, current system, and lighting are not treated as extras; they are part of how the space works from one hour of the day to the next. Seen together, the elements turn a plain backyard into a place with a clear routine of swimming, resting, and moving back into shade.

From the house, the view lands on a precise composition: pool, terrace, planting, and roofed lounge area. Nothing depends on a single gesture. Instead, the project is built from measured pieces that connect through line and level. That is why the rectangular in-ground pool design holds the garden together so well. It gives the eye a strong axis, leaves room around it, and makes the water feel present whether it is viewed in daylight, at dusk, or under the pool lights.