Schellen+ Architecten

Modern home with indoor-outdoor living and an outdoor swimming pool

Large panes of glass set the tone from the first step inside. The living spaces look straight out toward the terrace, the pool and the open ground beyond, so the modern home with indoor-outdoor living and outdoor swimming pool reads less like a closed volume and more like a house shaped around views. The site’s generous building rules and strong orientation made that connection possible, and the surrounding golf course landscape was taken into the design from the start.

A terrace that sits above the garden edge

The outdoor zone is lifted about 60 centimetres above the garden and the pool. That small step changes the way the space feels: seated at the terrace, the view clears the rim of the planting and opens further across the golf-course setting. A rectangular pool runs alongside the terrace, while the covered zone extends the use of the outdoor area beyond fair-weather hours. This is where the outdoor pool villa idea becomes visible, not as a slogan but as a layout built around a specific daily routine.

Wooden slats finish the covered terrace and return in the front elevation, where they filter views and protect privacy at the upstairs window. The rhythm of those slats gives the overhang a measured edge, especially when seen next to the smooth paving and the waterline of the pool. The house presents a more closed face toward the street, while the garden side opens wider and follows the slope, so the exterior reads in layers rather than as one fixed façade. The result is a house that keeps the garden close without exposing everything at once.

Light and shelter under the outdoor ceiling

Under the terrace roof, comfort comes from details built into the ceiling itself. A skylight is integrated above the outdoor sitting and dining area, pulling daylight into the covered space even when the sky is overcast. Outdoor ceiling heaters are set into the same overhead plane, which means the terrace can stay in use when temperatures drop. Together they turn the covered zone into a place that can hold an outdoor meal, a long conversation, or a quiet pause beside the pool without depending on a full summer day.

The outdoor ceiling does not try to disappear. It marks the space clearly, with light points, the skylight opening and the heat sources all part of the same structure. That clarity matters here, because the terrace is not an afterthought attached to the house. It is the hinge between pool, garden and interior, and it gives the whole project its practical rhythm through the year. The covered terrace with slats becomes a usable room outside, not just a shaded strip along the building.

The kitchen opens directly to the terrace

Inside, the kitchen is arranged to meet the outdoor zone head-on. It opens toward a bar, dining area and sitting area outside, so carrying a tray to the terrace is a short move rather than a detour through the house. The kitchen opening to terrace is reinforced by the broad glazing, which keeps the pool in view while everyday activities continue indoors. This direct link suits the way the owners wanted to live: meals outside, movement between inside and out, and a clear route from cooking to the terrace table.

Next to the pool area, a shower, changing room and toilet are placed where they are actually needed. That support program keeps wet feet and pool towels out of the main living areas. It also means the outdoor zone works as a complete sequence: arrive, change, eat, sit, swim, and return without crossing the whole house. The arrangement is practical, but the effect is spatial as well. The house is not just facing the garden; it is set up to use it repeatedly, in smaller everyday motions.

Panoramic windows and a view that keeps moving

Panoramic windows frame the terrace, the pool and the open landscape beyond. From the kitchen and living room, the sightline stretches across the water to the golf-course edge, and the garden feels longer than it is. The glass also softens the shift between rooms, because the same view appears from several positions rather than only from one formal seat. That repetition of outlook gives the interior its orientation. The spaces do not compete with the landscape; they borrow from it.

There is no heavy threshold here. The floor line stays clean, the opening wide, and the furniture in the outdoor zone sits close to the glass, so the inside and outside almost trade roles during the day. When the weather turns, the heaters and skylight keep the terrace active; when the sun is out, the pool and the dining area take over. The project relies on that back-and-forth. A house built around panoramic windows needs little explanation when the view is this direct.

A glass floor that sends daylight downstairs

One of the most striking moves is the glass floor in the living area. It pulls daylight down to the underground level, where a set of leisure spaces sits below the main rooms. The light opening changes the basement from a closed support zone into part of the house’s visual core. Even before you reach the lower floor, the glass underfoot hints at the spaces below and connects them to the rest of the plan. The glass floor in living area is not decorative. It redirects light where it is needed.

Downstairs, the rooms are used for fitness, ping-pong, play and a bar. Those functions would normally sit far from daylight, but the glazed opening from above gives them a different presence. The lower level feels tied to the rhythm of the living room, not hidden behind it. That shift is subtle from above and much stronger once you stand below and look up. The project uses a single cut in the floor to bring two levels into contact, and it changes how the house is read from top to bottom.

Wood, stone and softer tones inside

The interior avoids the flat black-and-white contrast the owner did not want. Instead, wood and natural stone carry much of the material weight, giving the rooms a more grounded surface language. The kitchen island, stone worktops and timber elements keep the palette varied without making it noisy. In the rooms upstairs, the same restraint continues, but the atmosphere shifts through lighter colours and the garden-facing orientation of the bedrooms. The surfaces are calm, yet they are never blank.

That choice of materials makes the house feel less like a showroom and more like a place that can absorb daily use. Stone handles the hard-working parts of the kitchen and bath areas, while timber softens edges and reflects the outdoor slats in a quieter way. Seen together, the interior and the covered terrace speak the same material language, but at different volumes. It is this repetition across levels that gives the modern home with indoor-outdoor living and outdoor swimming pool its character: not a single gesture, but a sequence of connected spaces, each one tuned to light, view and use.

Read more

Want to see more of Schellen+ Architecten? View the page of Schellen+ Architecten for even more great projects and company information.

Want to know more?

Ask Schellen+ Architecten your question

Visit website
Schellen+ Architecten
Schellen+ Architecten
Show more Contact
Luxury furniture in a spacious garden with a modern swimming pool,Water,Pool,Housing,Building,Villa,House,Swimming Pool,Jacuzzi,Mansion,Person, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Luxury living room with designer furniture ,Door,Chair,Furniture,Indoors,Housing,Building,Room,Table,Interior Design,Jar, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Luxury furniture in a spacious garden ,Housing,Building,Lobby,Indoors,Room,Mansion,Interior Design,Lighting,Flooring,Villa, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Pre sale

NEW 2026 Jubileum Edition The Best Interior Designers Benelux

Uniquely Numbered • Anniversary Edition • Limited
Order Now €125
Luxury furniture in a spacious garden with a modern swimming pool,Villa,Housing,Building,House,Mansion,Jacuzzi,Water,Pool,Grass,Outdoors, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Luxury furniture in a spacious garden ,Lobby,Indoors,Room,Housing,Building,Chair,Interior Design,Lighting,Flooring,Living Room, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Luxury furniture in a spacious garden ,Housing,Building,Indoors,Lighting,Lobby,Room,Interior Design,Chair,Furniture,Table, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Luxury kitchen with modern furniture ,Indoors,Room,Housing,Building,Kitchen,Kitchen Island,Chair,Furniture,Interior Design,Wood, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Pre sale

NEW 2026 Jubileum Edition The Best Interior Designers Benelux

Uniquely Numbered • Anniversary Edition • Limited
Order Now €125
Luxury kitchen with modern furniture ,Indoors,Room,Door,Kitchen,Interior Design,Housing,Building,Sink Faucet,Kitchen Island,Sliding Door, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Luxury bathroom with designer furniture ,Indoors,Bathtub,Tub,Interior Design,Room,Door,Bathroom,Corner,Housing,Home Decor, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Pre sale

NEW 2026 Jubileum Edition The Best Interior Designers Benelux

Uniquely Numbered • Anniversary Edition • Limited
Order Now €125
Want to know more?

Ask Schellen+ Architecten your question

Visit website
More inspiration
Luxury living room with designer furniture ,Flooring,Floor,Wood,Interior Design,Indoors,Hardwood,Housing,Living Room,Room,Furniture, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Tida Parket
Country-style wood floor with varying plank widths
Luxury bathroom with designer furniture ,Bathtub,Tub,Indoors,Room,Floor,Tile,Bathroom,Flooring,Sink,Wall, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Diepeveen Keukens en Badkamers
Modern bathroom with rain shower and freestanding bath
Luxury living room with designer furniture ,Lighting,Shop,Furniture,Corner,Table,Indoors,Reception,Interior Design,Shoe Shop,Tabletop, Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
iXtra interior architecture
New building with practice space Poperinge
Next project by Schellen+ Architecten
Strakke villa, luxe villa, design villa , Luxury, Design, Exclusive, Modern, Custom Made, Special, Beautiful
Schellen+ Architecten
L-shaped villa on a corner lot
Visit website