A line of light grey paving leads the eye straight to the water. In this renovated garden, the semi-inset pool in modern garden takes its place between clipped hedges, lawn strips and a compact poolhouse, so the whole layout reads as one clear outdoor sequence rather than separate parts. From the hall, the view lands on the pool first, which makes the route from inside to outside feel immediate. The rectangular outline, the low set of the pool and the neat paving joints all reinforce that direct, measured composition.

A pool placed for the slope, not against it

The garden had to deal with changes in level, and that shaped the decision to set the pool partly below ground. Instead of forcing a flat platform onto the plot, the design lets the terrain do some of the work. The semi-inset pool sits with enough height difference to make the edge read clearly, while still settling into the surroundings. Seen from the terrace, the water sits lower than the paved zone, and that shift gives the pool a grounded position without losing the long views across the greenery.

That approach also keeps the rectangular pool design visually calm. The straight basin edges, the light-coloured coping and the narrow paving strips around it create a frame that is easy to read from every side. The pool does not float on the garden; it is anchored by the same geometry that governs the rest of the layout. Even the broad lawn and the hedges along the perimeter follow that discipline, so the pool becomes the measuring point for the entire outdoor plan.

Lounge steps change the way the water edge is used

Inside the basin, the pool with lounge steps introduces a slower entry point. The wide steps descend gradually, creating shallow levels where someone can sit, pause or move further in without a sharp break in depth. That gradual change is visible in the geometry as much as in the use: the steps are read as a broad horizontal shelf before the water deepens. It gives the pool a different rhythm from a standard straight-edged basin, while keeping the overall shape tight and rectangular.

The choice of wide treads is practical, but it also leaves a strong visual mark. At the near end of the pool, the water line and the step edges make a layered composition that is easy to pick out in the photographs. Rather than a single uninterrupted void, the basin shows a sequence of surfaces: paving, coping, step, water. That sequence is what gives the pool its character in daily use, especially in the warmer months when the shallow zone becomes the place to linger.

Light grey paving and straight joints

The paving around the pool is kept light grey, which softens the contrast with the darker water and the deep green of the hedges. The slabs run in straight lines and are set with narrow joints, so the ground plane stays visually quiet. That is important here, because the garden already has several strong lines: the rectangular pool, the hedge boundaries, the poolhouse roof and the edge of the terrace. The paving holds those elements together without drawing attention away from them.

Seen close up, the surface does more than simply surround the basin. It forms a threshold between the water and the lawn, and it gives the lounge steps room to read properly. The pale tone also works against the darker vertical cladding of the poolhouse, which sits farther back in the garden. That contrast is subtle, but it helps separate the functions of the space: water at the centre, sitting area nearby, storage and shelter behind.

A poolhouse that sits quietly at the edge

The poolhouse in garden does not try to dominate the plot. Its dark vertical cladding and pitched roof make it read as a compact volume, almost a backdrop to the wider garden scene. The open side and the nearby loungers show how it is used on warm days, while the darker finish lets the light paving and pool surface stand out more clearly. In the images, it sits at the edge of the terrace rather than in the middle of the view, which keeps attention on the pool and the long green boundaries.

Because the project is built around level changes, the poolhouse also helps define the usable part of the garden. It gives the terrace a fixed point, and it creates a sheltered place beside the open water zone. The relationship between the two is simple: one volume holds the edge, the other opens the view. Together they structure the garden without needing extra gestures or ornamental detail.

Privacy comes from height, hedge and distance

Tall hedges for privacy run along the garden boundary and do most of the visual screening. They form a solid green wall behind the pool and soften the transition between the paved terrace and the wider landscape beyond. In some views, rows of planting and clipped edges reinforce that screen, while small border plants break up the base of the hedge line. The result is a garden that feels enclosed without becoming closed in, with enough depth between the pool and the boundary to keep the scene open.

The covered terrace with view is part of that arrangement too. A timber-framed sitting area appears in the images as an intermediate zone between the house and the pool, catching daylight while still giving shelter. From there, the eye moves across the paving, over the water and into the hedge line. It is a direct route, and the garden uses it well: every element is placed so the sightline stays clear, even when the space is being used for lounging or moving around the basin.

What the waterline leaves visible

Several detail images show the ribbed pool cover visible near the basin, and that detail matters because it reminds you this is a working garden as well as a composed one. The cover sits low and long beside the water, with a textured surface that contrasts with the smooth pool shell and the cut edges of the paving. It is not hidden away. Instead, it becomes part of the visual rhythm at the edge of the pool, especially in close-up views where the geometry of the ribs and the coping stones are read together.

That same close framing brings out the pool’s construction more clearly. The light grey shell, the clean corner lines and the set-back position in the ground all show how carefully the basin was placed within the terrain. Nothing is overstated. The garden relies on proportion, edge control and the relationship between levels. Even the smallest shift in height, from terrace to step to water, is used to keep the composition legible.

An outdoor room built around sightlines

What makes the project convincing is the way the pool sits inside the broader renovation. The house, with its renewed roof and refined surfaces, is reflected in the garden through straight lines, pale paving and a restrained material palette. The rectangular pool design becomes the centre of that response, not because it is loud, but because it gives the whole plot a clear orientation. From the entrance view to the terrace edge, everything points back to the water.

That clarity is what allows the garden to hold several different uses at once: swimming, sitting, shelter and circulation. The semi-inset pool, the lounge steps, the poolhouse and the hedge walls each take a defined role. Nothing feels added at the end. The plot now reads as a single outdoor sequence, shaped by level changes, straight paving and long, controlled views across the green boundary.

Landscape architect: ARCHI-VERDE
Architectural practice: Blockx, Peeters & Van Loovere