Design Inspiration for Your Indoor Swimming Pool

Residential indoor swimming pool design has evolved from a standard rectangles to any shape you can imagine. Pools can be made in-ground or above ground with excessive sculptural landscaping or simple basic patio spaces. For continuity and flow, shape the pool to fit the scale and contour of your property. Size is not everything. Even on a restricted site, a small pool can make for an intimate aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. 

More substantial pools are practical for families and those who like to entertain who also have the lot size to accommodate a larger pool. However, regardless of what shape or size your pool is, you can also look at turning an outdoor pool into an indoor pool for use year round. A retractable glass roof still allows the sunshine in giving you the best of both worlds. 

Thinking of investing in an indoor swimming pool? Here are some beautiful examples to inspire your design and to showcase the different and interesting design options.

Types of Indoor Swimming Pool Design Styles

There are limitless opportunities when it comes to indoor swimming pool design; however, they all fall under these typical categories:

• Traditional Swimming Pool Design

Classic pool designs have stood the test of time. Sometimes simple and traditional are the best solution and the most cost effective. A rectangular, rectilinear, or geometric-shaped pool will be easier to build, give you maximum room for swimming- especially laps- and complements most architectural styles of homes.

• Modern Swimming Pool Design

Modern pool designs are the “new” classic pools, for those looking for something different. These pools incorporate unique features in and around the pool like, stone work, waterfalls, sports equipment like swim jets, wide inviting entry stairs, hot tubs, ledges for seating and more. The addition of high tech elements like LED lighting, fireplaces, tvs and sound systems in and around the pool, have turned traditional or classic pools into truly modern spaces.

• Freeform Swimming Pool Design

Freeform pools tend to look more like a natural pond or oasis. Between the use of extensive rock work, fountains, waterfalls, gardens and other organic features, these pools make use of curves and smooth flowing lines to create truly one of a kind spaces.

No matter what style of pool you prefer, a custom-indoor swimming pool design, framed by a retractable roof, can be the crowning glory of your yard and home. It can become the center of your families entertainment activities with people of all ages investing much of their time in the water year round. 

Homeowners often see a pool as a strong visual element, the focus of the entire landscape. When swimming pools include a multitude of water functions, specialized materials, and also exciting design features (such as a retractable roof or a fixed and/or a retractable skylight), they become indoor outdoor living spaces. 

When building a new part of your home, consider sticking to well-known service providers who have stood the test of time, and who are likely to do so in the future. Always do your homework by thoroughly researching your chosen service provider for both the pool and the retractable roof enclosure. For instance, are their clients satisfied with completed projects? Don’t be shy to ask for references. After all this is your home, so it needs to be the space you want it to be.

Beautiful Indoor Swimming Pool Design Features

• Retractable Roofs Enclosures 

Besides being able to play and swim all year round, everyone wants to enjoy a greater sense of health and well being. The ability to be in touch with nature while exercising and/or entertaining can make a tremendous difference in the satisfaction levels of everyone. 

A retractable roof can bring the best of both worlds to your pool and home and maximize usage potential. Retractable roofing allows you to enjoy your terrace, backyard, outdoor space all year round. Enjoy the warm fresh air with your roof fully opened on hot days and relax into the evening for an al fresco dinner under the stars. Or if you live in a winter climate, a retractable roof keeps the pool open year round – imagine swimming in a snowstorm! 

• Design Advantages
• Motorized retractable roofs open at the push of a button
• • Complete service and support for your roof
  • A “No maintenance” structure means your indoor pool will look like new for the life of your home
  • Custom Designed spaces are created to suit the architectural style of your home
  • You can build a complete retractable enclosure (opening walls and roof) or simply a retractable skylight depending on the design of your house. 

A retractable translucent roof that lets in the sunshine can add the “wow” factor that differentiates your pool and home from the rest. 

While doing all the work (adding both the pool and retractable roof enclosure) at one time is more economical, you can potentially plan to enclose your pool in the future if your site/budget allows. While this isn’t always recommended, and may incur additional costs, it is indeed an option. To do so you need to ensure that you design and build your pool with this plan in mind. Use the assistance of both a pool builder and a retractable roof enclosure specialist, in order to make sure that the process can go ahead smoothly in the future, items like mechanical design, site access and such will be considerations. The foundation for the future enclosure will need to be considered and possibly installed around the pool in advance, and the type and angle of the deck will need to be considered. The location of the pool equipment relative to the pool is also important in this scenario, as well as laying plumbing and electrical connections. Lastly be aware that pursuing this route may mean damage to your pool deck and landscaping during the future renovation so remember to factor in upgrades and repairs should you decide to install the building around the pool at a later date.

Retractable Skylights

Retractable skylights are unique features that completely change the ambience of your indoor pool.  They are designed for insulating your pool area from adverse weather conditions, while at the same time bringing in sunshine and fresh air. They create comfortable and peaceful spaces for all seasons. 

Advantages of Retractable Skylights

• Depending on your indoor pool a retractable skylight can be added to or designed into any space

• Unique potential selling feature for your home
• Keeps your pool area fresh eliminating the odours traditionally found in aquatic environments
• While keeping you safe and comfortable, the system also keeps the harsh environmental conditions outside and allows natural daylight in.

Creating Entertaining Areas

If you like to entertain by the poolside, space around the pool should be factored into the overall landscape for loungers, chairs, tables, and sun umbrellas. On smaller locations, a shallow shelf in the pool will provide space to park up in water loungers. You might consider adding some space in your landscaping plan for out of water activities and storage space too. 

Lagoon-Style Features 

Be motivated by nature when you design your pool. An all-natural rock waterfall creates a lagoon-style swimming pool. The appropriate plants will introduce both color and atmosphere to the pool area. Under a retractable roof the plants can grow year round. 

Customized Features

Create interesting and personalized attributes that will turn your backyard into a tropical resort or additional living room. A customized gazebo with integrated BBQ, sink, fridge, and a granite-topped bar with seating are examples of bonus areas around your pool area that can turn your backyard into another room in your house. Carefully selected additional touches will make all the difference in just how your swimming pool looks, as well as the charm it exudes. Swim-up bar stools, a fireplace, a lounge area, and a properly designed illumination plan will further enhance your indoor swimming pool design features.

Why Choose OpenAire’s Retractable Roofs for Your new indoor Pool Design? 

If you choose to enclose your pool, consider working with a retractable roof supplier, with over 30 years experience and 1000 global projects, who offers all of the following additional bonuses. 

• Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

OpenAire’s operable roof panels open and close at the touch of a button, letting in natural light and fresh air and reducing the need for lighting during the day. When the roof is open, owners can turn off their dehumidification systems, reducing energy use and costs. When roof panels are closed, the enclosure benefits from some ambient heat gain in the winter sun, meaning a little less heat is required. Lastly, thermally broken aluminum frames resist heat transfer and condensation. 

• Improved Air Quality

The abundant fresh air from OpenAire’s dynamic enclosures lets the pool 

operators keep an ideal temperature and excellent air-quality indoors, unlike traditional indoor swimming environments. Opening the roof and the walls (via doors and windows) creates a natural chimney effect, moving chemical laden air up and away from swimmers. Many pools that feature OpenAire structures report improved air quality and a more pleasant atmosphere, which encourages swimmers to take longer, more frequent stays in the pool area.

• Maintenance-Free

OpenAire’s aluminum frames are also corrosion resistant and require virtually no maintenance compared to steel structures, minimizing pool area “down-time”. Our baked-on paint technique does not require repainting and also resists rust and corrosion damage, saving owners even more on long-term costs.

Custom Designs

No matter what type of retractable roof system you need, OpenAire can create a customized indoor swimming pool design solution to suit all of your home design requirements, including unique, complicated, specialized systems that no one can match, with a range of options including:

• Retractable Roof Enclosures

Whether you are looking for an extension or renovation to your space, or an entirely new building, OpenAire can custom design, manufacture and install a retractable building environment that includes the walls and roof as well as the supporting substructure using our thermally broken framing system.

• Retractable Skylights

Don’t mistake the word skylight for a small vented window! OpenAire skylights can span up to 200 ft (ca. 60 m)! A retractable skylight brings your space to life. OpenAire can let the sunshine and fresh breezes of the outdoors into your home, with a precision-engineered, customized operable roof solution. Sometimes the architectural aesthetic of your house means you want the walls to be designed with a continuous look to the rest of the house, so you just need a big skylight, no problem! Experience the benefits of natural lighting and an outdoor atmosphere year-round. The sky’s the limit for your operable skylight.

• Fixed Skylights

OpenAire can craft the custom large format non-operable skylight solution that is right for you. A skylight may be a small addition to your roof, or the entire roof of your space. Our fixed skylights are held to the same high standards as all our retractable skylight manufacturing and installation projects. A large format skylight can dramatically change your venue. OpenAire’s state-of-the-art aluminum manufacturing process allows our team to design roofs and skylights on any size home.

No matter how big or small your home and pool will be, OpenAire can help make your indoor pool dreams come true.