Choosing The Right Pool Colour
Choosing your pool colour is one of the most exciting parts of designing a new pool, but it can also be one of the hardest decisions to make. A colour that looks perfect in one backyard can feel completely different in another. Your home's exterior, landscaping, pool surrounds, sunlight and even the atmosphere you want to create can all influence which colour works best... And unlike choosing a paint colour, you can't simply change it later on.
Start With the Style of Your Home
Your pool should feel like an extension of your home rather than a completely separate feature in the backyard. Take cues from the colours and materials already used throughout your property. Brick, render, stone, timber, roofing, paving and concrete can all help guide your pool colour selection. A contemporary home with cooler materials and clean architectural lines may suit a completely different pool colour to a warmer country property surrounded by established gardens and natural materials.
Rather than choosing your pool colour in isolation, look at the entire exterior of the property.
Think About the Atmosphere You Want to Create
This is where personal preference really comes into play.
Do you picture a bright, fresh pool that immediately catches your eye when you step outside? Or would you prefer something deeper and moodier that blends into the landscaping? Perhaps you're drawn to softer, more natural water tones that give the backyard a relaxed, resort-like feel. There isn't necessarily a right choice but the goal is to find a colour that complements the property while creating the atmosphere you want from your outdoor space.
Remember: The Shell Colour Isn't the Water Colour
One of the most important things to understand when looking at pool colour samples is that the finished pool won't look exactly like the sample in your hand.
Once the pool is filled, water depth, reflections and surrounding light all influence the final appearance. The same pool can even appear different throughout the day.
Morning light may create a softer appearance, while direct summer sun can make the water look brighter and more vibrant. On an overcast day, the colour may appear noticeably deeper. This is why we always recommend looking at photos of our completed pools, rather than relying solely on a small colour sample.
Consider Your Pool Surrounds
What's going around the pool? Your choice of coping, paving, tiles or decking can have a significant impact on how the finished pool looks. Warm pcopers and natural stone can create an entirely different effect beside the same pool colour than pale concrete or cooler grey surrounds. If you're planning the entire backyard at once, this is where choosing materials together can be incredibly helpful. At GV Unique Pools & Landscaping we look at the pool as part of the wider outdoor environment, allowing the pool, surrounds and landscaping to work together rather than making each decision separately.
Landscaping Changes Everything
Plants bring another layer of colour and texture into the space.
A pool surrounded by lush greenery can feel very different from one positioned within a minimalist backyard with structured landscaping and architectural planting.
If you're planning significant landscaping around your new pool, consider how the eventual greenery will interact with the water colour. Sometimes the best pool colour isn't necessarily the one that stands out the most... It's the one that makes everything around it look better.
Consider Your Location Too
Where you live can also play a part in choosing your pool colour.
A pool in a landscaped backyard in town may experience very different conditions to one on a rural property surrounded by paddocks, gravel driveways, exposed soil or farmland. Dust, fine dirt, leaves and other debris will inevitably find their way into an outdoor pool and some environments naturally experience more of this than others. During the dry months, properties surrounded by paddocks, gravel roads or exposed ground can see considerably more dust settling across outdoor areas, including the pool. This doesn't mean you should choose a pool colour purely based on what might fall into it, but it's another practical factor worth considering alongside the look you want to achieve. Think about where you live, what's immediately surrounding the pool and how exposed your property is. A beautiful pool should suit not only the style of your home and backyard, but also the environment it's going to live in every day.
Look at Real Pools Before Making Your Decision
Samples are useful, but completed projects give you a much better understanding of what different colours can actually achieve. Look at pools photographed in different conditions... Full sun, shade and overcast weather and pay attention to the homes and landscaping surrounding them. If you find yourself repeatedly drawn to the same water colour across completely different projects, that's usually a pretty good indication of where your preference lies.
Bring the Whole Design Together
Ultimately, choosing your pool colour shouldn't be about following whatever happens to be popular at the moment. It's about finding something that suits your home, your backyard and the way you want the space to feel. Consider the architecture. Look at your materials. Think about your landscaping and imagine the finished backyard rather than focusing on the pool alone. And if you're struggling to picture how everything will work together, that's where our 3D pool and landscape design service can help. We can bring the different elements of your proposed outdoor space together visually before construction begins. At GV Unique Pools & Landscaping, we can guide you through the different pool colour options and help you choose a finish that works beautifully with the bigger picture. Because the right pool colour isn't simply the one that looks best on a sample... It's the one that looks like it belongs in your backyard.
Comments