Lucky dip

The great thing about relaxing poolside at a hotel or resort is the ease of movement. Tired of swimming? Why not lie on a deck chair or curl up indoors with a book? Bringing that feeling to your home pool is more complicated. To shower and get dry, you have to be careful not to wet the floor. If you need a drink, you often have to go through a safety gate to get inside.

It is these discomforts, along with a need for boat storage and shelter, that prompted the owners of this home to commission Nigel Dong from Designgroup Stapleton Architects to design a multi-functional pool house. As well as being an entertainment centre, the building can function as a self-contained apartment, with room upstairs for guests to stay overnight.

"The idea was to equip the pool house like some 5-star resort apartments, with everything close at hand, indoor linked to outdoor," says Dong.

A kitchenette just inside the door of the pool house allows easy access to the outdoor table. A small bathroom is also provided for guests using the apartment, as well as for rinsing after a swim.

As the pool house can be seen from the street, Dong saw the need for it to have the appearance of a gate house.

"From an architectural point of view it had to be in keeping with the existing house, but have its own identity, its own presence," he says.

Cedar weatherboards of a similar tone to the brick of the main house unite the two buildings, while also echoing some weatherboard detailing on the exterior of the existing home. With a lighter weight than brick, these weatherboards give the pool house a more relaxed feel.

A glazed roof over the living area, along with wide-opening bifold doors, makes the indoor space seem like an extension to the pool area. The use of tiling indoors and out adds to this effect.

Rebecca Wilson from Earthwork Landscape Architects worked with Dong to design the entire outdoor area, including the pool house. She says the proposed position for the pool was not ideal, as it was to the south of the home.

"The new building needed to act as a sun trap as well as a shelter," she says.

Wilson chose materials that help the area seem light and warm, such as limestone paving. The pool colour was chosen from a Resene colour chart for its depth of tone, with the fibreglass finish especially manufactured for this project.

Hot and cold coloured flowering plants, such as blue dwarf agapanthus and Lithodoras, along with azaleas, yellow pokers and dwarf kowhai, surround the pool area, while nikau palms add a tropical touch.

The mosaic pool detailing by Spotty Dog Design adds a dash of elegance and a focal point to the otherwise traditionally shaped pool.

Repeated arbours over the pool gate and pool house entrance draw people from the family home into the area. A camellia hedge has been planted with the future aim of hiding the fencing, while a timber Japanese-style hot tub encourages use of the area year-round.

Story by: Trendsideas