The idea of being able to swim and enjoy various spa treatments whenever the mood takes you is most appealing. For those with the space and the funds to make the dream become a reality, there has never been such a fabulous range of pool and spa designs on offer. Andrew Searchfield, CEO of high-end developer and custom builder Searchfield Homes, advises,
“If delivered well, indoor pools can add a real wow factor to any home. For one client, we were recently asked to look at installing a submerging swimming pool. Fitted with a false floor that rises up from the bottom of the pool at the press of a button, owners of a pool like this can switch from having a pool room to a ballroom – making maximum use of the space.
“If you are having considerable work done on your home or, in the case of many of our clients, you are knocking down an existing property and rebuilding from scratch, this is the time to plan for an indoor pool. It can be incorporated into the wider design and will be much more cost effective. If you are planning for an indoor pool, then it’s also worth considering additional, complementary spa facilities such as steam rooms/saunas/hot tubs, to really maximise your use of the pool and the surrounding pool area.”
Searchfield Home
www.searchfieldhomes.com
First things first There are many key considerations when designing home spa facilities as Nick Sadler knows from first hand experience. As managing director of motive8, a company providing bespoke design, supply and consultancy of gym and spa facilities, he says the ideal solution on meeting a client is to have a blank canvas.
“If it’s a private dwelling then you need to find out what the key drivers behind wanting a home spa or gym are and who is going to use it. Is it a husband and wife? Do they have children? If so, how old are they? Who is going to use the space will ultimately define what the space becomes.
“Our challenge as designers is to understand or extract from the client the ideas that they have in their head, what their vision is. Our job is to then take that vision, translate it, add to it and produce a solution that fits that brief and exceeds client expectations.”
Mr Sadler advises that there is always a need to consider the worst case scenario.
“For example, if you are looking to install any kind of water feature and have small children, their safety is paramount so we may look to install a hard pool cover instead of a generic one. If the client is having a sauna, we will make sure the correct shut off is installed or timed door locks are used to avoid children from entering unsupervised by accident. As a designer, you always have to have health and safety at the forefront of your mind when making any decision on behalf of your client, particularly in a home gym scenario where they will potentially be using the facilities on their own/unsupervised.”
There are a few key trends emerging, such as infrared saunas.
“Compared to traditional Finnish saunas, they heat up really quickly making them ideal for a home environment,”
says Mr Sadler.
“They also have great respiratory benefits and help with post-workout recovery/de-stressing. Ice fountains, snow rooms and salt rooms are also becoming increasingly popular in order to achieve an all-encompassing wellbeing experience at home.
“Swimming has become a really popular form of exercise again and there are numerous options available. If you don’t have the space for a full length 20-25 metre pool to get your lengths in, then you can consider products like a swimming treadmill or an endless pool.”
motive8
www.ipmag.link/2ot9Ttx
Vitality pool or Jacuzzi? Martin Goddard is director and co-founder of Goddard Littlefair, a Londonbased interior design and architecture studio. The company is currently undertaking a landmark project for the private residential development, Southbank Place by the River Thames in London.
“We are creating two spas at different scales,”
explains Mr Goddard,
“one for the luxury Belvedere Gardens building and one to serve the overall development. The smaller one is all about what potential owners you don’t yet know might want from such a facility, based on knowledge of previous projects, the location and the marketplace. The main spa will cater for residents of 400 apartments in total and so will have many more varied purposes included within it, from spa treatments to pool and fitness outcomes, as well as beauty requirements, with each as a separately planned ‘journey’ that doesn’t cross over. Each area will also have its own design criteria and feel too.”
Mr Goddard says that vitality pools are hugely popular now for both fitness and relaxation and are definitely in the ascendant over jacuzzis.
“Hammams are also very in demand,”
he says,
“especially with a contemporary look and, if you’re clever about it, they can be incorporated in surprisingly small spaces. Something people often forget too is somewhere to serve drinks properly with water access. Once you’re inside the spa environment, you don’t want to have to leave to get refreshments.”
Goddard Littlefair
www.ipmag.link/2p8pygg
It may be that, after all things are considered, an outdoor swimming pool would better suit the layout of your property and its grounds rather than an indoor option. Bespoke Swimming Pools specialises in providing the highest quality pools for both indoor or outdoor installation. The owner of the family-run, UK business, Tony Keogh, oversees every project to maintain the high standard that its customers have come to expect, although his whole team is equally dedicated.
“It’s a big decision deciding to have a pool,”
says Bespoke Swimming Pools’ manager Kelly Keogh.
“Whether you are thinking outdoor for endless summer champagne soirees by the pool to the envy of all your neighbours, or indoor to create the whole home spa experience with decadent lighting and perhaps a steam room. Whatever your vision may be for the ultimate luxury addition to your home the whole experience should be relaxed. A tennis match of ideas bouncing backwards and forwards based on experience and new ideas will ensure a bespoke pool project created just for you.”
It’s vital that, in order to create a swimming pool that will last for many years, the whole project is planned and designed in great detail. Bespoke Swimming Pools offers advice on the optimum position of your swimming pool, the best design of pool and optimum plan for the surrounding areas. Once all this has been established, the company then moves into the construction phase. It can also provide ongoing pool maintenance after completion if required. As for recent trends in pool design, Ms Keogh says,
“We have seen clients opting for the darker pearlescent mosaic tile instead of the traditional Tobago aqua blue, which we think looks absolutely stunning. That said you cannot beat a fresh aqua pool when the sun is beaming down. Another recent popular feature is loungers being built into the pool either side of a set of roman end steps, could this be the end of the pink flamingo?”
Bespoke Swimming Pools
+44 1732 670 957
[email protected]
www.bespokeswimmingpools.com
