From Garage to Pool House: Tour a Space That Channels Nostalgic Summer Style

Pools have a way of making you feel like a kid again, so when designer Natalie Papier (seen here with her son Kellen, 17, husband Alan and daughter Maddie, 14) decided to turn her garage into a family pool house, she looked to her past for inspiration. “Growing up, summers were all about the pool and getting ice cream with friends. I wanted that nostalgic feeling here,” she says. The family loves it so much, they hang out here year-round!

Natalie's color scheme throughout the space is right off an ice cream menu: a mix of peach, mint and chocolate on the inside, and bright popsicle-colored stools from Loll Designs at the outdoor bar.

Natalie designed this room to stand up to the summer elements: Wet bathing suits are no problem on the water-resistant sofa and swivel chair from Loll Designs, or on the metal tables from Fermob. The mural on the back wall was inspired by a vintage ad Natalie found at a flea market; she chose Basil by Sherwin-Williams for the ceiling to match. The “breeze blocks” are fake, painted to disguise the utility boxes!

Natalie scored this vintage storage piece on Facebook Marketplace. Before the reno, the family kept all the pool gear inside the house. Now, swimmers can get towels without worrying about dripping water: The floor is concrete, painted Sierra Redwood and Ethereal White, both by Sherwin-Williams.

Poolside entertaining is a breeze here: Accordion-style windows open to the outside bar, so Natalie and Alan can whip up margaritas or grab Topo Chicos and pass them out to guests. Natalie had the cabinets painted Slow Green by Sherwin-Williams because “it reminds me of the daiquiri ice from Baskin-Robbins I always got as a kid!”