39 Lap Pool Design Ideas

Get that umbrella drink ready. These swimming pools will transform any size outdoor space into an aquatic retreat.

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March 15, 2022

By: Carrie Hamblin and Jeff Stafford

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Lap Pool Love

Offering private-plunge fun in a trendy little package, the lap pool has become an aquatic icon with a reach way beyond exercise. The term now describes any long and narrow pool, so it can be both a style choice and the ideal immersive for a size-challenged backyard. Include a sun shelf, beach entry, integrated spa — whatever your private-oasis priorities. Infinity edges and modern overflows add visual appeal and make the water less choppy if you do want to get that butterfly practice in. Or churn up the pool deliberately with deck jets, bubblers, waterfalls and cascading scuppers. Drop it in a deck, wrap it in a patio: Lap pool installation can be in-ground, above-ground or a little of both. Serious swimmers like a pool 40 feet or longer, but your resident seal will enjoy even the smaller models with swim jets that provide a constant current to swim against. So, itty-bitty backyard and petite-patio homeowners, fret not: You can fit a lap pool there. Let us show you.

Learn More: How Much Does It Cost to Install an In-Ground Pool?

From: Debra Ackerbloom Interiors

Decadent Deck Dunks

A lap pool was the ideal inclusion for this wood-veneered island in the heart of a palm forest. Sometimes called a deck pool when it's encased like so, this aquatic runway is tiled in a zesty turquoise mosaic and situated within a short distance of all the modern home's living areas, inside and out. Practicalities include an automatic pool cover ibarely noticeable in front of the mini-me poolhouse. A third of this pool is devoted to a jetted spa, with a trio of floating pavers neatly dividing strokes from soaks.

See More of This Home: Contemporary Home Situated Between Mountains and Sea

From: Village Properties and Luxury Portfolio International®

No Yard Needed

This patio-spanning California lap pool draws an enthralling, baby-blue border between chic chateau and a free-flowing hillside. The white-tiled pool is part of the home's smooth and linear profile, and it meets the gorgeous textural greenery of its surroundings like a glamorous yet genial neighbor. No need for a separate poolside structure — a ventilated awning offers pergola attention to the pool while maintaining clean, modern lines.

See More of This Home: Modern, Eco-Chic Los Angeles Outdoor Retreat

From: Environmental Design Studio

Historical Drama

A gothic lap pool makes a romantic companion for this 1858 residence in the heart of Savannah's National Historic Landmark District. Set within a contrasting red brick patio, the concrete pool is further delineated by manicured greenery. High stucco walls offer privacy from street views, and the pool's tidy design leaves garden room for orange-tree chaperones.

See More of This Home: 1858 Savannah Mansion With Orange Orchard and Lap Pool

From: Harry Norman, REALTORS and Luxury Portfolio International®

Lakeside Laps

This modern home renovation packs a metric ton of resort fun into the original residential footprint and still leaves room to breathe. A sizeable lap pool shares its space with dry deck mates: an outdoor living room and waterside fire pit. Cozied into the stone terrace, the heated pool has an automatic cover, a side entry with a modern handrail and a waterfall spa ending. Ahhh … every day should have a waterfall spa ending.

See More of This Home: Waterside Retreats: Lake House With Industrial Detail

From: Wagner Hodgson

Second-Floor Splash

Lowcountry marshland can be admired from above while soaking in the lap pool at HGTV Dream Home 2013. This tempting teal tank is 10 feet off the ground on the upper-level wraparound deck, within view of the great room and main bedroom inside. The pool color nods to the verdant Kiawah Island forest surrounds, and it borrows the ivory hue of the home trim for natural stone coping. Four storage ottomans hold towels, robes, friends and refreshments.

See More of This Home: HGTV Dream Home 2013: Deck Pictures

Courtyard Swims

Though the backyard is spacious, owners of this California residence let a lap pool create a European courtyard for their outdoor retreat. The integrated spa in the foreground allows an uninterrupted visual experience of the pool's length. Cobblestone coping complements stone walls and terraces, joining bird's eye pea gravel groundcover for barefoot comfort. No need for umbrellas: rows of gracious mulberry trees provide dappled shade to the poolside chaises.

See More of This Home: Outdoor Oasis: Serene European-Style Courtyard

From: Paul Hendershot

Pool Table

Worried about a lack of depth in your geology? A semi in-ground lap pool, also called a raised pool, uses some above-ground space and makes a stunning presentation with modern, clean-edge construction. These city residents used a cast-in-place concrete shell to winningly water their Texas backyard, building up the lawn to meet the pool on the far side. An integrated spa on one end and an elevated ipe wood deck at the other offer multiple spots for repose, post-frolic. Don't let anyone call you shallow like it's a bad thing.

See More of This Home: Modern Denver Oasis Combines Rural and Urban Outdoor Design

From: R Design Landscape Architecture

Tropical Tub

Crowned with a spa and water feature, this canal-side lap pool is longing for leisure, with an attractive staged entry that takes up nearly half the pool. The interior is adorned in handsome white subway tile, and the clean concrete coping completes the contemporary look. Notice the narrow row of silver river rock between the pool and patio: That's actually the prettiest little drainage system you ever did see.

More inspiration: 170+ Stunning Swimming Pools from the Ultimate House Hunt

From: Craig Reynolds Landscape Architecture

Chips and Dips

You can roll out of bed and swim to breakfast at this chic residence with super sleek styling. A large lap pool enjoys half of the courtyard. The other half is furnished with a patio fire pit and seating area, sandwiched between the pool and, well, sandwiches. Paver coping provides style-consistent clean lines and hides practicalities like the automatic cover. And clever lighting design accentuates the ultramodern space. Sure, you can keep it to yourself, but this secluded courtyard is begging for a swimmable soirée.

See More of This Home: Sleek & Modern Home With a Swimming Pool

From: Elevate by Design

Southern Exposure

Savannah knows how to do a hot Southern summer, but residents of this 1897 Victorian keep their cool because they worked a lap pool into their diminutive downtown garden. The aqua pool with blue tiled upper has an understated coping of gray pavers. Edge plantings are happy to watch over black pool drains to further minimize their appearance. A concrete lion head fountain emerges from the greenery-shrouded wall to make an aquatic contribution. Even the Spanish moss thrives in this harmonious and historic urban hangout.

See More of This Home: Restored Savannah Victorian With Wisteria-Draped Veranda

From: Harry Norman, REALTORS and Luxury Portfolio International®

Sandbar

Wrapped in natural stone, this lap pool promises the same sun and stars as the beach nearby without the sand in your suit. The pool's sun shelf allows for ankle-level dips, and the ocean side is a lush border garden of colorful wildflowers and palms. Our toteable beach chairs will certainly do at the shore, but this pool's plush double loungers look a lot more inviting than regular rear-embossing recliners.

See More of This Home: Waterside Retreats: Stunning Oceanfront Deck & Pool

From: Craig Reynolds Landscape Architecture

Classic Rock

We love this exquisite luminescent lap pool in a La Jolla, California. Only partially in-ground, the pool adds depth by using enormous reclaimed pieces of stone as a surround. Coupled with the curved central entry, we are left with the captivating impression of an ancient fountain. Tall trees, flourishing vines and small bushes accompany a dry-stone wall to create a privacy border. Romantic in-pool illumination is joined by square candle lanterns poolside and farmhouse sconces on the home exterior.

See More of This Home: La Jolla Entertaining Estate With Immaculate Grounds

From: Willis Allen Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International®

Well-Rounded Personality

This Sea Island, Georgia, retreat is exquisite evidence that we are unconstrained in our lap pool designs. Not satisfied with the squared-off geometry of the typical tank, these homeowners use rounded ends and a bulging border to add more playroom to a linear lap space. The winged estate wraps around the pool, open-arm style, accommodating its curves in a gesture of regal affection. This pool also enjoys attention from a neighboring southern live oak tree and permits plenty of patio to wetlands-adjacent seating and an impressive resident bonsai collection.

See More of This Home: Idyllic Sea Island Retreat With Impeccable Landscaping

From: Harry Norman, REALTORS and Luxury Portfolio International®

Longing for Laps

Wispy wild grasses border this long-and-lean lap pool as if the ultramodern residence has been dropped into a pastoral landscape. A variegated gray waterline tile makes an attractive transition from aquamarine pool to concrete coping, and a retractable cover hides at the pergola end. Though the pool is undisputedly lap-ready, we're thinking this supermodel was a style choice.

More inspiration: 60 Posh Plunge Pools

Elevated Style

This semi in-ground lap pool uses terraces and a gently graded garden for full integration into its Mediterranean-inspired courtyard. Chiseled-edge natural stone is used on the sidewalls, steps and deck, and the pool's azure-blue mosaic tile calls to mind the crystal waters of the Aegean Sea. The pool's infinity edge cascades over a glass wall into a sunken spa.

Floatable Fountain

With Italian-garden elegance, this romantic lap pool delivers a sensational sapphire stripe to its backyard. All atmosphere and no fuss, the retractable pool cover is hardly noticeable between the stone coping and multichromatic pool tile in blues, rusts and grays. A low red-brick border wall flaunts a central bronze lion and rosette fountains to create both soothing ripples and captivating ambiance.

More fountain inspiration: 17 Fabulous Pool Fountains

From: Elevate by Design

Grand Canal Tour

Like a moat for the modern chateau, this home-hugging lap pool evokes gondola trips down the canals of Venice. Its deep aquamarine mosaic tile is capped with an understated concrete coping, and the pool is joined at the end by an elevated wood deck. Imagine backstroking this baby with the blue-sky and tree-top views only occasionally interrupted by the footbridge.

More inspiration: 67 Dreamy Pool Design Ideas

Floral Arrangements

Watered by a central vessel fountain, this idyllic garden lap pool is wrapped in a bluestone paver deck with a complementing raised wall just barely containing the lush landscaping. A raised bond beam — sometimes called a raised beam or raised wall — can give structural support, house water features and offer privacy. It does a little of everything in this private oasis, with patined copper spout fountains adding to the ambiance. The pool's French-gray interior and gorgeous marble waterline tile in Ming green blend together in an aquamarine dream. Don't worry about the suit here: those large leaf philodendrons and palms provide utter bathing seclusion.

More inspiration: 8 Refreshing Cocktail Pools for Small Outdoor Spaces

Suburban Serenity

A narrow backyard is all that's needed to accommodate this family-friendly lap pool using the home as part of the water feature. The semi in-ground installation includes an elevated terrace with seating on one side. The surround is clad with an attractive combination of square tile and river-rock mosaic. A pergola-covered brick patio houses three cascading scuppers — also called sheer descents — which travel into an elevated spillover spa and later into the lap pool. The pool's infinity edge makes the pleasure endless.

More spa inspiration: Swimming Pool Spas

Saltwater Side Yard

A little-but-luxurious lap pool is an intimate companion to a terrace-for-two in this sweet side yard. A raised wall is tiled on the diagonal and accommodates four evenly placed medallion fountains. Warm terra-cotta serves as the pool deck and patio. Border bushes are joined by black trellises to encourage ferns, orchids and climbing vines in a vertical fairytale garden.

More small-space inspiration: 15 Ways to Transform a Small Patio Into a Relaxing Retreat

Lean and Serene

Handmade tile, large planters and three waterfalls are the main features on the raised wall of this slender courtyard lap pool. Serene blues and greens in the waterline mosaic tile are accented by cheery pink, purple and orange florals in the raised beds and overflowing planters. The concrete patio pool deck transitions to pavers with grass joints at the gate, where the entry-end bistro set is shaded by a cantilevered pergola. The entire outdoor room is wrapped in an alternately trellised and wood-paneled wall with mirrored windows to multiply the magnificence.

More fence inspiration: 30 Fresh Fence Ideas

Courtyard Splash

This small backyard is packed to the gills with gaiety yet maintains a spacious feel with bright accents and constant movement. The energetic design incorporates a lap pool fed by a raised water wall. The water flows out of the pool over its glass infinity edge into a jetted spa. The next slide shows this patio from a different angle.

Find More Ideas: 67 Dreamy Pool Design Ideas

On-Ground and On-Trend

The lap pool uses a combination of warm wood decking and concrete walls capped in limestone for its elevated aesthetic, punctuating the space with white square planters overflowing with greenery. Tiptoe across the lap pool's sunken spa on floating concrete steps to reach warm ipe wood decking, and on to refreshments in an outdoor dining room and kitchen.

More water-feature inspiration: 70 Wonderful Water Features for Any Budget

Swimmable Sanctuary

What better friend to an outdoor rain barrel spa than this lagoon-like concrete lap pool in colorful mosaic underclothes. With five narrow wood planks at one end, the earth rises to meet the semi in-ground pool on the spa side, allowing soft lawn to serve as a pool deck. Note how the scale is wonderfully obscured in this secret woodland sanctuary by pairing tiny pea gravel with enormous boulders, short feathery grasses with towering mature trees.

Find More Ideas: 10 Splashy Stock Tank Pool Ideas to Copy This Summer

Stream of Consciousness

Buddha meditates at the end of this lovely garden lap pool where paver coping transitions to a flagstone pool deck. Bordered on three sides by lush lawn, the fourth is guarded by a series of dry-stone terraces, composed of stunning river rocks in a multitude of sizes and shapes and with textural plantings to add allure. Dolphin-dive into the integrated spa after exercise for your own morning meditation.

More meditation inspiration: Meditation Garden Plan

At Home on the Range

Dip into nature at this cattle-ranch-adjacent lap pool with cement paver coping and an above-ground installation. The perfect size for soaking with friends or you can turn on the swim jets to make this pool lap-ready. An organic assemblage of red flagstone provides a Southwestern-style pool patio, and a sail shade mounted on iron masts lets us escape the sun but keep the views.

Find More Ideas: 15 Patio Covering Ideas

Botanical Baths

The hydrangeas are thrilled with their garden companion — an aqua lap pool with an offset entry and integrated spa. Understated limestone coping with a bullnose edge meets a darker gray pool tile in a clean, contemporary presentation. Sprinkling streams from deck jets arc across the pool surface providing gentle movement and ambiance, and a patio of tan pavers at the spa end offers a place to leave your towel.

More water-feature inspiration: 15 Unique Garden Water Features

Raising the (Sand) Bar

With the same radiant stone tile used on pool walls and patio, it's easy to miss that this lap pool is a semi in-ground installation. The garden is graded on one side to meet the pool, joining more sandy pavers to create an elevated terrace with a central cascading scupper. The patio is perfect for two chaise lounges, and you can fit 30 more friends on the ledge created by the pool surround.

Prepare for the party: 13 Things You Need for the Ultimate Pool Day

Private Plunges

This lap pool's dark-green tile combined with the medium-blue interior create a gorgeous teal in the shade of the palms. Set within a beautiful travertine patio, this graceful garden pool is elegant in its simplicity, running the length of a white-columned veranda. The exquisite union of natural stone, pool and palms gives the impression of stepping off the veranda and into the sand before plunging into your private ocean lagoon.

More inspiration: 50 Patio Ideas and Design Tips

Hollywood Remake

The Outdoor Room with Jamie Durie went to town on a 1960s California "bach pad" (as Jamie describes it) to make it more couple-friendly, remaking the pool patio into this stylish spot to entertain friends. Jamie adds white accent tile to the lap pool and replaces the deck with modern gray pavers. He completes the design by installing gleaming white banquette seating with aqua cushions into a now-white retaining wall. This fabulous lap pool patio is ready to flaunt.

See the before and after: Beautiful Outdoor Rooms

Pool Hallways

This semi in-ground lap pool dons the corset of its space only to toss it on a lounger at the end in a big celebratory exhale. Perfectly pinched in a narrow passage, the mosaic-tiled pool's concrete surround meets a lovely warm deck on the home side and expanded party end. Its height is minimized on the property line side with a raised bed and tall plantings.

More lighting inspiration: Lighting Ideas for Outdoor Spaces

Dive-In Diva

Enormous stone stepping pads meet bright green lawn and Mexican beach pebble beds to embrace an angular semi in-ground lap pool with limestone coping in this super stylish courtyard. A raised wall with a pair of waterfalls crowns the white porcelain-tiled pool. Square wok planters and bright yellow recliners add interest and energy to a sublime retreat.

More landscaping inspiration: 40 Stunning Ways to Landscape Around a Swimming Pool

Rooftop Ripples

These city dwellers aren't missing the opportunity for sun or fun, installing a lapis-blue lap pool not in-ground or above-ground, but on-roof. Bringing a touch of rural to the urban environs, warm wood planks comprise the deck, walls, pavilion and bed. Yes, the pavilion has a bed and tie-back curtains in case you, ahem, need them.

More deck inspiration: 50 Deck Design Ideas

All the Right Angles

L is for love at this family-friendly backyard pool, with a long straight lane for the lapper and a leisure annex where the rest of us can float. Dark-blue mosaic waterline tile transitions to contemporary bullnose concrete coping. A manicured lawn borders half the pool, with a multicolored stone patio serving the rest. Encircled by beds of perennials, a classic pavilion with pergola besties offers welcome shade after a sunny afternoon swim.

More poolside structures: 36 Backyard Pergola and Gazebo Design Ideas

Fluid Features

Natural stepping stones peek through beds of clover to make a fetching flowering pool deck for this terraced backyard oasis. Stone walls and patios with landscaped beds emphasize organic texture. They are joined by smooth contemporary features of the pristine turquoise lap pool: concrete coping, square corner entry and white waterline tile.

Learn More: How Much Does It Cost to Install an In-Ground Pool?

Tide Pool

A mosaic-tile interior and wood-clad housing dress up this petite above-ground lap pool within steps of the sea. A retractable pool cover ensures quick coverups for surprise storms, and a stucco pony wall offers privacy to the pool and patio seating area. Just imagine a soothing nighttime soak under the stars, with the sound of the ocean lapping the shore. You may not be able to dive into this little dipper, but you don't have to worry about jellyfish either.

Straightforward Strokes

Slate tile serves as coping and interior in this long-and-lean suburban lap pool with a substantial side spa. The pool's modern design and no-nonsense nature is the ideal approach for an ultra-flat garden with acres of lawn. A white-framed cabana with a brick fireplace houses an outdoor living area and kitchen for coffee after laps or cozying after the spa.

More poolhouse inspiration: 32 Pool House Design Ideas

Lap of Luxury

Talented aquatects transformed a client's dated lap pool into this travertine-swaddled stunner, creating a tropical garden oasis worthy of the Mediterranean-styled residence. Variegated stone waterline tile complements the coping and deck, as well as a series of pedestal fountains, crowned with squat copper urns in a lovely green patina. Thoughtful pool lighting creates a stormy-sky glow for the pool and illuminates the flow from the cascading scuppers. An enormous stone-wrapped hot tub presides over this inviting sanctuary, putting the ahhh in spa.

See More of This Home: Mediterranean Villa Receives Sleek Pool & Spa

From: Distinguished Pools, Inc.

39 Lap Pool Design Ideas

Related To:

Shop This Look

Lap Pool Love

Decadent Deck Dunks

No Yard Needed

Historical Drama

Lakeside Laps

Second-Floor Splash

Courtyard Swims

Pool Table

Tropical Tub

Chips and Dips

Southern Exposure

Sandbar

Classic Rock

Well-Rounded Personality

Longing for Laps

Elevated Style

Floatable Fountain

Grand Canal Tour

Floral Arrangements

Suburban Serenity

Saltwater Side Yard

Lean and Serene

Courtyard Splash

On-Ground and On-Trend

Swimmable Sanctuary

Stream of Consciousness

At Home on the Range

Botanical Baths

Raising the (Sand) Bar

Private Plunges

Hollywood Remake

Pool Hallways

Dive-In Diva

Rooftop Ripples

All the Right Angles

Fluid Features

Tide Pool

Straightforward Strokes

Lap of Luxury

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