Plunge pools and spas are a stylish solution for small gardens. For landscaping ideas, read on to see 10 of our favorite petite pools–hot and cold, above ground and below, built on their own or in tandem with a larger swimming pool.
Photograph by Matthew Millman courtesy of Scott Lewis Landscape Architecture.
If you’re adding a spa or hot tub, add visual impact by keeping it separate from the swimming pool, says landscape architect Scott Lewis.
Northern California
Napa Valley, California
In the Napa Valley, landscape architect Scott Lewis sited a spa pool near a master bedroom and bath.
The interiors of a swimming pool and spa designed by landscape architect Mark Tessier are plastered with Pebble-Fina, an aggregate finish available in 11 colors. For more of this project, see Landscape Architect Visit: A Refined Family Garden in LA’s Pacific Palisades.
Photograph by Art Gray.
Pacific Palisades, California
Cazadero, California
Architect Olle Lundberg’s swimming pool is a former livestock watering tank made of virgin-growth redwood which he says could be 80 years old.
Photograph by Alan Owings.
Winner of the 2015 Gardenista Considered Design Awards Best Hardscape Project is a recessed hot tub that intrudes minimally on the natural surroundings in Maine, designed by Elliott + Elliott Architecture.
Maine Woodlands
Carmel Valley, California
Landscape architect Bernard Trainor worked with architects Sagan Piechota to create a serene retreat in the Carmel Valley.
Photograph by Joe Fletcher courtesy of Sagan Piechota Architecture.
Photograph by Bruce Damonte courtesy of Scott Lewis Landscape Architecture.
A spa sits adjacent to a swimming pool on a raised deck designed by landscape architect Scott Lewis.
Northern California
A spa set within the perimeter of a swimming pool by Arterra Landscape Architects was designed for a young family with a love of the land who wanted to turn...
...a tumbledown overgrown hillside into a contemporary agrarian setting for entertaining and recreation Equally important was celebrating the site through preserving all native oak trees and accentuating the panoramic views
West Marin, California
In the rolling hills of West Marin in Northern California, architects Turnbull Griffin Haesloop designed a net-zero energy use homestead with a plunge pool and hot tub sited for sun and wind protection.
A garden suite at Hotel Esencia (located on a secluded beach off Xpu-Ha Bay (half an hour from Tulum, Mexico) has its own plunge pool. For more, see Hotel Esencia: Secluded Splendor on the Maya Riviera.
Photograph courtesy of Hotel Esencia.
Tulum, Mexico