A pool house is a luxury that can be anything you want it to be—a guest house, rec room, lounge space, summer kitchen, bar, and dining area, yoga room, or even a home office. The size of your pool house can range from tiny to grand. Its design style can mirror the main house, offer a contrasting look that sets its own tone, or seamlessly blend into the rest of the backyard or natural landscape. On the inside, a pool house can be as simple as a dedicated lounge space or include the full range of amenities that you would find in the main house.
Check out these splashy pool houses to help you design your own ultimate backyard oasis for endless summer fun.
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Paint It Black
Design by Raili CA Design / Photo by David Tsay
This Costa Mesa, California pool house from Raili CA Design has a graphic black A-frame structure and reflective facade that mirrors the palm trees and blue skies of the surrounding landscape. A large pink typeset neon sign framed by the entry door and comfortable black lounge furniture inside and out complete the effortlessly chic design
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Consider the Setting
Design by Crisp Architects / Photo by Rob Karosis
This adorable little pool house from Crisp Architects takes its clues from its bucolic setting on a property surrounded by horse farms. The small structure has an area at the back to house pool equipment, and the front side facing the pool includes a half-bath and a wet bar. With its bold green paint, crisp white trim, and a rooftop weathervane, it looks more like a tiny barn than a pool house, perfectly at home in its rural setting.
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Keep It Zen
Design by General Assembly / Photo by Joe Fletcher
This Shelter Island, New York pool house designed by General Assembly wasn’t built to house a crowd, but tailored to the lifestyle of a mother and daughter. Set in a lush green landscape, the minimalist pool house has clean lines, shou sugi ban cedar siding, and streamlined interiors that include a living room, dining space, and yoga and meditation room.
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Channel Midcentury Style
Design by Raili CA Design / Photo by David Tsay
This midcentury-style pool house from Raili CA Design is tucked into a corner of the backyard, maximizing the available lot and allowing the structure to blend in without intruding on the spacious poolside terrace.
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Create an Oasis
Design by Matthew Carter Interiors
This dreamy St. Helena, California pool house from Lexington, Kentucky-based Matthew Carter Interiors seamlessly blends into a backyard that is landscaped to perfection with a green lawn and canopy of trees to provide shade and promote tranquility.
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Mix Old and New
Design by Joan Miquel Seguí
Spanish architect Joan Miquel Seguí created the ultimate pool house home office on the island of Mallorca. Built on the far end of a courtyard in the back of the main house, the contemporary white studio was designed to hover over the pool. With its clean lines and large windows facing the traditional home and a huge olive tree that presides over the courtyard, it’s a harmonious mix of old and new that is the stuff that working from-home dreams are made of.
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Choose a Stone Facade
Design by Jean Liu Design / Photo by Casey Dunn and Lisa Petrole
This semi-detached pool house from Jean Liu Design has a warm golden stone facade that extends to an outdoor lounge and TV area and helps the structure blend in with the rest of the home
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Make It Open Plan
Add Wood Cladding
Use Coastal Colors
Add Arched Windows
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Make It Multifunctional
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Add Indoor Outdoor Bar Seating
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Bring the Indoors Outside
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Add Classical Details
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Use Contrasting Materials
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Create a Dedicated Bar
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Make It Welcoming
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Use French Doors
Style the Bar Shelves
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Add A Murphy Bed
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Leave It Open
Add a Rest Room
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Build a Bunk Room
Incorporate Country Style
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Add a Changing Station
Make It a Rec Room