10 Pools That Make a Splash in More Ways Than One
As the weather heats up, few architectural features feel more seductive than a swimming pool. Whether it’s carved into rock, cantilevered over a hillside, or tucked discreetly into an urban courtyard, the best pools offer more than just a place to cool off—they create a dynamic dialogue between architecture and landscape.
In this round-up, we dive into some of the most memorable pools featured in Dwell. From a pond-like pool set into a rocky coastal landscape in Mexico to a infinity pool that stretches out over bushland in the hills above Sydney, these projects are a splash of inspiration for summer living.
In Mexico, a Modern Palapa and Pool Are Carved Into a Rocky Slope
CDM Casas de México designed this pool for a coastal home in the town of San Juan de Alima, on the western coast of Mexico, as if it were a natural pond left behind by the tides. Carved directly into the rocky slope, it blurs the line between the built forms and the wild landscape.
In São Paulo, Fernanda Marques Arquitetos Associados designed this duplex around a striking glass-walled pool that cuts across the living area. The four windows framing the aquamarine pool and verdant greenery above read as a vibrant work of art that introduces color and movement into the interior.
At Casa Caracol in Cancún, Lanza Atelier designed a rooftop pool that serves as both a refuge from the heat and a visual extension of the home’s material palette. The pool tiles mirror those used in the bathroom and kitchen, while the surrounding walls are built from locally salvaged stone embedded with fossilised seashells.
Guedes Cruz Architects designed a striking pair of intersecting swimming pools for the Wall House in Cascais, Portugal—one at ground level and another suspended above it. The upper pool is fitted with a glass bottom allowing light and movement to filter through to the patio while creating a dramatic visual dialogue between swimmers above and below.
Designed by Carter Williamson, this cantilevered infinity pool forms the centrepiece of an outdoor pavilion perched above Newport Beach in Sydney. Framed by blackbutt hardwood decking and open to sweeping views of Australia’s Northern Beaches, the pool was conceived as part of a year-round living space with both covered and uncovered zones that embraces the surrounding landscape.
At this brutalist home in Santa Bárbara de Nexe, Portugal, architect Pedro Domingos designed an infinity pool lined in white marble that extends out toward the surrounding Algarve landscape. Positioned just beyond the main living spaces, the pool enhances the home’s strong indoor–outdoor connection while amplifying its pared-back material palette of board-formed concrete and stone.
Designer Jared Frank created a saltwater pool for this 1953 ranch in Van Nuys, California, drawing inspiration from the home’s midcentury geometry. The layout echoes the chamfered angles of the house, with a circular baja shelf and orange penny tile details that reference the era’s palette. Stepping stones and scored lines connect the house to the pool. "Finding this house was like finding a treasure," says homeowner Jessica Martinez. "A lot of people who saw it wanted to tear it down. But we wanted to do right by it. The pool has become a shared social space—it’s a very good hangout."
The pool at this Vancouver home by SM Studio, sits at the heart of a sunken courtyard between the main house and detached garage/studio. Designed with board-formed concrete walls and two underwater windows, the compact plunge pool was inspired by a boutique hotel the homeowners visited in Buenos Aires. Originally, the plan was to make the entire side of the pool glass but they ended up going ahead with a more budget friendly option: two stacked windows. "Typically, people don’t have pools on a small city lot like this, so we really had to work with what we had," says homeowner Monika.
At the Dialogue House in Phoenix, architect Wendell Burnette designed the pool as "half terrace, half cool-water retreat...projected toward the canopy of the desert sky". It's surrounded by 13-foot-high white plaster walls that direct the view upwards. Small openings around the base of the wall allow light to reflect off the water and onto the walls—a mezmerising effect that shifts with the sun and time of day.
The pool at Villa Gontero in Cumiana, Italy, was designed by architect Carlo Graffi as an integral part of the home’s bold brutalist composition. Positioned just below the primary bedroom, it was one of the first private pools in the area—and intended to be accessed by diving from the balcony above. Renovated by current owners Fabian Nagel and Roberto Mazzilli, the 9.8-foot-deep pool retains its original structure and remains a striking feature of the restored 1971 home. "It’s this 1970s idea that nobody would actually do now," says Fabian. "But you know, at that time, it was all about having fun."
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