Hi everyone! I’m over the moon about the response to the news about our move and home reno project- I swear the collective excitement of the internet has made this 1000X more exciting!! So basically I’m dead from excitement, it’s too much! I’m gonna resurrect myself though because there are DESIGN DECISIONS TO BE MADE!!!! We’re diving right into it with the pool. {see what I did there?!}
Anyway, do you want to know what nagging thought is waking me up at 3 am? What if I design all of these things and want to change them allll in five years?!?! GOOD GOD HOW CAN I MAKE A COMMITMENT TO A KITCHEN WHEN I CAN BARELY STAY IN LOVE WITH A THROW PILLOW?! This was triggered (heavily) by a wander I took through some secret Pinterest boards I created when we bought our San Diego house. All I could think when I was going through them was I’m really glad we didn’t do THAT!!!! And not because any of it is hideous, it’s just that design trends change and my fickle heart gets swept away easily. I actually think there’s a collective unconscious that effects design specifically. I mean, otherwise how is it that we all legitimately fall in love with things at the exact same time? Anyone study this in an Anthropologie class? {see what I did there?! HA! I’m on a roll today}
{Image via Apartment Therapy}
All of this is neither here nor there. This post is about our first major design decision (well, we’ve actually made about a million ones regarding the layout and interior but none of it is written in stone yet and the pool work is starting ASAP so it’s the first decision we can’t waffle on). Here’s the deal: the pool needs new plaster. And apparently, there are color options! This was news to me but when I started looking at dark bottom pools on Pinterest I got reallly excited! I love the idea that the water feels more lagoon-y and less turquoise pop-y. Which works for the beautiful lush Mediterranean inspired landscape I envision back there- nowhere near as tropical as what the photo has going on. But you get the idea And if the design gods have their way someday that concrete will be covered with beautiful wood decking, which would be so lovely with the lagoon-y pool. BUT, I’ve never actually see a dark bottom pool in person. AND, the design gods never did drop the piles of money into our accounts that we needed to redo the kitchen in our San Diego house, so we know how that can go…. and could I live with a lagoon-y pool without the wood deck? Lastly, the pool is insanely deep. I don’t know if it was an Olympic diver wannabee that built it but the deep end is no joke and a tiny bit terrifying. Would it end up feeling like a murder pool if we go dark and the deep end is so intense?! I DON’T KNOW!!!!!!
{Image Front + Main}
And so, I turn to you my friends. What do you think? Do we take a leap of faith and go with my design instinct and turn it into a lagoon-y pool with a charcoal color plaster or do we play it safe and stick with white? This will not be a thing that we can change without considerable trouble and expense, so we kind of need to commit and not look back. I’m super looking forward to hearing what you think… praying to the internet gods that you have strong opinions that push us over the edge one way or the other! xx- Sarah
PS- if you need a refresher about what our backyard and the pool look like, pop over here to see!
First off, I LOVE the look of it. But one thing to keep in mind is that this will make it harder to see things on the bottom of the pool (like rodents and other animals who fall in) as well as find things (like your son’s toys, and his friends’ things). Might turn into a long-term hassle — it does look so cool, though!
This was exactly my first thought too..
about the dead animals?!
ahhhh!!!! I just googled “Do dead animals sink”. THE HORROR!!!!!!!!! Turns out they will, but they float for a while first usually. I can handle missing toys but I cannot cope with wondering if there are dead animals/rodents floating around at the bottom. This is something to consider. Although to be fair we never had any animals fall into our palm springs pool….
Omg this took a turn I wasn’t at all prepared for! hahahaha!
You would definately need lights then, i just swam in mine today (not evem lagoon like) and realized after that the leaf on the bottom wasnt actually a leaf but a mouse.
That’s horrific! Lights for sure!!!
I love the look of the dark bottom pool, and i think with the rest of the design elements you mentioned, would be really spectacular. I have no experience with pools, so not sure what other considerations would come into play. Would it keep the water temperature warmer?
Thanks so much Lisa!!! In my limited research I read that they actually don’t keep the pool warmer because of the way light is refracted through the water. Although I read conflicting information on this. I don’t think it will make toooo much of a difference, and I wouldn’t mind a little warmer if it did! When we had our Palm Springs pool even in the first months of really hot weather the pool water always felt shockingly cold. So I think I prefer warmer water, and we never use the pool heater! But now I’ve got to research algae a bit more to see if that could be problematic. 🙂
I love the look as well. I think it does keep the temperature warmer, but you also have to then think about algae and pool cleaning. I grew up with a pool (white plaster), and when it was getting dirty when it got too warm for the chlorine levels, it needed to be brushed because of algae growth – and I’d imagine that would be really hard to see with a darker bottom.
Thanks so much Emily!!! I wonder if the algae grew because there was a lag in maintenance? We lived in the Palm Springs house for two Summers and never had algae- and that pool water was like a bath for at least a few months of the year! I’ll dig into this and research a bit more. Thanks so much for the heads up!!! xx
Our dark bottom pool just turned 13 and next year we’re going to have to drain and blast her clean. All it takes is a few inexperienced pool people throwing the pool shock tabs directly in and you end up with bleach spots all over the place. Overall we loved the look and never had a hard time seeing things on the bottom (13 ft at deep end). You’ll want to get the black Polaris cleaner if you’re keeping it all the time like we do overall I think we’ve experienced less staining and algae issues than our light-bottomed neighbors. And everyone comments on how much they love the look. It does stay slightly warmer but some how looks cooler : )
Thanks so much Karen, that makes me feel so much more confident about going in that direction! And I’ll be sure to ask the pool contractor about the Polaris cleaner too, thanks!! 💛
One idea instead of charcoal could be navy blue. It will still give you all the lagoon-y fe ls, but it’s an even better color.
Love that idea Sharon!!!
I love all things water: pools, lakes, oceans, my bathtub, you name it. At the same time, I am ridiculously afraid of dark water, so while I will always jump in, and refuse to leave, I am also simultaneously having a permanent panic attack the whole time. LOL. That said, a dark pool, like the ones in your pictures is ridiculously sexy, cool and vibey. Absolutely do it! You can find lost toys by installing pool lights and looking that way. Doesn’t seem very serious. But I’m confused, why charcoal and not like dark teal?
Hahahaha i hear ya!! I’m always scared in dark
water too but not so scared that I don’t go in- just scared enough that I worry the whole time 🙈. Brilliant idea about the lights though! As for the color- I didn’t consider any other than black or dark grey because I assumed that’s what I was seeing in the examples I pulled. But teal sounds beautiful too, but I wouldn’t want to see t above the water line at all. I have to talk to the pool guy about this to get my head around what it will look like. Thank you so much for your $.02!!! 💛
My grandparents have a dark bottomed pool that is also unusually deep. Growing up the deep end scared me because I have a fear of deep water, but if there were enough people in there with me I was ok. Back then I used to wish they had a bright teal pool! As an adult I now love the dark blue color, I think it looks so much more sophisticated and blends in with the greenery of her backyard beautifully. I do think it keeps the pool warmer as well, her heater has been on the fritz and with the LA heat wave the water was almost too warm without it. Also, in the 40+ years they’ve lived there no animals have ever ended up in it!
Thank you so much Colleen!!! That’s so comforting to hear! The more I think about it the more I’m drawn to the darker water but i am also haunted by the idea of critters at the bottom. So I’m SO happy to hear your family hasn’t had that issue!!!💛
Oh, I never even thought of it and have never seen one in person, however the photos are mysteriously gorgeous. How often do you have to plaster a pool? I hope it’s not too often. My only concern is if its more difficult to clean. For example wildlife is around and all types of rodemts and frog will make it in, would you be able to see them in the pool especially the deep end before the plunge?
I don’t know how often you have to replantee but not very often I don’t think!!! I don’t know about this rodent/animal thing but I’m going to talk to the person who’s doing the work and raise this concern! Thanks so much for your input!! 💛
Hi! Even in FL we’ve always had dark-bottom pools because they naturally warm the water so we get a longer season of enjoyment. Wood decks are gorgeous but WAY too much work for me! I’d rather be in the pool LOL! Unless you’re looking into a dark-bottomed pool at night or its over 50 feet deep, not sure how you could miss anything that isn’t supposed to be in there. 🙂 Love you!
We recently built a home in Rancho Santa Fe & we put a dark bottom pool. I love it. The temperature in the summer is perfect, I have never missed a rodent or whatever decides to take a dip. We didn’t do a cover because we love the reflection of the trees so some critters do hop in. Honestly, one of my favorite decisions thus far.
the dark bottom pool gives it a heavenly feeling, not to mention that it will help to keep the water warmer!