Five Cool Swimming Pool Lifestyle Ideas

Enhance your swimming pool area with these top outdoor summer living features

It’s hard to beat outdoor living. Food tastes better when it’s eaten outside, fresh off the grill. And there’s just nothing like the feeling of falling into bed at night, relaxed and tuckered out from spending a whole day in the sun. Once you have found the perfect fiberglass pool, you can add some features into that mix that will turn your outdoor living area into an over-the-top, backyard paradise you’ll never want to leave.

Where and how do you start creating your lifestyle around your inground pool? Awesome backyard living ideas abound on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. Still, that can be a little overwhelming. So let’s narrow the possibilities with some great backyard living ideas that will enhance your swimming pool area and help make your backyard the perfect place for friends and family to hang out all summer long!

1. An outdoor kitchen. If you love to cook and entertain outdoors, a simple grill might not be enough. Adding an outdoor kitchen lets you cook your entire meal outside and chat with your guests while they enjoy the pool. Depending on how much space you have, think about adding a cooktop that has burners as well as a grill, ample counter space, and under-counter refrigeration alongside a bit of storage for utensils and plates. You’ll never have to miss any of the good times around your inground fiberglass pool.

2. A kickin’ sound system. What party is complete without a playlist? A little music can set the mood, reinforce your pool party’s theme and bring your swimming pool area to life. Outdoor speakers come in a variety of options and can be incorporated into your landscaping design. Keep in mind, most outdoor speakers on the market are weather-resistant, not weather-proof. Weather-resistant speakers are made to be mounted under a porch with some sort of protection. If amazing sound quality is important to you, reach out to a professional who can do an outdoor sound design for your backyard living space. The days of carrying a boombox around are gone. (Thank heavens because our backs can’t handle all that heavy lifting!) Pick up an inexpensive portable Bluetooth speaker, pair it with your smartphone, and get your poolside groove on.

3. A shade structure. When the sun is beating down on your backyard living area, it doesn’t matter how comfy your patio furniture is. It’s no fun to sit and sweat. Of course, it’s easy enough to jump in the pool and cool off (and you can always have your cake and eat it too by enjoying the sun and the water simultaneously on your tanning ledge or built-in beverage bench!) But the whole point of creating a backyard living area is that you can enjoy spending time both in the pool and around the pool. Having some type of shade structure over part of your pool area is a must-have. Shade helps shield non-swimming folks from the scorching sun and provides pool-goers with an opportunity to relax, dry off and reapply that all-important sunscreen. Consider a pergola or an awning. And if your structure will support it, you may want to consider adding a weather-resistant outdoor fan to up the cooling quotient and keep bugs at bay. If you can’t add a structure, at least add some landscaping that will offer shade without raining debris down into your pool and on top of your automatic pool cover.

4. An outdoor bathroom. When you have a swimming pool, it can make you cringe to watch wet people running in and out of your house, dripping water on your floors and carpet, to use the restroom. (Although it’s better than the alternative, if you know what we mean … ) You’ll also find that bugs like to hitch a ride inside every time the door opens and closes. If you have large enough pool house, consider adding a small bathroom in it to save your home from the dripping pool water. You can add a bit of your pool decor to make it fun, and keep towels and other necessities out there too.

5. An outdoor shower. An outdoor shower is another great way to enhance your backyard swimming pool area. A quick rinse to get rid of the chlorine or salt on your skin feels great before an al fresco dinner. Having a poolside shower so your guests can take a quick rinse before they swim will keep your swimming pool water healthier too. It will help eliminate body oils, lotions and hair products that can cause a scum line around your pool’s edge. And if you have swimmers coming to your pool straight from the lake, it’s doubly important that they rinse off before they hop in to avoid upsetting your pool water balance. Look for a solar-powered outdoor shower that warms the water for your guests’ comfort.

So, there you have them. Five cool ideas for enhancing your swimming pool area with outdoor summer living features that will help you, your family and your guests make the most out of your pool and every precious moment the swim season has to offer.