ELRE
Luxury pools, garden and outdoor living
The pool as architecture of water, the garden as an outdoor room. How we design luxury pools and outdoor spaces that are beautiful, sustainable and easy to run.
Luxury pools: the architecture of water
Luxury pools are architecture: sheets of water that reflect the villa, extend the living room towards the landscape and become the centre of outdoor life. A well-designed pool looks as if it was born with the house; a pool added later remains a foreign object in the garden.
In this guide we explain how we design luxury pools and outdoor spaces: form, overflow edge, finishes, water treatment, heating, safety, garden, irrigation, robots and furniture.
Form and position
The position of the pool is decided together with the villa: oriented to the sun, sheltered from the wind, visible from the living room, connected to the wellness area and the outdoor kitchen. In minimalist villas we prefer clean rectangular forms, aligned with the volumes of the house, with the edge flush with the paving.
Length depends on use: a pool for swimming needs at least one long, narrow basin; a pool for relaxing can be more compact, with steps and submerged seats. Many luxury pools combine the two: a lane for swimming and a shallow area for lounging in the water.
Overflow, skimmer and flush edge
In overflow pools the water reaches the edge and spills into a perimeter grille or a hidden balance tank: the surface of the water is perfectly level with the floor and reflects the sky. In skimmer pools the water stays a few centimetres below the edge and is drawn off through inlets: a simpler solution.
An overflow on one side, towards the landscape, creates the effect of an edgeless pool that merges with the horizon. It is the most scenographic solution for luxury pools, but it requires a structure and installation designed with great precision.
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The Villa Edit
The method and the 12 systems
Structure and passive house
Building system and Passivhaus
Windows and glazing
Windows, sliding doors, doors
Energy, air and water
Heat pump, ventilation, solar
Natural stone
Marble, travertine, wood
Porcelain tiles
Large slabs inside and out
Lighting
Designing the light
Luxury kitchens
Kitchen, appliances, compost
Bathroom, spa and wellness
Master bathroom, sauna, recovery
Furniture
Living, bedrooms, walk-in closets
Pools and gardens
Outdoor, landscape, robots
Home automation and security
One system for the whole house
Art and objects
Collections and signature pieces
Private service
Private consultation
Would you like to design the pool and garden of your villa?
Contact usStructure and finishes
The basin can be cast-in-place reinforced concrete, the system with the most freedom of form, or prefabricated panels or steel. Waterproofing is achieved with membranes or with the finish itself. Glass mosaics, large porcelain slabs, natural stone or mineral plasters give the pool its colour: light and sand for turquoise water, dark for a mirror effect.
Water treatment
There are several systems for keeping the water clean: traditional chlorine dosed automatically, salt electrolysis that produces chlorine from salt water, ultraviolet or ozone systems that reduce chemicals. Natural pools use phyto-purification zones with aquatic plants. The choice depends on use, the desired maintenance and taste.
In all luxury pools we provide automatic dosing, control probes and an accessible, ventilated plant room. The control system can be connected to the home automation, which sends an alert if the readings are abnormal.
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Heating, covers and energy
A dedicated heat pump extends the pool season; the villa’s solar panels can power it during the day. The cover is decisive: it reduces heat and water loss, keeps out leaves and ensures children’s safety. There are automatic slatted covers that disappear into a recess under the edge.
Explore our projects
Schüco glazing, Minimal Cucine and Modulnova kitchen, Poliform and Baxter furniture, Occhio lighting, MAFI wood.
Safety
Luxury pools must be safe for children, guests and pets: rigid covers or discreet fences where needed, slip-resistant paving, clearly visible ladders and steps, night lighting, protected suction outlets. The rules on private pools vary by country and region: in the design we check them case by case.
The garden as an outdoor room
The garden is not what is left of the plot: it is a series of outdoor rooms with different functions. A shaded area for lunch, a relaxation area near the pool, a lawn for the children, a vegetable garden, connecting paths. Landscape design starts from the climate, exposure, soil and local vegetation.
We prefer plants suited to the climate, needing little water and little maintenance, trees that give shade in summer and let the sun through in winter, hedges that provide privacy without walls.
Vegetable garden and compost
A small vegetable garden near the kitchen closes the cycle of the circular kitchen: scraps become compost and compost feeds the vegetable garden. We cover this on the page about luxury kitchens.
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Smart irrigation
Drip irrigation brings water to the roots without waste; controllers connected to rain and soil moisture sensors irrigate only when needed. The water can come from the tank that collects rain from the villa’s roof. It is one of the simplest choices for a beautiful garden that uses less.
Robots for lawn and pool
Robotic mowers cut the lawn every day, silently, leaving the fine clippings on the ground as fertiliser; the latest models navigate without a boundary wire. Pool robots clean floor and walls automatically. They are tools that free up time and reduce outside interventions; the design must provide the charging station and the routes. Among the brands: Husqvarna for Automower robotic mowers and Maytronics for Dolphin robots.
Outdoor kitchen, pergolas and furniture
Next to the pool an outdoor kitchen, a pergola or a portico create a place protected from the sun. Bioclimatic pergolas, with adjustable louvres, regulate light and ventilation and close when it rains. Outdoor furniture must resist sun, humidity and salt air; we choose it with the same care as the interior furniture.
The studio's standard
A pool designed with the villa and aligned with its volumes; an accessible plant room; automatic water treatment; a cover for safety and energy; slip-resistant, cool paving; a garden with plants suited to the climate; drip irrigation with sensors and rainwater recovery; limited, shielded outdoor lighting.
The Villa Edit
Explore our projects
Metra glazing, Viabizzuno and OTY lighting, infinity pool: designed and supervised by the studio.
Three levels: Essential, Signature, Icon
Essential: a simply shaped skimmer pool, automatic treatment, a low-maintenance garden. Signature: luxury pools with overflow and flush edge, automatic cover, heat pump, robot, smart irrigation, outdoor kitchen. Icon: an infinity edge onto the landscape, an indoor pool or swim spa, a landscape designed by a landscape architect, bioclimatic pergolas, scenographic lighting.
Furniture and technologies we consider
Outdoor furniture: Paola Lenti, Talenti, Dedon, Kettal, Roda
For outdoor furniture we consider Paola Lenti, Talenti, Dedon, Kettal and Roda, chosen for the quality of their materials and their resistance to the weather.
In the portico of MD Home, the studio’s villa in Verona, architect Federico Cappellina chose Talenti sofas and pieces by Paola Lenti next to the pool; the outdoor porcelain is by Porcelanosa. Outdoor furniture and paving are as much a part of the design of luxury pools as the basin itself.
Pool technology
For pumps, filters, water treatment and automation of luxury pools we look at specialist groups such as Fluidra, with a wide network of installers.
In the Pool Villas in Colognola ai Colli, shown in the photo during construction, each villa has its own private pool: the reinforced concrete basin is built together with the foundations and the underground plant room houses filtration and pumps. In luxury pools this invisible work counts, designed and checked by the studio before the finishes.
Independent selection: the brands mentioned are chosen for quality, performance and service. No brand pays to appear on this page and the links lead to the official websites. Prices, availability and terms should be checked with the manufacturer or with the studio during the design phase.
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Luxury pools and climate
Luxury pools are designed for the climate. In northern Italy the season is short without heating: a heat pump, a cover and a sunny position extend it by weeks. In the Mediterranean, protection from wind and from the strongest midday sun matters. In the tropics the water is warm all year round and you need shade, light materials and a water treatment suited to high temperatures.
Indoor pool and swim spa
An indoor pool lets you swim all year round and becomes the centre of the wellness area. It needs a room with dedicated ventilation and dehumidification, because evaporation produces a lot of humidity, and materials resistant to chlorine and condensation. A swim spa, a compact basin with counter-current, lets you swim on the spot in a few square metres, indoors or outdoors.
Both solutions integrate with the wellness area described on the page about the luxury bathroom and with our sauna and wellness section.
The Villa Edit
The Villa Edit
Natural pools
Natural pools use aquatic plants and phyto-purification zones instead of chemicals. The water is clear but alive, closer in look to a lake than to a basin. They require more space, specialist design and different maintenance, but they merge with the landscape in a unique way. They are a consistent choice for a villa conceived as part of nature.
Lighting the pool and garden
At night luxury pools are lit from within with warm or coloured underwater lights, which turn the water into a lantern. The garden is lit with a few points: main trees, paths, walls and steps. The rule is the same as indoors: warm light, hidden sources, no glare. We cover this on the page about designer lighting.
Paving around the pool
The edge and the sun deck are the most stressed surfaces of the villa: water, chlorine or salt, sun, bare feet. They need materials with the slip-resistance class suited to barefoot areas, light colours that stay cool and joints that drain the water. Suitable natural stones, outdoor porcelain tiles and durable woods are the most frequent choices in the luxury pools we design.
The Villa Edit
Explore our projects
Edra sofas, Varenna kitchen, Noorth and Agape bathrooms: a project by the studio.
Privacy and landscape
A pool must be an intimate place. Hedges, low walls, pergolas and trees screen views without closing off the landscape. Planting design works in layers: lawn, shrubs, trees, to create depth and shade. The pool becomes the centre of a garden that changes with the seasons.
From design to commissioning
Luxury pools follow a precise path: architectural and services design, ground and water table surveys, building permits, excavation and structure, services, waterproofing, finishes, filling, start-up and calibration of the water treatment. The pool works are coordinated with those of the villa so as not to damage the newly completed garden.
Luxury pools for the whole family
The most successful luxury pools are those the whole family uses. A shallow area with steps and submerged seats for children and for those who just want to cool off, a deep lane for swimming, a shaded sun deck, an outdoor shower, a changing room nearby. The design also considers those who use the pool in the evening, with lighting, water temperature and an easy-to-operate cover.
The Villa Edit
The Villa Edit
How much do luxury pools cost
The cost of luxury pools depends on size, construction system, type of overflow, finish, water treatment, heating, cover and excavation. The overflow and automatic covers are the items that weigh most. This is why we define the budget in the design, comparing offers from several builders on the same performance, not with a lump sum decided before the design.
Luxury pools and automatic maintenance
Today’s luxury pools almost run themselves: automatic chemical dosing, remote monitoring of readings, cleaning robots, motorised covers, variable-speed pumps that use little energy. The technician only steps in for periodic checks and for opening and closing the season.
These systems must be chosen in the design and connected to the home automation, so that the pool reports by itself when something is wrong. It is one of the choices that make luxury pools a pleasure rather than a chore.
The most beautiful luxury pools and gardens are those that seem to have always been there: local materials, plants suited to the climate, water that reflects the architecture. Our goal is a house in which inside and outside become a single landscape to be lived all year round.
The Villa Edit
The Villa Edit
The most common mistakes
Placing the pool where it stays in shade for half the day. Forgetting the plant room or hiding it where it cannot be reached. Choosing a dark finish without considering how hot the edges get. Giving up the cover. Planting species that need a lot of water in a dry climate. Over-lighting the garden.
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Maintenance
Luxury pools require weekly checks of the water readings, filter cleaning, pump checks and, at the end of the season, winterising or winter maintenance. The garden needs pruning, irrigation checks and lawn care, partly handled by the robots. Everything goes into the villa’s maintenance plan.
How it fits with the rest of the house
The pool uses energy from the solar panels, is controlled by the home automation, is surrounded by the same surfaces as the house and continues the wellness area. The garden closes the cycle of water and kitchen scraps.
Frequently asked questions about luxury pools
Overflow or skimmer pool?
An overflow brings the water flush with the floor and a mirror effect; a skimmer is simpler and requires a less complex installation.
Salt water or chlorine?
Salt electrolysis produces chlorine from salt water with automatic dosing; it is a convenient choice but requires salt-resistant materials.
Do you need a permit for a pool?
It depends on local regulations: building permits, distances and site constraints are checked in the design.
How long does it take to build?
It depends on the construction system and the excavation: it is planned with the villa’s works, to avoid damaging the finished garden.
Can you have a pool in a small garden?
Yes: a long, narrow pool, a swim spa or a compact overflow basin can fit even in small gardens, if designed together with the house.
Designing pool and garden with the studio
The studio of Federico Cappellina designs luxury pools and outdoor spaces as part of the villa: form, materials, services, landscape and furniture are developed together.
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Pools, garden and outdoor living are the tenth of the twelve systems of The Villa Edit.