Swimming pools in homes: 32 Indoor Swimming Pool Ideas That Make a Splash

32 Indoor Swimming Pool Ideas That Make a Splash

Kristin Hohenadel

Kristin Hohenadel has written on design for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Slate, Fast Company, and the international editions of Elle Decor.

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Updated on 10/13/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

Indoor swimming pools are a luxury that can be enjoyed at any time of day, night, or year. Offering privacy in a climate-controlled setting that’s protected from the elements means that you can take a dip regardless of the weather. And it will save you the trouble of outdoor swimming pool-related maintenance such as sweeping up leaves and other debris.

Some indoor pools are attached to the main living space by a sliding glass door or glass walls. Indoor pools in city apartments or town homes may be located on the basement level. And large residential properties may feature standalone pool houses located adjacent to the main home that may include extras like showers, a spa, or a bar and entertainment area.

Whether you dream of converting a room in your home to house an indoor swimming pool, adding an indoor pool extension to your home, or building a dedicated freestanding indoor pool house in your backyard, having an indoor swimming pool means that you can design and decorate it to harmonize with the style of your home. This may mean seamlessly integrating an indoor swimming pool with the rest of your interior design, so that the pool room looks as stylish as any other room in the house. Or it may mean adding contrast by mixing materials, finishes, and styles, or adding a modern pool house on a historic property to complement the marriage between old and new.

Check out these indoor swimming pool ideas in a range of sizes and styles to help you plan your own all-weather indoor poolside oasis.

01
of 32

Embrace Japanese Minimalism

Design by Envi Interior Design Studio / Photo by Audrey Hall

This handsome and quietly luxurious lakeside retreat from Envi Interior Design Studio features an indoor swimming pool that is part of a pool house, spa, gym, and art gallery complex that was inspired by Japanese minimalism and design. The decor features custom doors, Venetian plaster walls, shoji screens, and a rain sky shower with a teak slatted drain detail.
02
of 32

Modernize the Mediterranean

Design by Geddes Ulinskas Architects / Photo by Blake Marvin

San Francisco-based Geddes Ulinskas Architects built a modern pool house building to complement a historic Mediterranean-style home. “Although the architecture is modern in design, the finish on the doors and metalwork, the plaster and the stone were all designed to be in harmony with the original historic main house,” Ulinskas says. Stacking doors allow flow between the pool building and the courtyard leading to the main home. A lounge area at the end of the pool building has wide open views of the San Francisco bay, and color-changing mood lights.
03
of 32

Line It With Windows

Design by Crisp Architects / Photo by Rob Karosis

This light and airy indoor swimming pool from Crisp Architects is the best of both worlds: sheltered from the elements to make it easier to maintain and available to use in all types of weather, but flanked with wrap-around windows that connect it with the outdoors and offer an energizing view of the green space on the other side of the looking glass. A skylight, pool lights, and even indoor wall sconce lighting ensures that the space is well lit at all times of day or night.
04
of 32

Paint the Ceiling

Design by Jacques Garcia / Photo by Maison Souquet

This small indoor pool designed by French interior designer Jacques Garcia for Maison Souquet, a five-star hotel located in the Montmartre area of Paris, has moody dark blue paint on the walls that creates a sense of depth in a small space, and a gilded ceiling detail that you can gave up at while floating on your back in the water.
05
of 32

Add Modern Style

Design by Framestudio / Photo by David Wakely

This Los Altos, California pool house from Framestudio is an addition to a 1966 ranch-style home that includes a wellness space. “The design concept was inspired by European planning laws that dictate additions to listed historic structures be in the style of the current times, intentionally contrasting with the original,” the architects write in a project description. “The simple geometry and limited materials give clarity to the new addition. The exterior is punctuated by a cladding of vertical cedar battens, which will age to soft gray over time. Along the neighbor-facing facade, the cladding forms a screen, offering privacy, as well screening out the harsh sun.”
06
of 32

Clad the Walls With Plywood

Design by Framestudio / Photo by David Wakely

The interior of this pool house from Framestudio is clad with plywood that adds warmth and energy to the fresh and modern black-and-white space.
07
of 32

Keep It Front and Center

Design by Smiros & Smiros Architects / Photo by Durston Saylor

This luxurious Sea Cliff, New York pool house from Smiros & Smiros Architects isn’t an afterthought, but a fully integrated part of the home that functions as a central artery, connected to a living room lounge space on the ground level and a loft space above.
08
of 32

Create a Destination

Design by Smiros & Smiros Architects / Photo by Durston Saylor

This pool house from Smiros & Smiros Architects is more than just a place to take a quick dip, it’s a showpiece and a destination complete with warm lighting and a pair of dramatic chandeliers for socializing after the sun goes down.
09
of 32

Lap It Up

Design by Revamp Interior Design / Photo by Eric Laignel

This indoor lap pool from Revamp Interior Design is deftly integrated into a West Village, NYC townhouse, and visible from multiple vantage points.
10
of 32

Show It Off

Design by Revamp Interior Design / Photo by Eric Laignel

Metal framed glass walls turn this indoor swimming pool from Revamp Interior Design into a giant human fish tank or an art installation that comes to life when someone is swimming, adding drama and theatricality to the design.
11
of 32

Add a Skylight

Design by Revamp Interior Design / Photo by Eric Laignel

This indoor swimming pool from Revamp Interior Design is visible from the outdoor patio through a skylight that allows natural light to flow into the enclosed lap pool.
12
of 32

Celebrate Midcentury Style

Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Alexandra Ribar

This renovated midcentury modern indoor swimming pool from Leanne Ford Interiors honors the character of the home with painted white shiplap and stone paver walls and a collection of oversized white paper lanterns that creates a large-scale pendant light hanging over the kidney-shaped pool.
13
of 32

Add a Glass and Metal Roof Canopy

Design by Thomas Guy Interiors / Photo by Jen Burner

This indoor swimming pool from Thomas Guy Interiors has a dramatic industrial-style metal and glass paned canopy with a pitched roof that gives it a greenhouse vibe and allows light to penetrate the space. Blue-and-white striped curtains and an indoor umbrella by the seating area a retro poolside resort vibe, while scattered plants and wood furniture enhance the indoor outdoor feel.
14
of 32

Add Mood Lighting

Design by Pauline d’Hoop / Photo by Christophe Bielsa

This indoor pool designed by Pauline d’Hoop for the Hotel Monte Cristo in Paris has graphic wall tiles, an LED ceiling light feature, and a row of tropical plants in rustic pots of varying sizes that creates a lush and earthy contrast to the sparkling blue pool water. LED pillar candles in hurricane lanterns scattered around the pool add ambient lighting perfect for a leisurely late-night swim.
15
of 32

Install Decorative Ceiling Beams

Design by Kendall Wilkinson Design

This sprawling indoor swimming pool room from Kendall Wilkinson Design is warmed up with chunky honey-toned wood ceiling beams and a row of pendant lanterns with flame bulbs that add atmosphere to the combination pool and lounge space.
16
of 32

Match the Flooring

Design by Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop / Photo by Chad Mellon

This indoor outdoor pool from Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop is the best of both worlds, open both to the interior and to the backyard with a mixture of glass doors and semi-open walls, with billowing curtains for privacy and light control. Using the same pale stone flooring in both the indoor and pool area helps to make the spaces feel cohesive and the transitions seamless. A large cased opening with black-framed glass doors enhances the indoor outdoor feel.
17
of 32

Paint the Pool Floor Black

Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Alexandra Ribar

There’s no rule that says your pool basin has to be painted or tiled in blue. The interior of this kidney-shaped midcentury modern pool from Leanne Ford Interiors is painted black to enhance the black-and-white palette of the room.
18
of 32

Add Rustic Wood Tones

Design by House Nine

Adding rustic wood tones and wall hooks complements the cool blue tones of an indoor swimming pool room from London-based House Nine.
19
of 32

Hang Up Your Swimsuit

Design by Kendall Wilkinson Design

The design of this luxurious this indoor swimming pool from Design by Kendall Wilkinson Design includes lighthearted touches like a perfectly themed gallery wall of framed wall art featuring retro-style swimsuits.
20
of 32

Add a Fireplace

Design by Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop / Photo by Chad Mellon

Watch movies from the pool or from a lounge space by the fireplace in this indoor outdoor pool from Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop.
21
of 32

Include a Changing Area

Design by Geddes Ulinskas Architects / Photo by Blake Marvin

Adding showers, a spa, or a changing area to a pool house adds an extra layer of convenience and luxury, like this sleek modern San Francisco pool house from Geddes Ulinskas Architects.
22
of 32

Add a French Touch

Unique Homestays

This West Sussex, U.K. indoor pool house from Unique Homestays has an elegant indoor swimming pool that was built to complement the French country chateau style of the property, and is part of an indoor wellness complex that includes a heated swimming pool, hot tub, gym, sauna, and steam room.
23
of 32

Add a Bar Lounge

Unique Homestays

This West Sussex, U.K. indoor pool house from Unique Homestays has an elegant indoor swimming pool with a bar and lounge on one end that can be enjoyed before and after swimming, or anytime.
24
of 32

Add a Lounge Chair

Design by Kendall Wilkinson Design

This indoor pool from Kendall Wilkinson Design features a lounge chair positioned beneath a window that provides a place to bask in the natural light streaming in, bringing home those relaxing poolside vibes.
25
of 32

Add Architectural Details

Unique Homestays

A Romaneque-style indoor pool complements a 17th-century Jacobean hunting lodge property in Worcestershire, U. K. from Unique Homestays, part of a larger indoor wellness area that includes a sauna, steam room, and hot tub that are impervious to the temperamental British weather.
26
of 32

Install Glass Walls

Fantastic Frank

When building a freestanding pool house on an existing property, be sure to consider landscaping so that the structure feels integrated and has a sense of place. This independent residential pool house from Fantastic Frank is located in Berlin and surrounded by planted greenery that softens the glass facade and entry doors.
27
of 32

Mix Warm and Cold Finishes

Fantastic Frank

On this inside of this indoor pool house from Fantastic Frank, a wall of glass is contrasted with mixed wood tone cladding on the opposite wall and ceiling that adds warmth to the utilitarian space.
28
of 32

Maximize the View

Unique Homestays

This Gloucestershire, U. K. indoor swimming pool from Unique Homestays is located in a beautiful rural setting on a sprawling property that consists of a series of refurbished 18th century barns. The clean modern interior showcases sweeping views of the green rolling hills of Cotswalds countryside from the large glass paned picture windows.
29
of 32

Hang a Pendant Light

Design by Envi Interior Design Studio / Photo by Audrey Hall

Adding touches like a sculptural pendant light to a seating area in this indoor pool from Envi Interior Design Studio makes it feel comfortable and as thoughtfully decorated as any other room in the house.
30
of 32

Add a Domed Ceiling

Design by M. Lavender Interiors

A theatrical ceiling dome window above this indoor pool from M. Lavender Interiors allows natural light to pour in while creating a dramatic structural element that is carried throughout the brown and white space.
31
of 32

Use Mosaic Tile

Design by House Nine

House Nine used small mosaic tiles in shades of blue, green, and white to line the indoor pool at the U. K.’s Gara Rock Hotel, giving it a timeless feel.
32
of 32

Create a Compound

Design by Envi Interior Design Studio / Photo by Audrey Hall

This luxury pool house and spa from Envi Interior Design Studio includes a small art gallery space to create an escapist compound whose individual buildings blend into the landscape with their harmoniously matching pitched roofs.