Lap of Luxury Pools specialises in custom concrete pools. The list of what they don’t do, seems smaller than their list of specialisations. The team are experts in custom concrete pools, ranging from backyard plunge pools to spectacular infinity edge pools, suspended pools, pools with glass windows, pools with integrated  covers, or according to Good pretty much “anything you can dream up.”  For Good, the business is his passion project, defined by his vision of delivering exceptional results to his clients. A job well done for Lap of Luxury is one where the team can stand back and say, ‘I did that.’ 

With their focus on exceptional and creative pools, Lap of Luxury seems like the perfect team to tell us about freeform pools, but according to Good, the last time his company put in a new freeform pool was quite some time ago. Good explained to us that while some freeform elements have regained their popularity the overall freeform shaping has gone largely out of vogue due to space limitations. 

WHAT IS FREEFORM? 

Freeform pools are the pools we all remember form the 80’s and 90’s with their asymmetrical shapes, oftentimes a jellybean or kidney shaped look was popular. Many freeform pools also incorporated wading areas and rock ledges.  

The goal of freeform was to be more natural in appearance and to add a bit of character to the build. 

CHALLENGES OF FREEFORM 

Good explained the unique complexities of freeform, detailing how “most pools requiring renovation these days are freeform pools” often built on large properties. In these cases, Lap of Luxury pools have been engaged to create smaller rectangular pools inside the freeform pool. 

As Good explains, there are a few reasons for this. Often clients have found the freeform pools cutting into their backyard entertaining space so Good has been asked to “optimise entertaining space” by refitting a geometric pool. 

Modern pools also tend to use larger tiles whereas older pools often use the PGH bullnose paver with 10mm grout joints. These older pavers make fancy shapes a lot easier, whereas modern tiles with their size require a lot of cutting to make an asymmetrical shape work. This adds time and complication to the build. 

Additionally, it’s much “harder to mark out a freeform pool” and with the extra space they take up, they don’t work in most situations as new blocks typically don’t have the half-acre backyards that were more common a few decades ago. 

NAILING THE OASIS LOOK 

While the freeform look hasn’t retained its poignancy, the oasis look, with its natural feel is still a vibe many homeowners aim for and Good has several strategies for getting a natural look in a symmetrical rectangular pool. He recommends the introduction of “limestone selection of interior tiles such as stone look tiles from Ezarri or Artisan to create an oasis or resort look.” 

Good adds that landscaping can also be very important and can make a huge difference to the overall look. Other external features such as waterfalls play a vital role in the creation of a natural oasis. Good adds that “use of stone around the pool such as limestone or crazy paving which is irregular paving sizes coupled with the selection of cladding stone on waterfalls with stone look mosaic or sukabumi interior tiles can give the effect of a tropical oasis.”