Swimming Pool Tile Like You’ve Never Seen It Before
From my very official research on swimming pool tile, I determined the options typically fall into three camps: shiny mosaic glass, vaguely Old World porcelain, and basic squares (or rectangles) in some shade of blue. It took some serious digging to find pool tile that didn't read tacky, outdated, or boring, which I'm sorry to say the above choices so often do. However, I did uncover a few diamonds in the rough that renewed my faith in pools being good for the soul and the backyard aesthetic, which I've rounded up below. Interestingly, it's not fancy tile that makes these designs awesome. In fact, versions of all of these tiles would be easy to find at your local hardware store. It's how they're arranged—in totally unconventional motifs or patterns typically used indoors—that makes the difference.
Oversize chevron
Parquet in the pool! Architecture firm Claesson Koivisto Rune mimicked the pattern of the wood on this Swedish spa's deck in the neighboring pool, with superchic results. "The oversize (in comparison with normal parquets) tiles are white, which allows them to be colored turquoise by the depth of the water," says the firm on its website. "Each step down into the pool thus is a deeper hue of turquoise."
Millennial pink
The Paradiso Ibiza hotel's millennial pink pool in Spain is made for Instagram. But lest the color choice seem cheesy, it's only partially millennial pink—a thick border of bright white tile surrounds the feature, providing a refreshing contrast. A closer looks reveals the design is made with cute hexagonal penny tiles, proving they're not just for kitchen backsplashes and shower stalls.
Tiny mosaic tiles in navy and white are laid out in big, funky waves in the pool at the Tribal Hotel in Granada, Nicaragua. When the water is disturbed, a layer of real waves distorts the first, making for a very trippy view.
Classic checker
Like Brady Tolbert's genius temporary kitchen tile solution, the pool at Brown Beach House Croatia in Trogir reminds us of the eternal elegance of black-and-white checkered tile. At 1,500 square feet—much, much bigger than my New York apartment—the pool's visual impact rivals the Adriatic Sea just beyond it.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
