Creating a landscape that allows you to submerge yourself in nature and enjoy beautiful scenery will give you the perfect spa pool experience. With careful and thoughtful design, your spa can be a place to enjoy all year round and have you holidaying in your backyard.
Create a setting
When choosing the position for your spa, there are many factors to consider. Do you want your spa to be a feature in your garden or hidden, or do you have children that you need to keep in sight? For those who wish to use their spa pool at night time or in cooler weather, you may want to place your spa somewhere sheltered and close to your home so there is less distance to walk. Things like allowing space for a cover and a bench for towels are sometimes afterthoughts, but they are important when determining the location of your spa.
Aesthetically speaking, when establishing your setting, remember your spa pool is part of your garden. Therefore there needs to be a balance in how everything looks together. We want to achieve balance in the overall space by ensuring the spa pool is not just a stand-alone feature in your backyard.
Images sourced from Stoked Stainless.
Choose the right plants
Choosing plants that compliment the style of your home and existing garden will help to establish a balanced and attractive space.
If you do not want your spa pool to be a statement feature, consider enclosing the area using plants or screening. Using plants can help soften the space and create a natural backdrop for the spa to blend in.
If your spa pool requires privacy from neighbours or if you would like to section it off in a separate area, using hedging is a great way to achieve this without having to build extra fencing or walls. Alternatively, climbers can be grown using trellises or wiring to add coverage or height to boundaries. When choosing to hedge, consider leaf fall and the proximity to the spa. Plants with a lot of leaf drop will result in more maintenance for your spa area.
Plants nearing your spa pool will need to be hardy due to the likeliness of being splashed with treated water. Also, consider the type of plant you are putting next to your spa. For example, thorny roses and prickly cycads will not give you the most comfortable experience.
When selecting your plant palette, consider the overall vibe you want to achieve. Do you want to feel like you are dipping into warm tropical waters enclosed by palms and vibrant colours? Or perhaps you want to feel like you are in a relaxing pool of nature surrounded by native planting.
Designed by Sculpt Gardens.
Image sourced from Grace Design Associates.
Match your materials
Consider the materials seen throughout your home and the existing landscape and get creative. If you have pebbles or shells in an area of your garden, you can echo this in your spa pool area to create balance. If you have stones in your existing landscape, consider placing rocks around your spa pool to create balance.
The spa pool in the image below is a great example of using materials to bring the design together. This can be seen in features such as the wooden chair to compliment the spa, and the neutral light colour palette seen in the ground, rocks and tub.
Image sourced from Leaf Magazine.
Image sourced from Grace Design Associates.
Mimick shape
Another effective way to get a more cohesive backyard design is with shape. Mimicking the shape of your spa pool is a great way to bring elements in the landscape together and create a space that is easy on the eye. For example, for a square shape spa, you could mimic the shape through decking, steps or garden beds. Imitate circular or cedar spas with circular dining features, winding steps or weaving pavers.
Image sourced from Pinterest.
Image sourced from Grace Design Associates.
Lighting
Lighting is an element to consider as it can add significant beauty for those who wish to use their spa pool at night. Lighting enables you to enjoy your spa pool at all hours while making it safer to use.
You can also use lighting to highlight certain plants, features or a path you have used in your design.
Image sourced from Pinterest.
Image sourced from Franklin Pools Australia.
With this information, we hope you are able to begin creating your perfect spa pool location.
If you would love some assistance with designing your spa, please feel free to get in touch with the garden design experts HERE!
