A well done formal pool is a piece of architecture. Formal designs require a strong understanding of architectural styles, scale, layout and spacial planing.
Formal pools follow the same rules of design that a formal garden does. A formal garden in the Western tradition is a neat and organized garden laid out in carefully planned geometric and symmetric lines. These gardens have a strong sense of balance and order.
The hand of the gardener is clearly evident in formal landscape designs as the pathways and plantings are controlled along crisp lines. It is this discipline that gives a sense of peace and order. Formal landscape design is our attempt to exert our control over nature, to create our idealized version of it.
Formal pools need not be boring. They can be quietly dramatic or outright bold. While there are many kinds of formal swimming pools, they have two qualities in common: balance and symmetry. These attributes are best exemplified by the way the structural lines, called axes, bring the eye to rest where they intersect. Axes are straight lines of sight that lead to a prominent feature, such as the house , the pool or a garden structure. Typically a formal residential landscape has two axes perpendicular to one another. Called the main axis and the secondary axis, they often double as paths.
The main axis is usually wider than the secondary path that crosses it. The extra width gives the main axis visual prominence and directs the eye. Thus the eye travels along the main axis, then stops when it reaches the intersection with the secondary axis, which typically joins it at a 90 degree angle. This joining is a good place for a focal point, such as a swimming pool or fountain that creates interest.
Because of the acute geometry of formal garden designs, some house styles are better suited for formal pools than others. Colonial and Federal-style houses built of brick or stone work well with this style of garden. Formal gardens nicely complement urban townhouses, especially those constructed in formal architectural styles such as Second Empire, Georgian or Greek revival. Contemporary designs, with their spare and unadorned lines, also support formal swimming pool design.
With formal swimming pools the water is the whole point of a pool. You want to create a frame for the water that turns it into a design element within the landscape. To that end, a rectangular shape of water looks inherently formal. Round, oval and square work well, too. Within a formal garden, the pool should be placed where it geometrically fits into the overall design. It can be situated in the middle of the space or unconnected to the other immediate features or structures. The pool is meant to stand out and be noticed. We are mindful of our choices of materials with a formal pool. We want to stay within the formal realm. Flagstone, marble, limestone, tile or brick all work well. We love to take advantage of the waters reflective characteristics and use a focal point at the end axis of the pool and see how the mirror image of it floats on the surface doubling your aesthetic pleasure.
The material choices are kept to a minimum. The fewer the better and we let the house and surrounding architectural structures tell us what those choices should be.
