A Grey-Tiled Pool with an Oak Gazebo

Grey porcelain under still water turns green in summer light, and that is most of what this pool is: a large rectangle of grey tile with pale limestone coping and a silvered composite deck along one side. Wide steps drop in at one corner, submerged, so the coping runs unbroken the whole way round.

The far side is given over to sitting rather than swimming. An oak-framed gazebo with a bar in it, a long run of grey lounge seating, teak planters, and a hot tub set flush into the terrace under a cover. Hydrangeas, mature yew and birch stand behind.

In full summer the only thing on the water is a floating lounger.