6 Ways to Enhance Your Pool Deck

There are many ways to enhance your concrete pool deck and create a comfortable atmosphere.

• Landscape for atmosphere and privacy. Use landscaping to frame your pool deck and soften the concrete hardscape. Scatter planted areas about to add interest and provide multiple focal points. Use blooming plants sparingly (since they attract bees) and rely primarily on plants with variegated foliage to provide texture and visual interest. Plants can be practical as well as pretty. Hide a security fence with a "living screen" of shrubs or climbing plants. Create privacy walls with grasses and vine-covered trellises. Use raised planter boxes to create height and visual interest.
  
  
• Use lighting to make your backyard magical Consider uplighting on trees and architectural elements, pathway lighting to illuminate walking areas, and mercury vapor lighting up high for a soft, moonlit effect. Outline the perimeter of your pool with dramatic fiber‑optic lighting.
  
  
• Extend your living space to the outside with beverage centers, outdoor kitchens and comfortable furniture. Take cues from your indoor furnishings and décor when planning outdoor rooms. If you don't have a naturally shady seating area near the pool, create one with an umbrella‑covered table, a canopy of gauzy netting, or a gazebo.
  
  
• Provide plenty of seating around your pool to accommodate guests. Concrete seat walls and combination benches and planter boxes offer seating as well as decorative interest.
  
  
• Soothe with sound by installing architectural concrete fountains or man‑made waterfalls. These water features not only add beauty, they also help to muffle unwanted noise from nearby traffic and neighboring homes.
  
  
Concrete seat walls and combination benches and planter boxes offer seating as well
• Extend the play zone Turn the entire backyard into a concrete playground by supplementing the pool and deck with a playing surface made of concrete. This can serve as anything from a mini basketball court or putting green to a regulation‑size tennis court, depending on the space available.