Quick Summary
Selah Pools designed a contemporary geometric pool for the Betancourt family in Dallas featuring glass bead green tile, travertine coping, abalone shell finish, sheer descent, tiered spillovers, negative edge, bubbler, pool bench, and LED lighting.
Key Takeaways
- A Dallas family with a modern home needed pool design that harmonized with an existing sculpture that came with the property.
- The geometric pool features glass bead green tile, travertine coping, sheer descent, tiered spillovers, negative edge, and bubbler.
- Abalone shell finish sparkles beneath the surface while travertine coping provides warm contrast against contemporary geometry.
- The design transformed potential conflict between house, sculpture, and pool into unified contemporary architecture.
When architectural consistency matters, every detail counts. This Dallas residence presented a clear design directive: a modern house deserved a modern pool. But the real challenge emerged with an existing sculpture that came with the property. Rather than work around this fixed element, Selah's design team embraced it as the cornerstone of a unified vision. The geometric pool became the connecting thread between house and art, creating spatial dialogue where water, stone, and sculpture speak the same contemporary language. Clean lines and purposeful materials transformed potential conflict into perfect architectural harmony.
“This watercolor looks amazing, you can even see the cuts of glass and abalone shell sparkling in the water.”
Materials & Finishes
The material palette anchors this contemporary vision in tactile luxury. Travertine coping provides warm contrast against the geometric pool shell, while glass bead green tile creates depths that shift from emerald to jade as light moves across the water. The abalone shell finish sparkles beneath the surface, catching and reflecting light in countless prismatic moments. Multiple water features orchestrate the soundscape: a sheer descent creates a curtain of falling water, while tiered spillovers add rhythmic movement.
Design & Features
The negative edge dissolves boundaries between pool and landscape. A bubbler adds playful contrast to the linear geometry, while pool bench seating invites contemplation of both water and sculpture. The lighting system extends the experience into evening hours, when LED fixtures transform the space into a glowing contemporary gallery.
Project Highlights
A Dallas family with a modern home needed pool design that harmonized with an existing sculpture that came with the property.
The geometric pool features glass bead green tile, travertine coping, sheer descent, tiered spillovers, negative edge, and bubbler.
Abalone shell finish sparkles beneath the surface while travertine coping provides warm contrast against contemporary geometry.
The design transformed potential conflict between house, sculpture, and pool into unified contemporary architecture.
What Our Customers Say
4.8 stars from 154+ reviews
“This was our first pool experience and after researching our options, chose Selah.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you design a pool around existing landscape features?
Absolutely. The Betancourt residence demonstrates how thoughtful design transforms potential obstacles into design opportunities. Their existing sculpture became the focal point that unified the entire outdoor space. Rather than working around fixed elements, we embrace them as design anchors that inform material choices, sight lines, and spatial relationships. This approach creates outdoor environments that feel intentionally composed rather than retrofitted.
What makes glass bead tile different from regular pool tile?
Glass bead tile creates depth and luminosity impossible with ceramic alternatives. In the Betancourt pool, the green glass beads shift from emerald to jade as sunlight moves across the water surface throughout the day. Combined with the abalone shell finish, you can actually see individual glass cuts sparkling beneath the water. This creates a living, changing color palette that standard tile cannot match, especially in contemporary designs where light interaction is central to the aesthetic.
How do multiple water features work together in one pool?
Strategic layering creates symphony rather than chaos. The Betancourt design orchestrates three distinct water voices: the sheer descent provides a clean curtain of falling water, tiered spillovers add rhythmic cascading sounds, and the bubbler introduces playful counterpoint to the linear geometry. Each operates independently but contributes to a unified soundscape. The negative edge adds the subtle sound of water disappearing over the horizon, completing the sensory experience.
What's the advantage of travertine coping with modern pools?
Travertine brings natural warmth to contemporary geometry without compromising clean lines. In the Betancourt project, the travertine coping provides textural contrast against the smooth glass tile while maintaining the crisp edges essential to modern design. The material's natural variation prevents the sterile feeling sometimes associated with ultra-contemporary pools. It also stays cooler underfoot than manufactured alternatives, crucial for Dallas summers where pool decking comfort matters as much as visual appeal.
Can pool lighting enhance contemporary architecture?
LED lighting transforms contemporary pools into evening sculptures. The Betancourt installation demonstrates how strategic illumination extends the design impact beyond daylight hours. The lights emphasize the geometric lines while creating dramatic interplay between the glass bead tile and travertine coping. When darkness falls, the lit pool becomes a glowing architectural element that complements both the modern house and the existing sculpture, creating a unified outdoor gallery that functions beautifully day and night.
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