Shapes · Styles · Features · Finishes · Decking
Pool Designs: Shapes, Styles, Features & Finishes
Every great Arizona pool starts as a design. Explore the shapes, styles, water features, finishes, and decking that make a backyard yours — and see how each choice shapes the look, the feel, and the cost. We Fix Ugly Pools® has designed and built pools across metro Phoenix since 2001.
One of the hardest — and most fun — parts of building a pool is deciding how it should look. A pool should complement your home’s architecture and work with the natural contours of your lot, not fight them. On this page we walk through the main design decisions: the shape, the overall style, the features that bring it to life, the interior finish, and the decking around it — and how each one affects your budget. With a licensed Arizona builder behind the design, your imagination is the real limit.
Popular pool shapes
Pool shapes fall into two broad families: clean, straight-lined geometric designs and flowing, natural freeform designs. Within those, there are dozens of recognizable profiles. Each shape page below has photos and details to help you picture it in your yard.
Geometric
Rectangles, squares, and straight lines. Contemporary and classic, and ideal for swimming laps.
Free form
Curvy, nature-inspired shapes that pair beautifully with rock work, plants, and waterfalls.
Figure 8
Two rounded lobes joined at the middle — a soft, symmetrical take on the freeform look.
Roman
A refined rectangle with elegant rounded ends — formal, symmetrical, and timeless.
Grecian
Geometric with clipped, angled corners for a classical architectural feel.
Custom shapes
Kidney, L-shaped, oval, and one-of-a-kind designs drawn specifically for your backyard.
Geometric pools
Traditional pools tend to be geometric — a rectangle, square, circle, or a rendition of one. Also called contemporary, classic, Roman, or Grecian-styled pools, geometric designs have an elegant simplicity that is timeless and stunning. Rectangle pools are among the most popular designs because their formal lines fit a home’s silhouette, and they are ideal for swimming laps. Geometric shapes also pair naturally with modern features like zero-edge and beach entries, raised spas, and linear water features. Read our zero edge pool design guide for the details.
Free form pools
A freeform pool can take any natural, curvy form and does not adhere to recognizable shapes like circles or squares. Freeform pools are perfect for a nature-inspired backyard and for incorporating shrubs, palm trees, and garden landscaping. Contemporary freeform pools often add waterfalls, rock work, and plantings to create the feel of a natural pond, lake, or desert oasis. A soft figure-8 is a popular, symmetrical variation on the freeform theme.
Pool styles to match your home
Beyond shape, a pool has an overall style — the way the shape, materials, features, and landscaping work together. The best style is usually the one that echoes your home’s architecture and the feel you want in the backyard. A few directions we design and build often in the Valley:
- Modern / contemporary. Clean geometric lines, zero-edge or perimeter-overflow edges, linear water features, and large-format decking.
- Resort / entertainer. Spillover spa, baja shelf, swim-up seating, fire features, and generous deck space for gathering.
- Natural lagoon. Freeform shape with boulders, rock waterfalls, pebble finish, and lush desert landscaping.
- Mediterranean / classic. Roman or Grecian shapes, travertine decking, tile accents, and symmetrical, formal lines.
Most backyards borrow from more than one of these, and that is exactly the point — your design should be yours. We help you blend the elements that fit your home, your lot, and how you live outside.
Pool features that bring a design to life
Features are where a pool stops being a rectangle of water and starts being a backyard you never want to leave. These are designed in from the start so the structure, plumbing, and electrical are built to carry them.
Spillways & spas
A raised, spillover spa adds a warm soak and a gentle sheet of water spilling into the pool.
Baja / tanning shelf
A shallow sun shelf for lounge chairs, kids, and cooling off — one of the most-requested features.
Water features
Fountains and waterfalls, sheer descents, bubblers, and rock cascades add sound and movement.
Fire features
Fire bowls and fire-and-water combinations extend your evenings and make a dramatic focal point.
LED lighting
Color-changing LED lights make the water glow at night and set the mood for entertaining.
Smart automation
Run pumps, heat, lights, and water features from your phone with modern pool automation.
Where shape, features & finish come together
Fire bowls, a spillover spa, raised stone walls, color LED lighting, and warm deck lighting show what happens when the shape, features, finish, and decking are designed as one. This is the payoff of planning the whole backyard up front.
Interior finishes & color
The interior finish sets the color of the water and how long the surface lasts. Plaster is the classic, budget-friendly choice and typically lasts 5–7 years. Quartz adds durability and a richer look, lasting about 12–18 years. Pebble finishes are the most durable and natural-looking, lasting roughly 25–30 years. Finish color — from bright Caribbean blues to deep lagoon greens and greys — dramatically changes the mood of the same pool, so we help you see samples in your own light before you choose.
Decking & the space around the pool
The deck is half the design — it frames the pool and is where most of the living actually happens. In Arizona, decking also has to stay comfortable underfoot in summer heat. Travertine is a favorite because its light color stays cooler and it has a high-end, natural look. Pavers offer durability and endless pattern and color options. Poured and textured concrete — including cool-deck coatings — is a budget-friendly way to cover large areas. The decking material, square footage, and any raised walls or planters all factor into both the look and the cost of your project.
How design choices affect cost
Design is where the budget is really set. A simple geometric pool on an open, easy-access lot costs less to build than a large freeform pool with a spillover spa, multiple water features, and extensive decking. The biggest cost drivers are size and depth, shape complexity, the number and type of features, the interior finish you choose, and the amount and material of decking. Site conditions — access, grading, and rock — matter too.
For context, most new pools we build in metro Phoenix run between $38,000 and $60,000, with feature-rich designs commonly reaching $60,000 and up. If you are updating an existing pool instead of building new, a resurface with new tile typically runs $8,000–$15,000, and adding features during a remodel generally lands in the $15,000–$30,000 range. The best way to design to your budget is to decide together which features matter most. See our Arizona pool builder page for how the full design, permit, and build process works.
From idea to finished design
Dream & gather ideas
Collect shapes, features, and finishes you love and tell us how you want to use the space.
Design consultation
We visit your yard, factor in architecture and lot contours, and shape a design to your budget.
Refine the plan
We dial in shape, features, finish color, and decking until the design is exactly right.
Build it
Our licensed crews build the pool you designed, backed by 25 years of Valley experience.
As seen in the news
Recognized across Arizona & national media
We Fix Ugly Pools® and owner Brian Morris, “the Ugly Pool Guy,” hold a world record for the fastest pool build and have been featured by national and Arizona outlets, including as expert pool columnists for The Arizona Republic.
“They helped us design exactly the pool we pictured — the shape, the spa, the lighting, all of it. It fits our yard perfectly and looks incredible at night.”
Why design your pool with We Fix Ugly Pools
- Since 2001. 25 years designing and building Arizona pools.
- 20,000+ pools. We have designed for nearly every Valley lot and style.
- Licensed & insured. A licensed Arizona contractor, bonded and insured.
- One team, start to finish. Design, permits, build, and warranty under one roof.
- Designed for the desert. Shapes, finishes, and decking suited to our heat and soils.
- 4.9★ from 305+ reviews. Backyards our customers are proud of.
Let’s design your dream pool
Book a free design consultation and we’ll shape a pool around your backyard and budget.