Small Space Swimming: Lap Pools

Written by

Nancy Mitchell
Nancy Mitchell
As a former Senior Writer at Apartment Therapy, Nancy split her time among looking at beautiful pictures, writing about design, and photographing stylish apartments in and around NYC.
published Apr 8, 2013
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

We love a good lap pool. They take up a fraction of the space of a traditional pool, and their elongated shape is so elegant and modern. There’s room to exercise, to splash around and have a drink on a hot day (because isn’t that the whole reason to have a pool?), and you can still have a backyard.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

While an ideal size for swimming laps is 6 feet in width by 60-75 feet in length, you can still fit a pool that accommodates exercise in as little as 30 feet. And, of course, if splashing and drinking is your main objective, any size will do.

Top Row:
1. A lap pool fits nicely into the small backyard of this remodeled bungalow in Australia. From Dwell
2. A lap pool in the couryard of an old mill turned house in France, via Zimbio.
3. Cynthia’s Rowley’s pool at her Manhattan townhome. Elle Decor via Mimi + Meg.
4. Bestor Architecture
5. Dwell

Bottom Row:
6. Contemporist
7. Houzz
8. Residential Architect
9. A lap pool wraps around a narrow backyard in this project by Eckersley Garden Architecture.
10. A lap pool in the backyard of a contemporary townhouse in San Francisco, via Houzz.

Originally posted May 7, 2012