Water Feature Trends That Turn Your Backyard Into a True Escape

Los Angeles Times

2 days ago

You know that feeling…when the day's noise fades and you hear water, even just a trickle. Instantly, the space around you feels different. Not bigger, exactly. Just more yours. And it's not about size. The new standard for 2025 is a quiet transformation. Water features that change your sense of time and place. Pools and fountains that borrow from architecture, nature, and technology. Nothing looks 'installed.' Everything feels considered.
This isn't a design moment that started with an Instagram trend. It's a shift in how people live, especially in Southern California. More of us want the outdoors to feel personal and worth being outside for. There's actual science behind why it works. Water in the landscape reduces stress, can improve mental health, and may even boost physical recovery and immune response.
The days of blue boxes and cold rectangles are over. There's texture everywhere. Edges you want to run your hand over. 'We're seeing more interest in raised-edge coping, especially in materials like board-formed concrete. It adds structure, texture, and a place to sit or gather,' says Michael O'Brien, founder of Los Angeles-based design studio Hommes + Gardens, known for their sculptural, plant-forward landscapes and immersive outdoor spaces.
It's not just decorative. 'It turns a pool into something more sculptural, which is always the goal: we want our pools to function, but also to feel like part of the garden and the architecture.' A line between home and outdoors, blurred in the right ways. Raised coping creates seating, offers subtle elevation, and draws the eye across materials. There's an art to it. 'I like pairing this kind of edge detail with a deck that meets it flush, or using a tile that picks up on other textures around the property. Maybe something that references old pottery or a color from the home's façade. It's a way to connect the pool back to the house,' O'Brien adds.
Curved coping is showing up everywhere…soft, continuous, less geometric. 'We've also been playing with curved coping to soften the geometry and add movement. Concrete finishes should be poured and stained together when visible in the same sightline; that consistency in tone makes all the difference.'
Not just another backyard, but something that feels like it could have always been there. Research backs this up: organic forms and tactile materials invite us to linger, and can change how we feel in a space.
The right light can change everything. 'When it comes to lighting, it's less about illumination and more about atmosphere. The right pool lighting should feel cinematic,' O'Brien explains. 'One of the most important (and often overlooked) elements is choosing the right color temperature.'
And cool LEDs are seemingly out as they are said to feel harsh and disconnected when contrasted with the softness of garden lighting. 'Instead, we opt for warmer hues that flatter both the water and the plants, creating a seamless wash of light that enhances the mood rather than competing with it,' O'Brien suggests.
It's not about showing off the pool. 'The light should graze, pool, shimmer. Whether it's subtly recessed beneath coping or diffused from within planted beds, our goal is always to sculpt an evening experience that feels effortless and serene.'
No one wants the backyard to look like a showroom. People want materials that age well. Stone that remembers rain. Brick that's been somewhere. 'We're seeing a lot of reclaimed materials…antique brick, weathered limestone, honed concrete. When paired with natural elements like turf or crushed gravel, those textures ground the space and make it feel like it's always been there.'
Texture does something to the brain. 'That's the balance we're always chasing: timeless, but not generic. Pools are getting softer in shape, less rigid. Curves are coming back in a more refined way. But classics still hold: a clean rectangular pool with aged materials and thoughtful planting will never go out of style.'
There's a reason this matters. Natural surfaces, curved edges, and layers of planting help moderate temperature, reduce water waste, and make the space easier to live with year-round.
What's showing up in remodeled and new backyards?
Each of these trends is about more than just how things look. They change how spaces are used and how people feel in them.
If your backyard isn't big or isn't fancy, it still qualifies. A single water wall or basin by the patio can change the whole experience.
Not every project is on a sprawling lot. One of the most talked-about new pools in the Hollywood Hills sits where a driveway used to be. It isn't massive. But every detail is intentional. 'We recently designed a pool for a 1927 Spanish Revival home in the Hollywood Hills. The pool sits where the driveway used to be, so we had to make every square foot count.
Instead of treating it as a standalone feature, we made it feel like part of the garden, with raised coping that doubles as seating, planting all around it, and materials that reflect the age and character of the home,' O'Brien shared.
No two edges match. The board-formed concrete brings in grain and texture. The curved steps mimic the curved coping. Tiles pick up on the yellowed stucco and terra cotta nearby. Planting goes right to the water's edge. You swim in the garden, not next to it. 'It's a small space, but it feels generous because everything is working together: form, material, planting, and proportion. That's what we're always after, a pool that doesn't just sit in the backyard, but elevates the whole property.'
There's a bigger story here. People invest in water not just to impress, but to reset. Research on 'blue space' shows consistent links between water in the environment and lower anxiety, improved mood, and even more time spent outdoors.
Raised-edge plunge pools, sculptural fountains, or even just a small trickle at the back of the yard, these are not just luxuries. They're invitations. A way to get outside, linger, and actually enjoy where you live.
If you want to make your backyard feel less like a set piece and more like a retreat, follow the water. Maybe the only thing between Tuesday and escape is a ripple, a bit of curve, and the right kind of light.