Though premature, I’ve begun researching pool liners as the liner we select will have a dramatic impact on our finished space.

When we bought this house, the pool had an old, sagging, faded liner with a lovely border detail.  We were told the pool hadn’t been operational in several years, and as such, have never seen water in here.

Not clean water, anyway.  Just stagnant green water that had dripped in through the then leaking roof, with a few dead mice, for good measure.

Surely this pool was a vital selling point to most people.

Due to the way the pool was constructed, it requires a vinyl liner which I’m realizing are surprisingly difficult to shop for.  Maaaaybe even more difficult than rug shopping, because the commitment is even greater.  Once finished, the walls and ceiling of this space will be a crisp white, with a black slate floor.

If you’ve never shopped for pool liners, you are probably in the same mindset I was a few months ago.  It’ll be easy, like picking a paint color.  Boy is that wrong.  The liner color and pattern determine the water color and mood of the pool.

Dark, saturated patterns will create a deep abyss looking pool, which we kind of already have considering ours is about 9 feet at the deepest point.  Deep colors also show color fading much quicker, whereas light colors absorb sun less and don’t fade as quickly.  For our space, I’ve always imagined a light water, similar to a full bath.  After a lot of online searching, I’ve found our winner:

It’s fun, whimsical, and I love the idea of swimming along a coral reef without leaving my home.  Haha, actually, I want something a bit more simple than that, which is why I’ve settled on this:

What can I say, dolphins just really do it for me?!   That’s a big fat lie, too.  It just seems the majority of pool liners are similar to mid 90’s decorating.  Bright, patterned, and theme-y, like the Tuscan vineyard kitchens or beach themed bathrooms complete with wall paper border.

Here are my liner requirements:

Light

Borderless

Small pattern

Not kitschy looking

This pebble look is okay:

 

Water/waves, not so much!

Clearly fake mosaic border, nope!

A speckled terrazzo look however, checks all of the boxes, with a pattern that fades into the background.

It’s classic, yet modern and shouldn’t look too fake, even for a vinyl liner.  After lots of internet digging, I found a photo with the simulated water color on a similar liner design.

Doesn’t this pool look spa-like tranquil, but still inviting?

Now to turn my internet shopping into actual local shopping to make sure we can get the same thing (or something similar) and have it installed.