This Expertly Designed Pool House Is the Definition of Summer Goals

A pool house can be a whimsical and versatile escape with plenty of room for entertaining, evening barbecues, and summertime fun, but it has to stand up to kids, pets, and wet swimsuits. Designer Eddie Maestri of Dallas-based Maestri Studio has a background in commercial design but has always been drawn to residential projects. He first remodeled his own home before beginning Maestri Studio, a full-service architecture and interior design firm, in 2008.

“We do a lot of large remodels and new construction. We are pretty versatile on our design, doing everything from traditional to modern,” he says. 

For a recent project, Maestri remodeled a home in Heath, Texas, just east of Dallas on Lake Ray Hubbard. The home, totaling an impressive 7,000 square feet, was built in the 1980s for a former Miss Texas and is on approximately three acres. “The site has the main house, pool house, and guest house, sloping down to the water,” he adds. 

The family, a couple with two children who would be using the home as their primary residence, wanted a complete remodel to maximize the views from the house to the water, open up the kitchen, formal dining room, and living room, plus update the furnishings.

“The house was basically untouched since it was built,” he says. “It was a time capture with some cool leftover pieces of furniture, but it would need a lot of work to be brought up to date and meet the homeowner’s goals.”

The pool house was completely untouched as well, but Maestri saw the potential of its unique Japanese-inspired vernacular and curving placement around the pool. The clients, who now frequently use the pool house for family movie and game nights, love the chic blue, black, and white palette and ample entertaining space. 

“We wanted it to be an extension of the main house and complement the style,” he says. 

Thus, Maestri chose a Christian LaCroix for Designs Guild wallpaper in a pattern that “evoked the water but looked Asian-influenced,” a pattern he loved so much he ended up using it in the Maestri Studio office, plus a France and Sons chandelier, a bold blue high-gloss Sherwin Williams paint, ping pong table, dartboard, and seating in performance fabrics that hold up to water and chlorine.

The flooring, which is a water-safe vinyl tile from Horizon Tile meant to mimic wood, is a clever hack. Caesarstone countertops, brass hardware, a funky mosaic backsplash finishes off the 1,100-square-foot space. 

When it comes to designing your own pool house, Maestri believes there should always be a casual dining area, room to hang out and chat but also an element of fun. Don’t choose fabrics that are precious, realize that spills and messes will happen, and include break-out areas for extended family and children. “Versatility is also so important,” he says. 

A pool house should have the flexibility to be used for varying occasions, as this project exhibits.