It can be difficult to select a pool design that best suits your aesthetic because there are so many different pool designs available. Building the backyard of your dreams, where you can unwind for years, comes with experience. There are many options to consider when building a pool, so it’s important to carefully weigh your options before deciding.

Homeowners who prioritise the design and overall look of the pool usually go with concrete because it is highly customisable. Whilst requiring more time to install with the average completion time being 3 to 6 months vs fibreglass which only takes 3 to 6 weeks, concrete pools give you complete control to build your dream pool to life from the look and shape to colour and custom additions like ledges. Concrete is also the way to go if you have your heart set on natural poolscape and using waterline tiles.

Concrete is the perfect pool build to choose if you want to  make it look like a fully integrated feature and not an afterthought. What’s more, you’re free to go crazy and innovative when it comes to your pool design. If you’re looking for inspiration, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve rounded up a list of some of the craziest and most innovative swimming pool designs so you can better understand your options:

Casa Brutale, Beirut

Casa Brutale was deemed to be a home suitable for James Bond and received feedback that both praised the design and questioned how it was implemented. It was created for those who want to live on the edge, both literally and figuratively.

The architect deliberately chose a simple aesthetic in order to draw attention to the project’s most intriguing element—its glazed pool serving as a roof. Additionally, it keeps the attention on the stunning scenery.

Natural light illuminates the volumetrically inverted underground home through large glass facade frames that provide a breathtaking view of the Aegean Sea and sunlight reflected through the water of the crystal pool (made of reinforced glass), which serves as the home’s roof.

San Alfonso Del Mar, Chile

San Alfonso del Mar is the best vacation destination available if you’ve ever daydreamed about spending time on the water. This incredible private resort in Algarrobo, Chile, about 60 miles west of Santiago, effectively has a view of two coasts at once: It overlooks the Pacific Ocean, yes, but it also has the largest swimming pool in the world, which is mind-bogglingly large and hugs the coastline so closely that it’s practically a second beach.

This saltwater pool is the exact same brilliant turquoise colour as the sea just beyond it, and it once held the first-ever Guinness World Record for the largest man-made lagoon. Its size is truly difficult to comprehend: the pool is longer than a kilometre and spans an area of almost 20 acres, which is equivalent to 15 football fields! —and it has a staggering capacity of 250 million litres for filtered ocean water. It was created by Crystal Lagoons, a business started by a brilliant Chilean entrepreneur who has also designed and constructed a number of other (smaller!) artificial lagoons around the globe.

Private villas at the Velassaru Hotel, Maldives

Escape to a location of unmatched beauty and avant-garde design at Velassaru Maldives, which is located on a private coral island in the Indian Ocean’s sapphire blue waters.

Beautiful water and beach villas provide chic serenity with all the conveniences of modern living. The villas were built with thatch, stone, and teak, and they all perfectly complement their surroundings. No matter where they are—overlooking the lagoon, on the beach, or hidden in the gardens.

This pool is ideal for those who enjoy swimming and ocean views but don’t want to come in contact with sand or any other marine life, such as fish or seaweed.

Hotel Hubertus, Austria

Hotel Hubertus is located in the Puster Valley, at the base of the Alps. Although its new 16 suites have received a lot of attention, the new 25-metre pool has really caught people’s attention.

The hotel’s pool, which projects off the structure and serves as a link between its old and new parts, cantilevers across the property. The heated swimming pool, which is 82 feet (25 metres) long, serves as a link between the old and the new.

Long tree trunks support it as it extends beyond the Alpin Panorama Hotel Hubertus’ structure. It seems as though you have merged with nature as you swim toward the pool’s edge.

A floating-like experience where all you can see is the water’s surface and the surrounding mountains is made possible by the ingenious design. And if you thought that was amazing, just wait until you see the infinity pool’s very end.

Tip: If you’re eyeing an infinity pool for your backyard sanctuary, here’s our list of the best infinity pools in the world.

A window was made so you could see the snow 20 metres (66 feet) below you. Additionally, if you stand beneath the pool’s frame, you can see people floating in the air. Or at least that’s how it seems when they swim over the section with the glass bottom. As a result, some refer to it as the Skypool.

Violin-shaped swimming pool in Bedford, New York

Music lovers will love this pool in the shape of a violin. The structure was created by the New Jersey-based company Cipriano Landscape Design & Custom Swimming Pools to resemble an actual Stradivarius violin (an Italian family that produced some of the finest violins in the world in the 17th and 18th centuries).

Twin koi ponds that are positioned to look like they are below the surface of the water make up the violin’s “bow” and the pool’s 5,600 fibre-optic strands and 450,000 glass tiles give it a vibrant glow. The impressive pool is fashioned after a Stradivarius violin that the building’s previous owner, former Wall Street executive Jay Dweck, once owned.

Everybody has a perfect home in their imagination. However, one thing is certain when discussing all the opulent extras that your ideal home will have: a swimming pool is unquestionably one of them. If you’re about to build a backyard oasis, take cues from these crazy and most innovative pool designs – you might find something that can inspire your project.