Above-ground metal pools: 10 affordable and trendy furnishing solutions for your garden

A swimming pool in the garden (or, if there is space, on a large balcony or terrace), is a luxury but also an opportunity for fun and relaxation, alone or in company. The more scenographic and well-made the pool is, the more it will be an outdoor furnishing element of great value. And even on a tight budget, it is possible to create a pool paradise at home.

Compared to expensive masonry pools, or even some not exactly cheap above-ground pools, there is an option that has become trendy since 2017: this is the trend of using stock tank pools, or above-ground pools made from circular metal water tanks (like those that are used as watering troughs for grazing animals and livestock, hence the label "stock tank"). They are much more resistant than rubber / plastic pools because there is no risk of them getting punctured, and they can be put into the landscape in many ways - even by covering the metal of the external walls with wood or stone. See how many ways you can place them in your garden by looking at the examples below:

An article in the New York Magazine talked about this new trend and defined it as "hillbilly pools": "hillbilly" is a term used to indicate (in a somewhat derogatory way) people who live in rural and mountain areas of certain areas of the United States.

At first, it was perhaps true that the tanks were simply placed at the back of the house and used as swimming pools seemed a bit "crude" (this is also how we can translate  the word "hillbilly"), but soon a thousand ideas were born to position them with taste as part of the outdoor furniture.

There are those who have painted the exteriors so as cover the exposed, raw metal, which not everyone likes to see.

But also choosing the spot in which to place them does a lot for the aesthetic: the best solution is to think of a relaxation area that encompasses them and wraps all around the pool. They can be placed on the lawn, on the soil, on a bricked or stone clad surface. The important thing is to finish off with borders and maybe to make sure that there are stairs, or a raised wooden floor (the American-style decks) near the pool.

If paint isn't your preferred solution, you can consider lining the exterior with wood. This will be beautiful and rustic, even in the middle of sandpit!

A gazebo on a raised platform, with a green lawn around it: customize your pool project as you see fit.

And why not have wooden stairs running around the outside of the pool, ending up on a platform which is flush with the edge of the pool itself? It will look like a sea shell.

There are also those who install hydromassage systems or water heating elements, so they can enjoy these pools as if they were outdoor jacuzzis - even when it's cold.

There are also a thousand ideas for equipping the relaxation area around the pool using pallets.

And never forget the beauty and calm that plants will bring to your corner of paradise!

Would you like to install a pool made from a metal tank in your garden?