A great pool looks beautiful in the St. Petersburg sunshine. Add water features to your new pool, and your outdoor space feels beautiful. Custom water features add movement, sparkle, and a soothing soundscape, transforming your backyard into a private resort.
At WinWay Pools, our clients love water features because they do two things at once:
- They elevate your custom pool’s design, and
- They shape the experience, whether you want spa-calm, a dramatic focal point, or something playful for family time.
Pools and water features can also increase your home’s value, as pools have become increasingly popular for new home builds in areas like St. Petersburg, Parrish, Bradenton, Palmetto, and other nearby coastal Florida communities.
Need help getting started? Here’s a simple, water feature menu, plus fresh ideas for where each feature can work best in your pool layout.
Water Feature Menu: What’s Your St. Pete Outdoor Vibe?
Before you start browsing water features online, here’s a question you may want to ask yourself: Do I want my new pool to feel more like a spa, a showpiece, or a playground?
Most homeowners want a blend, but choosing a primary “vibe” for your outdoor space makes your design decisions (and budgets) much easier.
1: Spa-Calm Water Features
These are the calming water features you choose when you want your pool to feel like a retreat: quiet, soothing, and effortlessly elevated.
Sheer Descents
A sheer descent is a clean, modern sheet of water that looks amazing in both daylight and night lighting, and sounds even better at night when it’s time to detox after a long day. It’s also a great choice for adding a bit of luxury without taking over the entire pool design.
Best placements: Consider adding a sheer descent on a raised wall behind your pool to create a backdrop moment in your outdoor space. Or add descents along the walls of your custom spa for a soothing look and feel.
Spillover Spa: Your Built-In Soundscape
Think of a spillover spa (a raised spa with a spillway) as the relaxation soundtrack for your private, backyard oasis. The spillover spa adds movement and soft sound, providing a natural focal point or a place to perch and lounge.
Best placements: You can center your spa on a feature wall to anchor your backyard, or place it at the edge of the pool, where the spillway becomes a visual bridge between outdoor zones (arrival zones, gathering zones, quiet zones, etc.).
Rain Descents and Water Curtains
Rain descents, also called rain walls or water curtains, are an effective way to add soft drama and energy to your backyard retreat. Their soothing sound mimics the sound of soft rain, and they are particularly impressive in the St. Pete sunshine or when illuminated at night (paired with custom lighting).
Best placements: Often, rain descents are placed near a spa zone or a tanning ledge. You can add them anywhere you want to create a spa moment without adding too much bulk to your custom pool’s design.
2: Dramatic Water Features
These are the water features for homeowners who want their outdoor spaces to dazzle their guests with a dramatic custom pool that invites family and friends to stay from sunrise to sunset.
Wall Scuppers and Spillways
A scupper is a stone spillway where water flows in thin, smooth sheets for a bold, dramatic effect. If you love modern design, scuppers and spillways can give you a crisp architectural look while still delivering that soothing water movement. Think clean lines, strong symmetry, and high-end resort energy.
Best placements: These are often placed along a long raised wall, especially behind a linear pool. Scuppers can also frame a spa feature as the centerpiece for your pool and backyard.
Cascading Waterfalls
Cascading waterfalls add a lush, luxurious feel to your pool and backyard, especially when they’re scaled correctly for the yard and paired with landscaping or textured wall materials. Even a single waterfall adds natural movement and a strong presence to your outdoor space.
Best placements: Place waterfalls where you want a destination corner for your new pool. Waterfalls also work nicely when paired with planting beds or integrated with a rock/stone feature.
Nighttime Features and Lighting Pairings
If you’re going for a dramatic pool vibe, don’t stop at the water. Lighting is what makes water features feel magical after sunset by highlighting each ripple, shimmer, and texture. And with the right pool lighting plan, your backyard could become a second living room at night — a place for quiet soaks and last-glass-of-wine conversations under the stars.
Best placements: Consider a grazing light along a sheer descent to amplify your water’s surface. Add softer uplighting behind a spillover spa wall and narrow-beam lighting to make the bubblers on a ledge sparkle.
3: Playful Water Features
These features make your pool feel fun and interactive — without sacrificing style. WinWay Pools can even “tune” the flow of your water features, so the sound is fun and relaxing, rather than loud and distracting.
Poolside Bubblers
Bubblers are a favorite custom add-on for poolside enjoyment. A bubbler is a small feature with a surprisingly big payoff in terms of sound, sparkle, and movement, especially on a sun shelf where you and your guests can lounge, chat, and cool off.
Best placements: Bubblers on a tanning ledge is a classic pairing, but they also work well in shallow play zones for the kids. Or you can place them near in-pool bench seating for a playful vibe.
Deck Jets / Fountain Jets
Deck jets or fountain jets add a playful touch while still feeling sleek and modern. Think graceful arcs into the pool (especially for kid-friendly zones). Jets are a great way to create movement without a big pool structure.
WinWay Pools can also add swim jets, which create a current that allows you to swim in place and get a full workout without needing a large pool.
Best placements: Consider adding jets to one of the long sides of your pool deck for a clean design. Jets also work well near a shallow pool zone.
4. Water Features Outside the Pool
Some of the most calming outdoor spaces use water features near the pool — not necessarily in it. Water features pair well with lush landscaping, such as a stone waterfall and/or a creek to add motion and visual interest in the backyard.
Courtyard Fountains and Sculptural Water Moments
A small fountain near a seating area can make your entire outdoor space feel more like a destination, especially when you want a calm ambiance outside the swimming zone. If you’re planning a new pool while building a new home in the St. Pete area, WinWay Pools can partner with our sister company, WinWay Homes, to create sculptural water features that align with your new home’s architectural design.
Water-and-Fire Combinations
If you’re going for a luxury outdoor vibe, consider a water-and-fire combination. Visualize how flame movement can add shimmer and warmth to your pool at night. You’ll see this layered design approach in some of our resort-style pool projects showcased in our Gallery.
Where Water Features Work Best: Quick Pairing Guide
- If you have a tanning ledge: Bubblers + soft lighting = easy resort vibe
- If you’re adding a spa: Spillover spa + a clean wall feature = calm focal point
- If you want a modern look: Sheer descent + linear wall + evening lighting = sleek resort
Pro tip: If your yard is smaller, one hero feature, like a slim sheer or a spillover, usually looks more intentional than many small features competing for attention.
Need Some Aquatic Inspiration? WinWay Pools Can Help
If you’re looking for ideas to increase the value and enjoyment of your luxury pool, WinWay Pools designs fully custom pools with 3D renderings, so we can help you choose water features that fit your layout, your budget, and the way you actually live outdoors.
For some aquatic inspiration, start with our WinWay Pools Gallery, to see custom pool designs with sun shelves, spillover spas, and resort-style features.
If you already know the feeling you want for your outdoor space — spa-calm, dramatic, playful, or a blend — our team can help you choose the right pool and water features and place them where they will have the most impact.
Explore our Gallery, then reach out for a consultation when you’re ready to elevate your outdoor luxury experience.
