Mosaic Swimming Pools – Art in the Pool

When you think of Mosaics, you immediately think of stained glass windows and complex tile floors. Today we will be looking at some of the leading designers and discussing the future of Mosaic Pool Art with one of the industry leaders Danilo Bonazza, owner of Art & Mosaics. Ever since the swimming pool was first conceived of, people have been customizing the interior to be truly unique and one-of-a-kind. When you think of how intricately designed some inground pools can be, it isn’t really such a stretch to consider adding a mural or mosaic art to the interior. Folks have been doing it for hundreds of years.

Swimming pool interiors provide a great blank canvas for some artists to truly convey how creative and skilled they can be. Mosaic pool tile itself is considered to be an artform in the swimming pool industry and a niche skillset is needed to achieve the elaborate and intricate designs seen here. Each design can take hundreds of man hours spent painstakingly assembling the mosaic artwork.

For hundreds of years skilled craftsmen have been applying their trade in finer residential homes and commercial buildings. Over the last few decades however, the art form has taken on a new meaning as pool designers look for new and modern ways to incorporate mosaics into the pool interior.

The number of mosaic tile artists has dramatically increased over the past ten years. A new generation of multi-talented pool designers / mosaic tile artists are elevating the level of complexity and creativity that can be expressed in the pool interior. It’s a signal of how far pool tile technology has progressed to allow such ingenuity in assembling such vivid images. Manufacturers like Tile Doctor and Litokol are rapidly advancing their product lines to keep up with the high demand in the pool industry.

In the sphere of luxury inground swimming pools, there are many examples to be found that simply inspire and visually delight. Some of the most remarkable examples that truly captivate our imaginations are Mosaic Pools. There is just so much time and labor and experience required to pull off the effect with dexterity. In many instances pool builders avoid doing mosaic tile interiors simply because they are aware of how painstakingly difficult the designs are to properly achieve.

We spoke with leading mosaic pool tile artist – Danilo Bonazza. An industry veteran with over two decades of experience designing pool interiors all over the world. We had the opportunity to catch up with Danilo between projects and discussed the future of Mosaic Tile Art in swimming pools.

I think it’s remarkable where the industry is headed. Pools provide the type of canvas that tile artists dream of. There is something almost angelical about someone swimming over my artwork that is truly surreal.

Danilo Bonazza – art & mosaics

We asked Danilo how the industry has changed over the years since he first got started applying his artwork in pool interiors. “Mosaics used to be very rare in swimming pools. You only really found them in resort hotels or really high end homes” said Bonazza. “In the last ten years or so the artform has definitely caught on. I think pool designers in general are eager to adapt the skillset as part of their repertoire because of the sophisticated look the effect achieves” he continued.

We asked Danilo what most inspired him to begin working with mosaics. “I’ve always drawn to them. Where I grew up in Ravenna, in Italy I was surrounded by beautiful artwork my entire childhood. My hometown is famous for it’s mosaics. It’s just something I’ve always been enormously passionate about my entire life”.

When asked how he correlated swimming pools with mosaic art Bonazza replied “They really go hand in hand when you think about it. A swimming pool is an extravagance in itself. Mosaic art is simply taking that extravagance to the umpeenth degree”.

We certainly agree, adding mosaic artwork to the interior of a swimming pool is an indulgence that many simply can’t afford. The average price tag for installing a mosaic artwork interior can cost more than the swimming pool itself. Certainly not your run of the mill pool feature, and one that is still typically requested by folks looking for a more classic and refined look.