Steve Martin’s Los Angeles property had a pool that looked almost severe at first glance: minimal, clean and stripped to the essentials. But the scene was softened by a row of potted plants running around the perimeter, giving the white façade a little color and soul.

The design, set against crisp right angles and a monochromatic palette, is still being held up more than 40 years later as a model of restraint that never feels cold. In spring and early summer of 2026, that kind of pool is back in step with a broader shift toward appreciating the architectural bones of a space rather than burying them under decoration.

That matters because pools often lose character when they are treated like empty concrete shells, framed by nothing more than open space. The example from Martin’s property shows the opposite: greenery can soften a minimalist design without weakening it, and the plants kept the white stucco from drifting into something sterile.

The appeal also points to a larger turn in high-end outdoor living, where sharp lines and geometric clarity are being read as assets again. A pool does not need to be busy to feel finished. In this case, the plants did the work that furniture and ornament often do, and the result still reads as relevant today.

That is why the old Los Angeles pool has come back into view in 2026. It answers the basic design question plainly: the look endures because the balance was right from the start.