One thing is certain: if having a pool is about boosting your chic creds, building a traditional pool is now off limits! 

For a while 'natural pools' looked very 'weedy' and wild so they were not much of an attractive option to many.

But as demand grows sleek designs are showing how flexible the option is.

I received an update by a very clear category leader - I felt like sharing it:

'gartenART Natural Swimming Pools are the leading company in the design and construction of natural swimming pools and swimming ponds in the UK, having built around 40 natural pools since 2004. They also offer an international design and consultancy service.

A natural swimming pool/natural swimming pond is specifically designed so you can swim in pure, clear water with no chemicals.  Its design can range from formal to entirely natural, and it is all at once a practical swimming facility, a beautiful landscape feature, and a wildlife sanctuary. 

Natural swimming pools have the advantages of conventional swimming pools, but also look beautiful and respect the environment, offering a fresh and vivid display of nature in your own garden. They are the next step in man-made swimming facilities, combining design, an understanding of how ecological systems work, and the very latest in bio-technology to produce one of the most innovative and complete garden features available..