PHOTO BY DONNA DOTAN

Like many during the pandemic, interior designer Betsy Wentz started dreaming of a pool while her family was stuck at home. Last summer, she made it happen.

“We ended up morphing from this very small idea of a small pool, to a larger pool — and then including the pool house,” she says.

PHOTO BY DONNA DOTAN

Featuring a glass nano wall that opens up to the black-bottom pool and terrazzo tile floors from Concrete Collaborative in California, the roughly 800-square-foot pool house has Mid-Century Modern vibes that match the family’s Sewickley home, which was built in the 1970s but has century-old stone walls surrounding it.

“We decided to make it very modern to match the house, but then tied in old, tumbled stone on the exterior fireplace. We also designed it so that the exterior stone would go inside and be an interior wall within the living room,” Wentz says of the pool house. “We really wanted it to look like an extension of the house.”

PHOTO BY DONNA DOTAN

The pool building, which also includes a bathroom and changing room, has a kitchenette anchored by a striking wall of stacked blue tile. Known for her love of color, Wentz, who owns Betsy Wentz Interior Design in Sewickley, filled the sleek space with artwork she picked up in various travels (including a lively painting by Rob Tucker). She also used a vintage rug runner she had in storage while waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it.

“It was such a little jewel box for me to get to do whatever I wanted there, and it was fun to have this different palette of bright pastels,” she says. “It’s really just 100% fun.”

PHOTO BY DONNA DOTAN

Although Pittsburgh is known for its short pool season, Wentz says she heads to the outdoor space throughout the year as an entertaining and hangout spot along with her husband, Chris, and their four kids — who range in age from 13 to 22.

PHOTO BY DONNA DOTAN

“It’s a multi-use space and I think for us, as a big family, it’s always nice to have another spot where people can go,” she says.