The Pool Accessories That Changed Our Lives

Installing a pool has a way of rewriting your entire life. Suddenly, your backyard becomes the most popular room in the house. Your weekends disappear. Your money vanishes. And someone, usually your partner, becomes the unofficial pool cleaner.

In our case, that someone was Damien, who spent hours each week fishing leaves out of the water thanks to a beautiful but wildly uncooperative gum tree towering over our yard. When we finally launched our robotic pool cleaner, he joked that I was “losing Jorge”, his imaginary, full-time pool-cleaning alter ego. (Shame. He was a bit cute. I suddenly understand the appeal of pool boys.)

What he didn’t realise was that we were about to get our lives back.

If you’ve followed our pool journey, you’ll know we approached it as a lifestyle project, not just a build – very much in line with the design-led thinking we explored in The Mondrian Gold Coast Is the Luxe Coastal Escape You Deserve.

The Robotic Pool Cleaner That Actually Does What It Says

(A proper road test of the Aiper Scuba X1)

I’ve tested enough “smart” home tech to be deeply sceptical. So when the Aiper Scuba X1 arrived, I had one question: will this actually save us time, or just add another thing to manage?

I can say this now with confidence: it has completely changed how we live with our pool.

The Scuba X1 is cordless, powerful, and genuinely intelligent. It doesn’t just skim the obvious leaves – it cleans everything you don’t see too. Fine sand. Algae. Dust. Hair. Insects. All the micro-debris that standard filters quietly ignore.

What surprised me most wasn’t the suction (which is enormous), but the MicroMesh™ ultra-fine filter. It captures the tiny stuff that’s usually responsible for cloudy water and that “is it clean or not?” feeling.

Translation: the pool looks consistently, confidently clean, without constant chemical intervention or manual scrubbing.

If you’re currently weighing up functional upgrades versus aesthetic ones, this sits firmly in the “why didn’t we do this sooner?” category – much like many of the luxury pool design decisions we now consider non-negotiable.

The Bit No One Talks About: The Waterline

If you have a pool, you know this truth: the waterline is the worst part to clean.

No matter how much you scrub, the grime comes back. It’s awkward. It’s messy. And it usually involves harsh chemicals and getting soaked.

The Scuba X1’s horizontal waterline cleaning (Waveline™ 2.0) is where it earns its keep. It actively targets that exact zone, removing algae, oils and buildup without you having to touch it.

For Damo, this was the moment. No more scrubbing. No more complaints. Jorge officially retired.

A Pool Cleaner That Thinks (So You Don’t Have To)

What makes the Scuba X1 feel genuinely next-gen is the navigation. It uses WavePath™ 3.0 technology and ultrasonic sensors to adapt to different pool shapes (making easy work of our curves and steps), while avoiding obstacles and preventing missed spots.

It doesn’t wander. It doesn’t get stuck. It doesn’t need babysitting.

The app gives real-time updates, cleaning modes and retrieval alerts, which means you can set it going, get dressed, host friends, or simply ignore your phone for once.

This is pool care that fits into real life.

Poolside, Perfected: The Basil Bangs Effect

Once the pool was actually easy to maintain, we leaned into the fun part.

Shade That Sets the Tone

A great umbrella does more than block the sun – it anchors the whole space. Clean geometry, calm colour, and something that visually holds its own against water, greenery and architecture.

Ours is the Basil Bangs Jardin Soft Scallop in Alpine Green, and it does exactly that. I’m obsessed with the scalloping with white contrast piping, the strong geometry, the fabric weight, and that understated sage colour that works back with white, grey and cerulean blue (okay, Miranda Priestley).

We also added the matching bean bag and cushions to tie everything together, which shifted the whole area firmly into outdoor entertaining territory.

The Pool Towel Hack I’m Slightly Too Proud Of

I went on a journey trying to find the perfect pool towels. I had my heart set on Baina – elevated, editorial, beautiful – but the colours weren’t quite right for our grey-green scheme.

Then, in a plot twist I didn’t see coming, I found the perfect forest green checkered towels on Temu. They’re thick, genuinely absorbent, and somehow look amazing rolled up.

We bought eight and keep them rolled in a basket by the pool, ready for spontaneous swims. No scrambling. No apologising. No one drip-drying on your good cushions.

Rule of thumb: if friends can jump in the pool at a moment’s notice and you’re prepared, you’re doing summer right – a philosophy we also apply to effortless hosting more broadly.

The Outdoor Shower Saga

(Built with vision. Not plumbing qualifications.)

No pool setup is complete without an outdoor shower. Naturally, Damo decided to build ours himself using assorted bits of brass sourced from AliExpress.

In theory? Stunning.
In practice? Three full rounds of assembling, disassembling and swearing.

Does it still have a tiny leak? Yes.
Does it look absolutely gorgeous? Also yes.

The brass ties back perfectly with our pool fence hardware and outdoor lighting. I added LEIF brass-mounted body products alongside the shower, plus matching brass towel hooks, so everything felt intentional rather than “Bunnings-adjacent”.

Small Poolside Wins That Bring Me Disproportionate Joy

A few unsung heroes worth mentioning:

Green plastic cups from Kmart: unbreakable, cute, and pool-appropriate
My Kindle (yes, it matches my Fella one piece)
A setup that doesn’t require constant supervision or stress

These are the things that make the pool feel usable, not precious.

Swimwear, But Make It Practical

Pool days demand swimwear you can actually live in. For me, that means flattering, supportive styles that don’t require constant adjusting.

These local brands deliver every time:

And the accessory that quietly pulls every pool look together: Lorna Murray pleated hats. Effortless, chic, and extremely photogenic.

The Quiet Luxury of Being Prepared

When your pool is clean and your accessories are sorted, people stay longer. Kids swim more. Adults relax. No one apologises for the mess.

That’s the real upgrade.

The Pool Decisions We’d Make Again (Even the High-Maintenance Ones)

We worked with Blue Haven Pools to install a custom concrete curved pool that Damo actually drew himself.

We chose larger-format marble-look waterline tiles for that crisp finish, and white pavers, which look incredible… until the wind blows, it rains, or the gum tree reminds us who’s boss. A jumbo bottle of 30 Seconds Paver Cleaner now lives permanently nearby.

Do we regret it? Not for a second.

The white reflects the light beautifully, makes the water sparkle, and delivers that clean, resort-like feel that drew us to the design in the first place – very much aligned with the luxury pool design trends we continue to love.

Final Verdict: Is the Aiper Scuba X1 Worth It?

If you have:

Trees
Wind
Kids
A partner who has quietly become the pool cleaner

Then yes. Absolutely.

The Aiper Scuba X1 doesn’t just clean your pool – it gives you back your time, your weekends, and your sanity. And in our house, it officially replaced Jorge.

Which I think we can all agree is progress.

Written by Sigourney Cantelo