WaterShapes

The web site for all professionals and consumers who've made or want to make water a part of their lives

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Photo courtesy Questar Pools & Spas, Escondido, Calif.
Photo courtesy H2Oarts, Santa Paula, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hess Landscape Architects, Lansdale, Pa.
Photo courtesy Design Ecology, Austin, Texas
Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.
Photo courtesy Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif.
Photo courtesy Rock Solid Tile, Calabasas, Calif.
Photo courtesy Hughes Water Gardens, Wilsonville, Ore.

Core Value

Most watershapers would agree that it’s relatively easy to build excellence into projects that come with large budgets – and that it’s much harder to stay on the path to quality when working in the mid-range market. Rather than compromise and degrade the product (which happens far too frequently, says G. Bruce Dunn of Mission Pools), the savvy contractor should focus on finding ways to deliver at the highest level, even for clients of modest means.

A Big Sky Statement

Given the opportunity, Raymond Jungles jumped at the challenge of surrounding a home far from his usual base with water and native plants. As he discusses here, making it work was about identifying a new palette and using it in ways that harmonized with

Sweeping Beauty

The logistics were tough and the technical challenges even tougher, notes Robert Nonemaker. But a systematic approach (and a supportive general contractor) helped him and his staff develop a hydraulically complex fountain system for a corporate client wi

Meeting Special Needs

Ponds are often valued for being uniquely calming and comforting. But for a child with autism, these watershapes can also be therapeutic in a number of ways. That's wonderful news for these kids, Mike Gannon observes -- and great for their families as well.

A Champion's Pool

The project started with a touch of mystery, says Chuck Baumann, but not knowing the name of the client up front was no barrier to defining the site's potential -- or to asking for an expanded budget that would take full advantage of breathtaking views of

Healing Ways

Through the years, Bruce Zaretsky has designed enough healing gardens that he knows just how comforting they can be for patients, caregivers and loved ones. But they only work, he notes, when designers keep some basic principles and several user-specific

#31: Piers

His projects don't often require them, reports Mike Farley, but as he writes in a brief introduction to a video on the subject, there are times when piers are an essential construction detail -- one that requires expert guidance in finding the right respo

Floating Fascination

Within the broader specialty of fountain design, fabrication and installation, the art of designing and installing self-contained floating fountains for ponds, rivers and lakes might best be seen as a similar but separate technical specialization – as an art within an art. Here, veteran designer Richard Van Seters explores this unique niche, using his experience and insight to pull back the veil on a type of watershaping that is unlike any other.

Hearts of Stone

Sculptor Alan Hochman has carved out a unique niche for himself by using the visual drama of natural stone and combining it with subtle flows of water. These works of sublime beauty and expressiveness draw inspiration from nature, eastern philosophy and

Nature's Way

Back in November 2008, Brian Van Bower turned his attention to the natural side of watershaping -- and elaborated on a familiar set of constraints he's encountered along the way.

Beauty Within Reach

In Jim McCloskey's 50-plus years in Los Angeles, he's come across some underappreciated gems -- including this amazingly accessible garden space.

Remembering Ferruccio Vitale

Never heard of Ferruccio Vitale? Neither had WaterShapes book reviewer Mike Farley — until he read R. Terry Schnadelbach's book about him. As Farley admits in his review, "...it actually bothers me that this is my first contact with such a great landscape

CRYSTAL FOUNTAINS VIDEO SHOWCASE

Click 'play' to watch the current showcase video

New Products at Watershapes.com

Hayward Launches OmniHub Smart Controller

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Hayward Pool Products on OmniHub, a smart controller for pools, spas and associated systems.

S.R. Smith Launches Updated Lighting Control

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from S.R. Smith on poolLUX Plus2, a two-zone lighting-control system for pool environments.

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from California Umbrellas on its Pagoda Series of classic-style umbrellas.

Bobé Offers Cannon Scuppers in Multiple Sizes

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Bobe Water & Fire Features on its Cannon Scuppers for pools and other waterfeatures

Daldorado Launches Pool-Grate Support System

Pool/Spa Systems & Equipment
Product information from Daldorado on DalLUX, a support system for stone and tile deck grates

Ledge Lounger Offers Modular Padded Lounges

Outdoor Living Systems & Accessories
Product information from Ledge Lounger on its Mainstay Sectional, a modular customizable lounge system for outdoor deck applications.

An Event to Remember

WaterShapes World (blog)
After returning from the recent 'Designing Water' symposium at Longwood Gardens, Jim McCloskey sorted through all of his impressions of attendees, presentations and Longwood's Main Fountain Garden before whittling the list down to three thoughts he wants