ARTICLES Archives - Page 215 of 315

Finding Touchstones

Many great artists are best known for working in identifiable genres, styles or modes or with specific materials, themes or some other defining detail. From Picasso’s cubist abstractions to Mozart’s cascading melodies or Rodin’s bronzes to Frank Gehry’s sweeping architectural forms, geniuses of all stripes are in one way or another known for qualities that are distinctly theirs. The same holds true for many watershapers, especially those working at the top of the field. While many of us (myself included) cross the lines that divide distinctive modes, styles and genres, even the most free-spirited among us can be

Moving Toward Fruition

In my role as editor of WaterShapes, I’m often approached with tales of utterly amazing projects in the works – but still months or even years away from completion. That can be frustrating at times, because the only way to

Designing for Depth

Although the eye is commonly drawn to structures and other architecture elements found in any given exterior environment, very often it is trees that serve as visual anchors in modern landscapes. Indeed, they tend to be the largest objects on most properties and will often become focal points even in settings in which they might have started out in supporting roles. This dominance or even potential for dominance is why, as a lighting designer, I believe that trees should always receive

Going Natural

Although the concept is relatively unfamiliar in the United States and largely untested here, pools supported by an entirely natural approach to filtration and water management have been under development in Europe for decades and have caught on there in a big way in recent years. In this special feature, German watershaper and natural-pool expert Rainer Grafinger discusses the ‘technology’ behind this potent European trend. For most people in the United States, swimming is far from a natural experience: Bathers move back and forth in man-made, chemically treated backyard or public swimming pools and seldom (if ever) find themselves in

Swimming to Wellness

Most people know that swimming is a great form of exercise, but far fewer seem aware that getting in the water can mean the difference between a life of disability and one of well being for those who live with chronic injuries and illnesses. In this special feature, Barbara Goldstein describes how a daily swimming regimen has enabled her to stay fit and able in mind, body and spirit while keeping symptoms of three serious medical conditions at bay. When I was a child, I read a biography of Theodore Roosevelt and discovered that we had asthma in common. In my case, doctors treated the condition with medications, but Roosevelt had lived in a time long before the era of modern medicine, and I was interested to learn that he kept his condition under control by swimming regularly. About the time I turned 40, we had a pool installed at our home. Even with

Two years after starting work on this historic site, Jason Fragomeni looked back with pride at what he and his staff at Fragomeni Design Group had accomplished. Along that pathway to success, however, he ran into twists and turns that often had him wondering whether the project, which originated with the supposedly straightforward restoration of a 1920s-vintage swimming pool, would ever work out the way he and the homeowners hoped it would.

Restoring a Classic

It seems odd to say it, but I first became involved with this project largely because I happen to live on the same street as my clients. We all live in a beautiful, historic neighborhood in Mountain Lake, N.J., a small town that lays claim to having the largest collection of authentic Craftsman-style homes of any municipality in the United States. It’s the kind of place where residents take immense pride in the architectural splendors you see almost everywhere you turn. Most of these homes were designed and built by the legendary architect and builder

Fifteen Years After

It’s unlikely that anyone back in 1992 would have imagined that the daughter of fashion designer Calvin Klein would change the way we think of swimming pools. That might be a slight exaggeration, but to me there’s no question that Pools by Kelly Klein, first published by Rizzoli 15 years ago and re-released late in 2007, was unique at that time in treating pool design as a legitimate art form. In many ways, in fact, I think her book may well have ignited the design revolution that has unfolded in the years since it was first published. I didn’t run across this oversized volume until 1999, when I attended

With equal doses of patience and understanding, observes garden artist Rick Driemeyer, great watershapes and gardens can emerge from extended periods of close interaction between designers and their clients. A case in point is the project shared here, where long acquaintance with his clients’ wants and needs enabled him to transform a compact teahouse/pond/waterfall composition into a finely decorated, highly personalized sanctuary.

Garden Tea

It's rare in our fast-paced world when you get the chance to work closely with clients over an extended period of time – and in this case we took full advantage of the opportunity: All the way through the evolution of the project, the couple gave me voluminous information about what they wanted and enabled me not only to understand and deliver what they were after, but also allowed me in many instances to exceed their expectations. I had worked with him before on

Enduring Beauty

Last month, I entered into a discussion of the emergence of a whole range of beautiful finish materials that have helped (in my humble opinion) turn watershaping into an art form. My focus there was on glass and ceramic tile; this time, I want to turn the same sort of attention to plaster and exposed aggregates – huge additional factors in the industry’s ongoing creative momentum. Before I begin, let me draw an important distinction: The artistry in watershaping is not so much based on the types of materials we choose or how special or costly they might be; instead, it has everything to do with

Sustaining Quality

It seems that everyone’s talking about “sustainability” these days, with the usual thought being that, as exterior designers, good environmental stewardship must be one of our main missions. But what is sustainability? What do watershapers need to do to encompass this philosophy? As important, what does it mean to our clients, and where are they in all of this? According the numerous sources I’ve consulted, sustainability is defined as striving for the best outcome for both human and natural environments, now and well into the future. In other words, it’s about