ARTICLES Archives - Page 241 of 312

Developing Creative Muscles

Working as a watershape designer, I'm always a little bit taken aback when people come up to me and say they're so amazed by the work I do and that they know they could never do anything so creative themselves. It's all part of a common perception that so-called "creative" work is produced only by people who were born with a particular talent. Frankly, I don't agree with that perception. As I look back over my career and review the work of others, it's clear to me that creativity in design (or anything else, for that matter) is essentially a muscle we all can develop. Sure, some people have natural abilities that give them a boost, but the essence of creativity has more to do with the way you go about pursuing it than anything else. Along those lines, I recently finished reading Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko (Ten Speed Press, 2001). This terrific, 300-page book tackles the nature of

Hitting the Green Light

In the design and construction of any watershape, there are a number of points in the process where you can see big differences between the way custom designers and contractors do things and the way production/volume-oriented companies go about their business. From first conversations with clients straight through to commissioning the system and turning it over to the homeowners, it's easy to spot these distinctions and define key differences. To illustrate just one of these areas, let me discuss the case of the permitting phase for the project on Long Beach Island, N.J., I began covering two issues ago. What's involved here is a cluster of issues that occurred more or less simultaneously in the project's early going. The elements of this cluster may not seem directly related to one another, but

Creating an Identity

Although my practice primarily encompasses residential landscapes, I occasionally tackle a commercial project. In one such case, I was recently asked to design the entry planting and make recommendations for the hardscape at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. One of the most prestigious golf courses in the world, Riviera is the regular host to the Nissan Open, one of the sport's premier tournaments. It's a high-profile site in every conceivable way, so image is everything to the facility's owner and managers. After many years of placing what were essentially band-aids on the entry's landscape, they decided it was time for a complete overhaul and a

Hearing Voices

In all of the discussions in print and in seminar rooms about advancing the watershaping trades, it seems to me there's been a missing voice - that of the client. We spend lots of time dissecting, praising, disputing, criticizing and encouraging one another, but somehow we seem to have bypassed the thought that we should pay much closer attention to the people who pay us. To my mind, this is something that should change. As individuals, we really should know what it takes to improve and produce a better buying experience related to watershapes of all types and sizes, commercial and residential. Without this direct feedback from our clients, how on earth can we possibly know whether or not we're truly giving people what they really want? As an industry, unless we figure out some way to pool this feedback and codify it in some meaningful way, we will be

Classic Derivations

It might be something of a cliché, but it's often said that there's great wisdom in being willing and able to learn the lessons of history. In that spirit, I recently took advantage of an opportunity to sit in on a class in the

Set atop a knoll in the heart of Beverly Hills, Calif., the Virginia Robinson Gardens represent one of the area’s last vestiges of the high-society garden style of the early 20th Century. Charged with preserving this historic site for generations to come, superintendent Tim Lindsay has spent the last nine years restoring the grounds to a state the original owners might appreciate.

Original Intent

A well-conceived garden that has endured through many decades can teach us all a multitude of lessons. In the case of the Virginia Robinson Gardens, however, even getting to the point where those lessons might be recognized and appreciated has taken years of research, study and painstaking restoration. In the nine years I've been associated with the gardens, I've done all I can to determine the original design intent of those who owned and established it, stripping away generations of alterations, additions and miscalculations while interpreting the site and uncovering clues that point to the sense of mission and the creative spirit that influenced its creation and further development early in the 20th Century. I've done so with a recognition that the Virginia Robinson Gardens are important as an emblem of southern California history and an era gone by. I've also come to perceive the complexity, artistry and beauty of the space, seeing it as a blueprint that, examined closely, can serve to inspire and inform the work we all do today. The current gardens occupy most of the grounds of the former estate of Harry and Virginia Robinson, heirs to a department store fortune. My charge has been to restore and manage these six-and-a-half acres in the heart of Beverly Hills, Calif. - a graceful setting in the midst of

Shade structures have been key elements of exterior design since ancient times, observes landscape designer Robert Nonemaker – a persistence that flows naturally from their awesome visual and functional appeal. He pays homage to this tradition by building a variety of structures that accommodate his clients’ need for shade as well as their desire for refined exterior spaces.

Made for the Shade

Garden historians tell us there is evidence that pergolas and other shade structures were common features of Egyptian, Greek and Roman exteriors. They further suggest that they were normally situated on north sides of residences and were covered with grape vines or matting. Not much has changed through the centuries, although these structures are now found in all directions around homes and as free-standing features in residential designs around the globe. In modern times, these structures are used for almost every conceivable purpose - dining, cooking, fireside relaxation, parties, weddings, photo shoots and, most important, spending time with friends and family. They offer welcome retreats to those wishing to enjoy outdoor spaces on hot days and are increasingly becoming focuses of activity even in the middle of

Erosion control is a key component of any well-constructed landscape, but far too often, says erosion-control expert Richard Dunbar, property owners can’t visualize it and therefore don’t think much about it. But they’ll get the idea, he adds, if you raise the subject of runoff early in the design process – and follow up by talking about essential strategies for averting potential disaster.

Strengthening the Land

A rainstorm is a good thing: It gives us water, fills our lakes and streams, feeds our crops and landscapes and arguably makes our way of life possible. But if there's too much of that good thing, it can also irreparably damage homes, roadways, curb and gutter, crops, landscapes and other elements of the environment, particularly when we've altered the topography to suit our own purposes. The importance of erosion control and the need for including it in any land-altering project has been underscored through the years by numerous disasters, including landslides that have resulted in property destruction and even

Quality landscape lighting can add value to any home, notes landscape lighting system designer/builder Mike Gambino, but all too often clients aren’t aware of its benefits. As a result, they’re often inclined to reduce or eliminate it as a cost-cutting measure – a tendency he combats with clear communication about what good lighting adds to any setting after dark.

Seeing the Light

The goal of a landscape design is to complement a beautifully appointed home with hardscape, plants and other outdoor amenities. Once construction begins, however, reality sets in for many clients and they begin making trade-offs to trim costs and manage the project's bottom line. Most often, cuts like these take their toll on project elements that swing into place toward the end of a project, where the most significant costs tend to be related to larger plants and landscape lighting. Smaller plants can

Protecting Forms

An important and complex factor in any business is the daily paperwork required to function properly. A couple of years ago I decided to bring all the paperwork, forms and filing practices for our business up to legal speed, so I enrolled in a class on Mechanic's Lien laws and processes. The class was run by a law firm, and the first thing they said was that everyone is intimidated by forms and make it all too complicated. They advised us to