ARTICLES Archives - Page 56 of 314

Lessons in Trust

As I mentioned a couple months back, we've been remodeling, and the end is in sight. After a delay of some weeks caused by issues with kitchen cabinets (one tall unit came in the wrong color, two small ones were damaged in cross-country transit), we appear to be on the home stretch and could even be done within a few weeks - which may be enough time for me to internalize a valuable

It was a fairly straightforward consultation that became much more fun, writes Paolo Benedetti, as he made a few corrections, offered a few suggestions and found a fellow traveler on the road to visual perfection.

Modern Mystique

When the call came, it was immediately apparent just how narrowly defined my efforts on the project would be. The basic design for the pool and its spa was already complete, which made perfect sense given how completely they had been integrated into the home's overall footprint. What the architect wanted, I learned, was an expert who could come in, evaluate the plans and basically keep him and his team out of trouble with respect to all of the details and practicalities related to

Setting Egos Aside

'One of the themes I've covered repeatedly through the years,' wrote Brian Van Bower in opening his Aqua Culture column in September 2009, 'has had to do with the need for all of us to become effective team players. 'True, there have been times when egos have gotten in the way and I've found myself in fairly dysfunctional groups, but for all that, I have to say that collaboration very often

Giving to Receive

'The notion that we should do all we can to exceed client expectations,' wrote Brian Van Bower to open his August 2009 Aqua Culture column, 'is one we hear trumpeted in almost every inspirational business seminar and in nearly every keynote speech during trade shows. 'There are very good reasons for

Asked to work on a spa after a general contractor had started its construction using an ill-advised approach, Grant Smith moved forward knowing there'd be conflicts on site -- but confident that the clients had his back as he worked to rescue a key feature of their remodeling project.

Stepping In

If I had my way, each of our watershaping projects would start with participation in the design-development phase, followed by a teamwork approach aimed at delivering a wonderful composition to deserving, contented clients. This, however, was not one of those smooth-sailing projects, not even close. By the time I was contacted about this one, remodeling of the house had already been under way for three-plus years and seemed to be following a roundabout path toward completion at some elusive future date. I wasn't surprised to learn that

In the Cards

Of all the promotional tools Dave Garton has deployed to support his watershaping business through the years, nothing has been more effective than his business cards. Why so? As as he reports here, it's because there's more to them than the usual bits of contact information.

Soul Searching

For more than 20 years now, both as a printed magazine and as the WaterShapes web site, we've focused more or less exclusively on custom, high-end, full-featured projects, the thought always being that by offering a steady diet of

The Designer’s Environment

'To my way of thinking,' wrote David Tisherman to open his Details column in August 2004, 'professional design work requires a professional workspace in which all of the necessary professional tools are available. 'In fact, for the designer creating custom watershapes, I see the space in which the work actually unfolds as being critical and cutting to the very heart of what it really means to be a "designer." I know that

Celebrating a Legend

Sad to say, I will not be able to see this exhibition for myself. But if you live within striking distance of the New York Botanical Garden or have any plans to be anywhere near New York City between now and September 29, please do not fail to visit NYBG while "Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx" is up and running. This amazing event has

It was a most unusual remodeling project, notes Carla Sovernigo. Partly it had to do with its scale and complexity, but mostly it was because it took three full years to finalize the design and then another whole year to align every last detail with the clients' highly refined ambitions.

The Gradual Renovation

Participating in a major project is sometimes like watching a child grow up through various developmental stages: Good things take time! Our own involvement in one of these endurance tests started when we were called out to a 25-year-old home in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: It was being updated from a dreary, dated style to something modern and contemporary for clients who were all about luxury, five-star amenities and state-of-the-art detailing. The architect and the home builder