art of concealment
As I mentioned in the first of this series of articles, I initially became involved with the art of concealment when a client showed me an interior room’s lighting system that was activated by touching a kickplate hidden in the floor moldings. It was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen (or not seen) and set me off on a career-long pursuit of
Beyond their ability to hold and circulate water, virtually all concrete watershapes have one more thing in common: Depending upon the size and complexity of the installation, their internal surfaces must be penetrated at a few points (and sometimes at many points) to move water from the
To me, there’s no watershape more relaxing or intrinsically beautiful than a well-designed, well-appointed spa. The combination of warmth, immersion and jet action is enough to knock the edge off the roughest day, and I’ve always found that conversation comes more easily when I’m neck-deep in
Once you start thinking along the lines of putting visual clutter out of sight, it’s as though a whole range of interesting concealment possibilities begin presenting themselves. Case in point: My early work in stashing hoses in buried utility boxes triggered thoughts about hiding other bits of deck “plumbing” that do a remarkable job of
There are all sorts of amenities associated with outdoor living that, taken together, conspire to create what I see as undesirable visual clutter. This is why, when I approach any backyard project, I take my time in sizing up my clients and doing all I can to figure out how they’ll be using the space. If it’s to be an active, family-oriented play/recreational space, for example, I’ll start thinking about