backyard design

Voices from the Designer’s Den
As part of its Wolfpack Webinar Wednesdays live online series, Watershape University has presented three installments of Design 1921: Designers Den Series, hosted by Mike Nantz. The idea is to pull back the curtain on the design process through the eyes of some of the industry’s leading designers as a source of insight, advice and inspiration. ...
2018/7.2, July 25 — A Special Edition — WaterShapes’ Overlooked Gems!
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS July 25, 2018 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE/May…
2016/9.1, September 7 — Trash-Pit Makeover, Pond Conversations, Drain Dynamics and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS September 7, 2016 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
Bobé Water & Fire Features Offers Perfect Flame
Bobé Water & Fire Features (Phoenix, AZ) has introduced the Perfect Flame, a modular system…
Backyard Battles of the Sexes
When couples get together to plan their backyards, sparks frequently fly. Once they really dig into the process and start defining their individual desires, they find all too often that their wish lists are actually worlds apart. As an outdoor designer, I’ve worked with couples who’ve run into these sorts of vision-related snags at some point in the process, and it all boils down to
The Sizzle of Fire and Water
When I want to work real magic into my designs, I play with fire – and do my best to find extraordinary ways to combine fire with water to express the full, captivating power of both of these natural elements. Picture flames dancing across the reflective stillness of a pool; or visualize them alongside an inviting walkway that leads you
Getting Ready to Design a Pool
In my recent series on exterior design, I made only brief reference to the inclusion of pools and other aquatic features as part of outdoor compositions. I’ll make up for that now with a series of three features on approaching the design of watershapes. In most cases, a swimming pool is the biggest investment my clients will make in developing their exterior spaces. Indeed, the cost of the pool itself
2011/12.1, December 7 — Designer Identity, Backyard Design, Getty Center and more
December 7, 2011 WATERSHAPES.COM FEATURE ARTICLE What Is a Designer? Lots of watershapers market themselves…
Seeing a Bigger Picture
Even these days, when new houses tend to be overly large and their lots tend to be quite small, it’s rare to encounter a situation in which there’s nothing in a backyard other than a basic patio. Indeed, there’s almost always something more to do in designing a backyard — and on many happy occasions, there’s actually a good deal to be done in integrating spaces beyond the patio into
The Artistry of ‘Painting’ with Stone
For the pond-building artist, stone is the paint — and how it is used can make or break the look of a watergarden. Choosing the perfect stone, however, is no guarantee of a beautiful outcome. That’s the realm where creativity and inspiration from