editor’s note
Anyone who's a parent knows that taking pride in their children's accomplishments and personal growth is one of life's greatest joys. In my case, that pleasure has been one of the defining factors of my existence for the past twenty-plus years - ever since the day my son Brett Herman was born and was joined four years later by his sister, Amanda. I know that I'm right in line with other parents who call their children
Successful design is, I think, most readily achieved by linking a landscape to the architecture it accompanies. During my years as a landscape designer, however, I've seen far too many places where the landscape was apparently designed in a vacuum, displaying little to no connection to the home or any other structures on site. To the contrary, our job as landshapers is to
One of the themes we touch upon frequently in the pages of WaterShapes centers on the concept that an industry once thought to be the exclusive realm of fast-talking, quick-drawing operators with questionable products has been experiencing a brisk, revolutionary shift toward
One of the themes we touch upon frequently in the pages of WaterShapes centers on the concept that an industry once thought to be the exclusive realm of fast-talking, quick-drawing operators with questionable products has been experiencing a brisk, revolutionary shift toward
When you talk to clients about why they want a swimming pool or spa, which benefits generally top their lists? Are they after beauty, luxury or a relaxing lifestyle accessory? Or is it the sound of moving water, a focus on entertaining or a place to play? Through the years, I've spoken with lots of you about how important it is to understand precisely what
I've always found it interesting that most of us have such a clear divide in our minds between technical and aesthetic thinking. Science tells us that our brains conduct analytical and logical thought processes on one side and creative and emotional thought processes on the other - and that certainly makes sense when you consider
Labels are often deceiving: They don't always tell the whole story. In the green industry, for example, most of us identify ourselves as either designers or contractors, but after 18 years of landshaping, it's clear to me that a majority of us are really to varying degrees both designers and contractors. The very best designers understand
October has always been my favorite month. I was born in October and married not once but twice within the span of its 31 days. My son's birthday is October 11, and where I live in southern California, the weather is as beautiful as it gets straight through: The first hints of winter's chill chase
One of the perks of my job as Editor of WaterShapes is that from time to time I get to go on the road to see truly great work in person, often in stunning locations. Occasionally, however, when I walk on site my best expectations are blasted to
With a first glance at last month's cover of LandShapes, a colleague of mine said he thought it more properly belonged on the cover of an architecture magazine instead of on my landscape publication. It was beautiful, he said, but he felt that the dominance of the wall in the image made him wonder if he'd received the right magazine. In defending the choice of this photograph, I found myself flooded by all sorts of thoughts and considerations, many of them having to do with
