features

Pentair Launches Line of Water Bowls
Pentair (Sanford, NC) has introduced MagicBowl Water Effects, a line of fountain bowls that bring…
Inquiring Minds
'Watershaping carries us onto the properties and into the private lives of our clients, and it does so to such a personal, even intimate level,' wrote Brian Van Bower to start his February 2010 Aqua Culture column, 'that I see the value and importance of getting to know them to the best of my ability.  Invariably, that means asking the right questions and knowing how to
Organizing Chaos
The backyard-design process, it's been said, is something like completing a jigsaw puzzle: You start with a framed space and assemble available pieces to fill in the picture. But there are two problems with this common analogy: First, the number of available pieces far exceeds the physical capacity of the frame and, second, there are no precut tabs or notches to guide placement of the selected pieces. So you'd be closer to the mark if you said that design is like the worst, most challenging jigsaw puzzle ever - and even then, the typical backyard-design task is much harder. Shining a light on this process is
2019/3.1, March 6 — Hillside Prowess, Fish Addition, Design Components and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS March 6, 2019 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
Healing Ways
Through the years, Bruce Zaretsky has designed enough healing gardens that he knows just how comforting they can be for patients, caregivers and loved ones.  But they only work, he notes, when designers keep some basic principles and several user-specific design factors in mind.  
2018/8.1, August 8 — The Right Revision, Comforting Spaces, Neptune Pool Repiping and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS August 8, 2018 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
2017/10.2, October 18 — Mansion Memories, Lighting Dynamics, Fountain Miscue and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS October 18, 2017 www.watershapes.com IN MEMORIAM…
Another Look
Before I walk away from my little series of blogs on big transitions, I want to call attention to renovations, which I consider to be both a generational phenomenon as well as the greatest potential source of projects and market growth through the next
#27: Fire Bowls
This article concludes a little series I've been doing that feature bowls in association with my pool and spa designs.  The first two were about water bowls in very different applications.  This one is about fire bowls and, in greater detail, about materials you can put in them to cover the burners, disperse the flames and make them look good even when
Pool Lifestyle Tables from Inter-Fab
Inter-Fab (Tucson, AZ) makes Pool Lifestyle Tables designed for use on tanning ledges in swimming…