Laura Laviada-Checha

Back when I was still new to watershaping in the mid-1990s and working for a construction firm in Northern California, I was asked to review a project for a custom home under construction in Napa Valley.   I was intrigued, partly because the identity of the client was a closely held secret and partly because all project information and bidding was flowing through an architect in Mexico City.  But what really grabbed my attention was the set of plans for the home and grounds - just incredible! I'd never seen anything like it.  The modernist-style home was based on big vertical and horizontal planes in brilliant colors.  There were courtyard fountains, large rectilinear reflecting pools and a beautiful vanishing-edge swimming pool.  The design was so outstanding that even when we missed out on the project, I held onto