texture

Shell Games
It all started in 2002, when I was contacted by an architect who’d been retained to design a recreational complex for a huge estate in a wealthy Chicago suburb.  I knew at the time that this would be big, but in those early days I had no clear idea exactly what it would ultimately entail. It’s a familiar story:  Before the call came in, the homeowner had spoken with a number of pool-contracting firms in the area and had visited a number of projects that failed to impress her.  The unusual thing is, at the time she called I was focused exclusively on pursuing large-scale commercial projects and waterparks and didn’t see anything even approaching a
On the Verge
For the past year and more, we’ve worked our way step by step through the many processes involved in designing and installing quality residential watershapes, starting from the first contact with a prospective client and working our way through, in the last two months, to the application of well-selected interior finishes.   A concern I’ve always had with this step-wise approach is that it makes too many of these operations seem as though they happen in isolation and that decisions about design and materials and finishing touches are made as
Enduring Beauty
Last month, I entered into a discussion of the emergence of a whole range of beautiful finish materials that have helped (in my humble opinion) turn watershaping into an art form.  My focus there was on glass and ceramic tile; this time, I want to turn the same sort of attention to plaster and exposed aggregates – huge additional factors in the industry’s ongoing creative momentum. Before I begin, let me draw an important distinction:  The artistry in watershaping is not so much based on the types of materials we choose or how special or costly they might be; instead, it has everything to do with
Softly Modern
When used to classify a design style, the term “modern” can carry many meanings.  From the soaring, audacious forms of Frank Gehry and the sweeping organic spaces of John Lautner to the hard rectilinear shapes of Le Corbusier and the gem-like transparency of Mies van der Rohe, modernism is truly a broad conceptual umbrella. That sprawling diversity leaves designers and their clients with lots of wiggle room to get things done, but even so there can be challenges – as in the case depicted here, where the clients' desire for
Shimmer and Shine
Looking for a surface material as unique as the resort itself, the designers of Jade Mountain turned to David Knox of Lightstreams to create completely original tile products for use in the structure's 25 vanishing-edge pools, with each one to have its own unique colors and optical qualities.  Here, Knox describes the process of deploying glass tiles throughout one of the world's most unique and extensive watershape environments.   For me, Jade Mountain is not simply a resort in St Lucia:  It's more of a spiritual and artistic achievement - and one I helped fashion through a period of 15 months.   I felt that sense of operating on a higher plane during my first visit to the parent resort, Anse Chastanet, in March 2005.  There was something different about the project, just as there was
Shimmer and Shine
Looking for a surface material as unique as the resort itself, the designers of Jade Mountain turned to David Knox of Lightstreams to create completely original tile products for use in the structure's 25 vanishing-edge pools, with each one to have its own unique colors and optical qualities.  Here, Knox describes the process of deploying glass tiles throughout one of the world's most unique and extensive watershape environments.   For me, Jade Mountain is not simply a resort in St Lucia:  It's more of a spiritual and artistic achievement - and one I helped fashion through a period of 15 months.   I felt that sense of operating on a higher plane during my first visit to the parent resort, Anse Chastanet, in March 2005.  There was something different about the project, just as there was
Texture’s Magic
As is true of many things we savor in our lives, our perception of texture is filled with subtlety and nuance. This is particularly true in gardens, where space, form, color and texture dance together to create our experience of a living entity and, for designers and installers, of the envisioned entity as well:  We start by defining the entity's function and style - make it an outdoor room, a neoclassical knot garden or a meditative space - then layer hardscape and plant materials to engage the five senses one by one or all at once.   Texture plays a large role in creating this sensory engagement:  It's the lure that invites observers to pause and linger, to breathe deep and compose themselves within the environment.  In that sense, texture is the twin of form and the companion to color in the triad of basic garden relationships. Texture also involves an
Color Keys
Even though color is literally everywhere, most people know surprisingly little about it.  That's a knowledge gap designers in particular should overcome, says artist, colorist and teacher Judith Corona, who adds that understanding the nature of color, how it influences moods and emotions and how a color wheel works are all useful when it comes to making valuable recommendations to clients about their watershapes and landscapes.
Space Savers
Working in constrained spaces is entirely different from tackling projects that unfold in pastures where the only boundary might be a distant mountain or an ocean view.  Indeed, in small areas that may be defined by fencing or walls or adjacent structures, the constrained field of view offers substantial aesthetic challenges to the designer in that every detail, each focal point, all material and color selections and every visual transition will be seen, basically forever, at very close range. When you're working small spaces, in other words, there's literally not much room for error. In this smaller context, each and every decision watershapers and clients make will subsequently be in direct view, and it's likely that each detail will take on special significance for the clients, positive or negative, as they live with the watershape over time.  And on many occasions, what we're asked to start with as designers leaves much to be desired, including spaces already vexed by sensations of confinement, closeness or downright claustrophobia. To illustrate what I mean, let's take a look at two projects I recently completed in smallish yards for clients who wanted to
An Elegant Inception
Beginning a project can be wonderfully exciting, especially when you're working in a beautiful place with a terrific client who wants something truly elegant and special.  In fact, I can honestly say that there's nothing quite like the exhilaration of stepping into a new situation with great potential, defining those possibilities and watching a client's eyes light up with the fire of inspiration. Case in point:  Not long ago, my partner Kevin Fleming and I were called out to a job site on Long Beach Island, N.J., by local landscaper Mark Reynolds, who'd heard of us and our reputation for using top-quality materials in top-flight designs. When we pulled up, the first thing I noticed was the