MODERN WATER FEATURES
Going with the flow: mood-setting water features
bring drama, movement, sound to a modern home

From the pages of CA-Modern magazine
By JC Miller

Many design elements found in well-designed mid-century gardens continue to fit well within the framework of the 21st century modern home and serve as great sources of inspiration. These classic designs include dazzling water features -- their shapes oftentimes unique with mood-setting drama, movement, and sound -- capable of transforming a backyard or atrium into a place even more special.

The Donnell garden of Sonoma, from 1948, is the most famous and recognizable of the more than 2,000 gardens designed by the Northern California-based master landscape architect Thomas Church. It is home to what is probably the most photographed swimming pool of all time. Great form is one design element that makes this pool so special.

At first glance the pool's shape looks like a freeform 'kidney,' but it is actually an asymmetrical composition of arcs and tangent lines. The angles and curves of the pool's edge play off the regularity of the adjacent grid pattern in the paving. While this move gives the composition plenty of visual punch, true genius is found in the abstract sculpture that seems to float in the pool. Its sinuous shape and the shadows it casts add depth and drama to the sparkling water.

Not every yard is large enough for a swimming pool, and most budgets don't allow for original pieces of monumental sculpture, but there are aspects of the Donnell garden design that can easily be translated into a water feature that is just right in a contemporary garden.

Form and focal point are two of the elements that make for a successful water feature, and both came into play for San Jose Eichler owner Michel Graff when he constructed a spill-style fountain in his atrium. "We really like the classic shape of Architectural Pottery," Graff says, referring to the distinguished modern pottery manufacturer. "We selected a low, inverted cone bowl for our fountain and had it glazed a bright green so that it stood out against the red-orange walls of the house."

Graff elevated the ceramic basin on a pedestal and placed it asymmetrically in a nicely balanced composition that brings a visitor's gaze to rest naturally on his creation. Similarly, the placement of the pool sculpture in the Donnell garden is responsible for much of the remarkable visual balance found in that classic design. A planter bed or lawn with a sculptural fountain strategically placed just off center can have the same effect. This kind of focal point can also be realized through something as simple as a basin of still water, floated with bright flowers and placed on a tabletop or set in a bed of gravel, which one discovers as he or she moves through the garden.

The idea of discovery is important to Judy Kameon, a Los Angeles-based designer whose recent work includes the gardens and fountains at the swanky Parker Hotel in Palm Springs. "Water can be a great addition to any garden, large or small, but not every garden can handle a big fountain or pond," Kameon says. "Often we will tuck a small, splashing water feature into the planting to the side of a path or in a private corner. This gives you something to discover as you move around in the garden. The sound of water can act as an audio cue, drawing people out into the landscape."

At times Kameon has used the fountain designs of modern landscape pioneer Garrett Eckbo as an inspiration in her projects. The famous fountain that Eckbo created in 1959 for the Alcoa Forecast Garden of Los Angeles is a good example of the pleasing acoustic quality of water in the garden. It was made up of two distinct parts: an active sculpture with splashing jets and a shallow reflecting pool.

An abstract form that resembles a flower, Eckbo's fountain was made of aluminum -- an unusual material for the garden at the time. Water spouted from silvery tubes at the center of the piece and splashed against the flat-panel sides, creating a jazzy percussion. The water then poured into the reflecting pool, generating ripples that expanded across the surface into the gently curved edge. "The sound of water has a relaxing effect," Kameon says. "And it changes people's moods."

Sparkling jets, musical notes, and the movement of water made Eckbo's garden feature a mid-century masterpiece. These same components work well in contemporary gardens created by Kameon's firm, Elysian Landscapes. "Many of our gardens are in urban and suburban contexts," Kameon points out. "There are neighbors, you can hear traffic noise -- but the sound of water can mask some of that. It can transport you away from city life."

Eichler owner Margaret Chester of Concord agrees. "It is lovely to have the water sound which echoes around the house when all of the sliders are open," she says. The self-contained sculpture and fountain that Chester purchased at a Berkeley garden pottery retailer and installed in her atrium provides delightful music to her surroundings in a very practical way. The fountain does not require a plumbing connection or drain; it is filled with water manually and needs an electrical outlet and occasional maintenance.

John Quick of Pacific Water Art, a Sunnyvale-based company that specializes in the design and construction of custom fountain mechanical systems, reminds clients early on of maintenance considerations. "It is critical that everyone involved in the project understands that fountains and ponds aren't natural systems, even though they might look very realistic," Quick points out. "They require attention in order to function well and look their best. This is true whether you are talking about a backyard pond or a large-scale corporate fountain complex."

He suggests that homeowners start with a construction and maintenance budget and then work with their designer or contractor on a water feature that can be achieved within that budget. Quick has seen people become "very disappointed when they can't build a project that they have fallen in love with because of the cost," he says.

Judy Kameon offers similar advice. "At Elysian," she says, "we are site-specific designers. Our clients often suggest certain ideas and we use them as the jumping-off point. Then we look at how the idea can be executed in a way that is sensitive to the site and responsive to the client's tastes and resources."

Because water features can be expensive to build and maintain, the quality of the materials and construction are important considerations. "That's why we are a design-build firm," says Kameon. "That approach allows us to be involved from the very beginning with all aspects of the project. This ensures that the design is implemented and executed as intended."

The design-build approach is not limited to professional installations, however. In fact, any homeowner who undertakes the construction of his or her own fountain is doing design-build. When Tom Borsellino and Monika Kafka moved into their present Eichler home, it came equipped with a custom-cast concrete planter that had been fabricated in the 1960s by the home's original owner. The couple had lived in the neighborhood before buying their current house, and Borsellino recalled that they had always noticed the planter -- in part because of a tall dead tree that occupied it, but primarily because of the planter's appealing shape and size. Kafka marvels that neighbors have even asked them if they wanted to sell the planter. "There is something about the shape of it -- Eichler homeowners just seem to love it," she says.

When the garden became theirs, Kafka embarked on a design-build water feature that included creative reuse of the vintage planter. She relocated it to a more appropriate spot in the back garden, provided electrical power and a pumping system, and added a colorful ceramic sphere that was drilled to accommodate a fountain outflow. She also built a companion fountain in the atrium that complements the design of the larger backyard fountain. "When you walk into our atrium," Kafka points out, "you can see through the glass walls of the house. Both fountains are visible. It makes for a very relaxing environment."

Borsellino estimates that the project took about a month to complete and cost in the neighborhood of $200, not including the unique planter. Kafka feels that it was worth that price, and more. "My children are always outside in the garden, and they love to play with fountain," she says. "This is really what outdoor life is all about."

All dream projects have price tags, but fortunately it is possible to add water to the garden at just about any budget. John Quick estimates that professional design and installation of a relatively modest feature will run $10-15,000 or more. "A large koi pond with a waterfall and the sophisticated filter systems needed to keep the fish alive can cost as much as a swimming pool," he says.

Fortunately, many smaller-scale water features are not technically difficult and may be completed over several weekends by a handy homeowner. Michel Graff estimates that his project cost around $2,000, most of that expense going to the mason who built the concrete block planter. Graff stretched his construction budget by completing the built-in bench, planting, and fountain mechanical work himself. Margaret Chester's self-contained fountain cost approximately $400 and required only the help of a couple of strong friends to put it in place.

San Jose Eichler owners Tim and Carol Bermudes managed to bring a fountain with strong architectural presence to their patio for an astonishing $67. "Nothing fancy for our 1954 Eichler," Tim says. "A $13 concrete mixing tub, $10 worth of cinder blocks, a $30 pond pump, and a $10 pond light."

Resources

• There are many resources available to homeowners who want to undertake a fountain project. Books and periodicals describing how to go about building your own water feature can be found at local booksellers or on the internet. The California Landscape Contractor's Association is a good place to start when looking for builders of fountains and pools. Their web site includes many excellent suggestions on how to find and select a contractor.
• Judy Kameon and Elysian Landscapes are online at Elysianlandscapes.com
• For more information on the design work of Thomas Church and Garrett Eckbo, see two new books by author Marc Treib: 'The Donnell and Eckbo Gardens: Modern California Masterworks' and 'Thomas Church, Landscape Architect: Designing a Modern California Landscape' (both from William Stout Books).

The Do-It-Yourself Frugal Fountain

Fountain design: JC Miller

Photographs of Tim and Carol Bermudes' fabulous and frugal fountain inspired us to try our hand at a water-feature design of our own appropriate for the modern garden.

Our goals were simple; we wanted an interesting design, and it had to be inexpensive. We used only readily available materials and gave ourselves a budget of $100.

We started our own 'frugal fountain' project with a trip to IKEA, one of our favorite places for affordable creativity. After wandering a while, we came across a set of stainless-steel nesting bowls with a very appealing half-sphere shape.

With the bowls as our starting point, we prepared a quick design sketch that helped us determine the materials that would be needed to complete the fountain project.

With a materials list in hand, our next stop was a large home-improvement store, where we picked up a fountain pump, tubing, a plastic bucket that would function as a reservoir, and some necessary hardware items (a length of threaded pipe, nuts, and rubber washers).

Back home in the workshop, we drilled one-half-inch-diameter holes in the bowls to accommodate the threaded rod and a drain tube. We opted for a smaller bucket than the one shown on our original sketch -- primarily because we didn't want to dig a deep hole. This means that the fountain will need to be filled more frequently.

Assembling the fountain took approximately an hour and required an electric drill with large drill bits, and pliers to tighten the nuts. We added painted blue rocks to the bottom of the fountain to give it a greater sense of depth.

When we eventually placed our fountain, we followed designer Judy Kameon's advice and tucked it into a planting in an atrium corner. The sound of splashing water now beckons visitors into the space and invites them to sit down and relax. The spot that we chose also allows the fountain to be seen through the glass wall of the living room -- enhancing the connection between the two spaces.

Our new fountain is self-contained, so it does not require plumbing or a drain. To power the pump, we ran an extension cord rated for outdoor use into a grounded outlet in the atrium, and then tucked it out of sight behind a bamboo hedge.

The total cost for our 'frugal fountain' project surprised us -- and made us proud. We came in at $63 -- $4 less than the Bermudes inspiration!

Photos: David Toerge, JC Miller, Marc Treib, Michael Greene; and courtesy Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abbey Archive, Elysian Landscapes, Tim and Carol Bermudes, Margaret Chester.

Special thanks to Renee Adelmann of marinmodern.com for location assistance.