Water features

We love to include water in our designs, whether in the form of fountains, ponds, pools or cascades. We use many different materials for constructing these features, and experience has shown which ones respond best to long exposure. We have also experimented with acoustics, so that many of our gardens resound with the soothing and inspiring sound of running water.

Water is often seen as a symbol of life, an idea that has particular resonance in a garden, where nothing can grow without it. We may install a modern irrigation system for your convenience, but the addition of a sparkling cascade or a still pool is a wonderful reminder of the natural processes and landscapes that inspire all of our work.

In the shade of the Catalpa tree: Alexander square, London.

We transformed two Atelier Vierkant pots into water features for this garden, placing them at basement level, where they can be appreciated from the house, the steps and the upper garden. The water is pumped up in jets that create shining ripples on bespoke metal plates produced by Rimex to cover the tops of each pot. The effect is intensified at night, when each water jet is illuminated with an LED light.

A garden in Chelsea (Courtyard).

In this enclosed space the scent of summer jasmine combines with the sound of moving water to evoke images of ancient Islamic gardens. Water flows across the walls in horizontal channels, runs through the shining rills that intersect the courtyard’s pale paving, and lies still and translucent in an oblong pool.

Bird’s-Eye View.

This courtyard links our client’s apartment to a spiral staircase leading to the roof garden. The space is defined by a water feature made from black granite, and two curved granite slabs that serve as stepping stones. Water ensures a constant play of sound and light in the small space, and at night the water jets are illuminated.

A chic outdoor space: Holland Park, London.

At Ilchester Place a pool interrupts the symmetry of the pale paving slabs. This creates a striking contrast between the black granite we have used for the pool and the pale sandstone slabs surrounding it. Ripples extend in perfect circles from each water jet, ruffling the surface of the pool and filling the garden with sparkling light and the gentle sounds of water on the move.

Cresswell Place

In Cresswell Place we have taken a more traditional approach with a wall fountain that would look at home in an Italian Renaissance garden. We have flanked this wonderful feature with sandstone benches, their legs carved in Classical Roman style.

Serenity in the City: Primrose Hill, London.

We have made this elegant, bronze panel into an unusual wall fountain for the garden extending from the modern interior. Enveloped in a bronze-metal casing made for us by Rimex, it is a handsome feature from any angle.