Harnessing Water’s Aesthetic Power - Part III

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Apr 2

As we continue to explore the aesthetic power of water in architecture, we look here at its use in our own modern designs. From its ability to improve health and well being, to its cooling and humidifying properties, invitation to exercise and play, and the visual beauty it adds to the built environment, water is an undeniably luxury element that we love to add to our resort style homes.

Having elements of nature incorporated into interior spaces fulfills the innate biological desire to be in connection with the natural world, and this connection has been shown to benefit physical and emotional well being (via lowered heart rates, blood pressure, stress, and cortisol levels, and improved focus, cognitive function, and creativity). This concept is called biophilic design, and it’s central to our work.

As a biophilic element, water goes beyond just adding a beautiful presence reminiscent of wild and natural landscapes to modern architectural designs. It also helps to create calming and soothing atmospheres perfect for meditation and contemplation (reflecting pools and quiet, still swimming pools).

Benedict Canyon 2023. Photo by Anthony Barcelo

Moving waters, like those found in waterfalls and fountains, add a dynamic, enlivening energy to a house, while also providing sound therapy that can transport one far beyond a home’s walls. Running water also adds negative ions to the air, which are said to improve air quality, benefit metabolism and the immune system, and generate a sense of wellness and euphoria via increased flows of oxygen to the brain.

Summitridge Drive. Photo by Anthony Barcelo

Perfect for houses in hot and dry desert climates, like our Bighorn house in Palm Desert, California, near Palm Springs, water features can help to cool and humidify indoor spaces, turning them into refreshing microclimates.

Emblematic of the luxury west coast lifestyle, swimming pools are a mainstay of the modern resort style home. As playgrounds for all ages, they provide a refreshing private oasis for lounging, playing, exercising, entertaining, and escaping the rest of the world.

Water enhances the beauty of architectural designs, reflecting and extending modern lines and shapes, and animating still objects.

Artwork displays, like these Richard Erdman sculptures at our Serenity House, seem to dance on the surface of water, beautifully reflected in it.

When paired with fire features, cooling water balances the heat of flames.

When placed both indoors and out, water helps to create a continuity between interior and exterior spaces, providing a seamless connection between the two.

Benedict Canyon 2016. Photo by William MacCollum

And in homes that feature floor to ceiling sliding glass walls, open air interior spaces can merge with outdoor pool terraces.

A controlled risk experience is one that seems dangerous, but is actually safe. When added to homes and built environments, they can provide a sense of exhilaration that ensures a living space never feels too boring or predictable. Walkways over water, and floating glass swim bridges add a bit of controlled risk to our Benedict Canyon, Bighorn, Laurel Way, Hopen Place, and Serenity houses in Beverly Hills, Palm Desert, the Hollywood Hills, and Indian Wells, California.

And finally, water adds its ethereal beauty to our resort style homes.

Laurel Way’s iconic moat pool wraps the hilltop Beverly Hills, Los Angeles home in a ribbon of blue water, and at Summitridge Drive, fountains and pools match the blue sky of the expansive views.

At Bundy Drive in Brentwood, Los Angeles a wall sized aquarium separating the kitchen and dining room brings the beauty of the ocean inside, with colorful sea plants floating in 800 gallons of water.

Indoors and out, water is therapy for the senses, and an enriching element in modern architectural design.

Marc Whipple

Harnessing Water’s Aesthetic Power - Part III

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Harnessing Water’s Aesthetic Power - Part II