Darin Farnworth | Design Principal | LandCreativeInc. | Costa Mesa, Calif.
Jeff Stephenson | President | Splash Pools & Construction | Chino, Calif.
Photo: Reza Allah-Bakhshi Photography
Modern Waterways
When a design starts with a good story, it can easily become great. That’s why Darren Farnworth draws a detailed, if fictional, profile of imaginary homeowners for his model-home waterscapes.
WHAT THE JUDGES THOUGHT
The use of water-in-transit is subtle. It is not the technical challenges , but the final effect that you notice — the wonderful reflectivity of the water and the illusion that the fire pit area floats. You never see the magician behind the curtain.
— KATE WISEMAN, principal designer, Sage Outdoor Designs, San Diego
Here, he saw an artist wife who creates in the backyard. Farnworth also needed to marry modern features and lines with a Tuscan home exterior.
By layering ethereal destination spots within a meticulous plot plan, Farnworth created this sprawling waterscape, which benefits from an old-world approach to water, but presents it in modern-day terminology. Art plays a significant role. Farnworth had more spatial depth than usual, so he layered features to be viewed one after the other, terminating in a sculpture perched at the back of the yard and aligned with the home’s center line.
Tight intersections between water and land reference the Tuscan architecture. Water surrounds a portion of the home, with one of the abode’s load-bearing columns embedded in the pool. Five scupper-type waterfeatures are reminiscent of aqueducts from the Old World. “With a lot of Mediterranean-style homes or even classic Italianate homes, water is a strong, playful element in landscape design,” Farnworth says.
In that spirit, the pool surrounds a sunken seating area. The stone-clad fireplace keeps a low profile so loungers can see over it.
Sheltered by the home’s overhang, a perimeter-overflow spa supports a double-sided fireplace on its wall. The open firebox allows a view beyond. Water oozes over the surface on both sides, for a wet-wall effect. A stainless steel frame around the firebox, protruding slightly from the stonework, diverts falling water away from the flame.
SUPPLIERS
Pump, filter, heater, controller, lights, fittings, skimmers, autofill: Hayward Pool Products
Tile: Arizona Tile
Pebble interior: National Pool Tile
Waterproofing: Sika Corp.
Grill: Viking Range
