8 Dreamy Water Features for Gardens Big and Small
Consider these ideas for small pools, minimalist channels and cascading streams to add a relaxing element to your yard
There’s something wonderfully relaxing about listening to trickling water in a garden. While it’s easy to assume that you would need a large outdoor space to accommodate a pond or a stately waterfall, there are many water features that can fit into a more compact garden. Find inspiration for your own outdoor room — big or small — in the following eight designs.
2. Cut Through the Middle
This terrace is enhanced by a water feature that’s both minimalist and dynamic. The designer used the living wall as the starting point to run a thin bronze rill vertically down it and onto the paving.
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This terrace is enhanced by a water feature that’s both minimalist and dynamic. The designer used the living wall as the starting point to run a thin bronze rill vertically down it and onto the paving.
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The water feature cuts across the patio, intersecting another rill so that water runs in four directions. The bronze channel is positioned off-center, so the owners can still easily use the space.
Drainage plays an important role in the design. “The entire paved floor sits on pedestals on a concrete base with a waterproof membrane. If there’s a leak, [the homeowners] can just lift the stone without breaking anything,” designer Stefano Marinaz says.
Drainage plays an important role in the design. “The entire paved floor sits on pedestals on a concrete base with a waterproof membrane. If there’s a leak, [the homeowners] can just lift the stone without breaking anything,” designer Stefano Marinaz says.
3. Have It Trickle Alongside Stairs
If you have some steps in your garden, consider installing a water cascade alongside them. Here, the designers created a stepped feature to the left of a brick staircase wall. Water flows from top to bottom for a series of mini waterfalls that adds movement and a soothing sound.
If you have some steps in your garden, consider installing a water cascade alongside them. Here, the designers created a stepped feature to the left of a brick staircase wall. Water flows from top to bottom for a series of mini waterfalls that adds movement and a soothing sound.
4. Create a Clear Cascade
Add a waterfall spillway to the end of a rill for a design that will complement a contemporary garden. A flat, stainless steel lip allows the water to cascade clear of the wall here in one sheer expanse. Spillways are available in a variety of widths, so you should be able to find one to fit your water feature. Choose a design that features a strip of LED lights for a stunning feature at night.
Add a waterfall spillway to the end of a rill for a design that will complement a contemporary garden. A flat, stainless steel lip allows the water to cascade clear of the wall here in one sheer expanse. Spillways are available in a variety of widths, so you should be able to find one to fit your water feature. Choose a design that features a strip of LED lights for a stunning feature at night.
5. Encourage Reflection
Even if space is limited in your garden, there are plenty of ways you can bring in water. Rather than installing a feature on the floor, use vertical space. This mirrored waterfall panel has been tucked into raised beds that surround a seating area. It’s the ideal spot for enjoying the gentle trickle of water, and the mirrored surface helps to bounce light around.
Even if space is limited in your garden, there are plenty of ways you can bring in water. Rather than installing a feature on the floor, use vertical space. This mirrored waterfall panel has been tucked into raised beds that surround a seating area. It’s the ideal spot for enjoying the gentle trickle of water, and the mirrored surface helps to bounce light around.
6. Play a Long Game
Try untreated copper fo a water feature that will age with the garden. This waterfall wall is made of welded copper and will naturally patinate over time. The water comes through the wall to the chute, then spills over into the pool below.
Try untreated copper fo a water feature that will age with the garden. This waterfall wall is made of welded copper and will naturally patinate over time. The water comes through the wall to the chute, then spills over into the pool below.
7. Tuck It to the Side
Need most of your outside space for entertaining? Try this streamlined idea: Have a simple cascading waterfall blade jut out from a wall above a drainage tray. The crisp, contemporary design takes up hardly any room, but the feature makes a real impact in a garden.
Need most of your outside space for entertaining? Try this streamlined idea: Have a simple cascading waterfall blade jut out from a wall above a drainage tray. The crisp, contemporary design takes up hardly any room, but the feature makes a real impact in a garden.
8. Lead the Way
A stunning water feature complete with water lilies and goldfish fits in a relatively small area of this contemporary garden. The designer used the yard’s entire width to achieve this effect. The steppingstones encourage people to slow down, and turn a quick walk from the patio to the garden beyond into a leisurely stroll.
Tell us: Are you planning to install a water feature in your garden? Which of these ideas would work in your space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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A stunning water feature complete with water lilies and goldfish fits in a relatively small area of this contemporary garden. The designer used the yard’s entire width to achieve this effect. The steppingstones encourage people to slow down, and turn a quick walk from the patio to the garden beyond into a leisurely stroll.
Tell us: Are you planning to install a water feature in your garden? Which of these ideas would work in your space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
More on Houzz
How to Create a Mini Outdoor Retreat
Browse thousands of landscape photos
Find a landscape designer
Shop for outdoor products
The water feature in this courtyard garden merges traditional and contemporary style. The circular pool with a rill, or small stream, above it forms a classic waterfall design, complemented by the beautiful plantings that surround it. The copper adds a modern twist, as does the rill’s straight-edged form.
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