Water Features – Our Top Tips

With the soaring summer temperatures, now is a perfect time to talk about the diverse functionality of the often overlooked water feature. From outdoor to indoor and decorative to functional, join us as we share some examples of water features as well as our top tips for when choosing your own.

Location

Location is fundamental when it comes to an installation. Do you want a grand water feature at the front of your house, or something positioned next to your outdoor dining space? Perhaps you’ll choose a quiet secluded corner of the garden that is just for you. Most features don’t need a water source, they just need a pump so they really can be put wherever your imagination goes.

Purpose

Water features can attract more wildlife to your garden. Birds, amphibians and even household pets use these water sources to hydrate and cool down during the hot summer days. Flowing fountains like ours on Ham Yard Hotel’s Roof Terrace are perfect for birds to drink from.

Sound

The ancient Greeks installed pools and water features to provide a source of running water, but also to bring the calming properties of water into their surroundings. The sound of flowing water is a repetitive, soft and unthreatening noise. It is scientifically proven to be soothing and meditative to listen to. This is what makes a water feature calming so it’s important to consider your preferences for sound prior to installation. Do you enjoy the sounds of a babbling brook, or would you prefer to hear the sound of water cascading down many levels? Perhaps you don’t want the sound to be overpowering, so choose a feature that’s reminiscent of Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ rather than Niagara Falls!

Running down the centre of the garden at Number Sixteen is a long narrow pond which is planted with Irises and water lilies and filled with koi. Ponds attract butterflies and frogs and it is such a joy to watch children crouching down to look at the fish. It’s worth considering what you would like to gain from your water feature and the wildlife you would like to entice to your garden.

Style

You could also take inspiration from ancient Greece and create a feature with traditional limestone carved pieces. Tapas wall fountains, bird feeders, water troughs and sculptures can all be repurposed into beautiful water features for your garden. In the Orangery at The Whitby Hotel we have a carved stone sink which is mounted between two columns and an architrave. It started life as a flower bed and has since become an ice bucket for drinks.

We would love to see how you create your own water feature and hope we have given you some ideas. Share your water features with us on Instagram @KitKempDesignThread.