Thursday, September 20, 2012

Natural Waterfall Design |

Natural Waterfall Design |

It takes more deliberate planning than you might think to make a natural waterfall design.
Nature isn’t as random as it looks. You never see the perfect little patterns that people like to create in nature, but you do see definite proportions, recognizable geometry, can clear forms nonetheless.
In a wilderness setting, what you may first see as nothing more than a bunch of identical rocks heaped in a pile by a landslide is actually a mixture of many different types and sizes of rocks. Although every rock is unique, all rocks share the same basic mineral properties and create clearly recognizable geometric patterns. These patterns are perfectly symmetrical the way human masons hone them to be, but they are clearly latent in the basic forms when we look closely enough. 

Patio Landscaping, Design, & Installation, Houston, Texas |

Patio Landscaping, Design, & Installation, Houston, Texas |

What can patios do for my yard?

Patio design landscaping can do several things. They can act as transition spaces, supporting elements, of areas of interest in their own right.
What is the size limit on patios?
The only limit is how the appearance of the patio affects the look of your house. You don’t want it to overpower the home architecture. Other than that, they can be as big or small as you need them to be. Mostly we build patios to accommodate an anticipated number of visitors focused on a specific activity.

Italian Garden Design in the Heights, Houston, Tx |

Italian Garden Design in the Heights, Houston, Tx |

One of our more notable Houston landscaping design projects was the creation of an Italian garden in the Heights
. The client’s home had a classic, Old World sensibility about it. A two story structure, it rose majestically into the sky, and was distinguished by both a front porch and an upstairs balcony.
A very large oak tree grew beside the home, rising just above its rooftop. The combined aesthetic of the home’s architecture and the surrounding Houston landscape proved an ideal setting to develop an Italian garden theme.

What are great shrubs for Formal Gardens? Houston, Texas |

What are great shrubs for Formal Gardens? Houston, Texas |

Formal gardens depend on symmetry to succeed in their purpose.
Shrubs for formal gardens are integral to establishing this symmetry. The plants that are used in this type of garden design are characterized by a certain individual symmetry in their own respect.

Arrangement of a few species works to establish a strong, ordered environment where the most complex of forms are made possible with a relatively limited number of actual plant types.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Parking Lot Lights | Commercial Lighting Fixtures & Photometric Outdoor Light Design Blog

Parking Lot Lights | Commercial Lighting Fixtures & Photometric Outdoor Light Design Blog
Parking Lot Lightingparking lot lights must be configured with safety, dark sky compliance, and energy efficiency in mind. Reduced maintenance is an added plus for facilities looking for a long-term return on investment. Since lighting is extremely important to security in parking facilities, it is more important now than ever before to use the best possible luminaires for the task and to configure those luminaires for maximum performance.

How to use natural stone stairs in your design. Houston, Texas |

How to use natural stone stairs in your design. Houston, Texas |

Many people who move to Houston love the beauty of the tree growth we have but complain about the exceptionally flat terrain that characterizes most of the city.
With the exception of homes that border the bayous, lots here are like flat tabletops. Natural stone stairs are one of the most effective Houston landscaping elements that can be introduced into a yard to immediately add drama and interest to its aesthetic.
If you are already wondering how natural stone staircases can be built on a flat grade without trucking in large amounts of fill dirt, you have to visualize stairs from more than the perspective of vertical ascent to understand how they contribute to Houston landscaping design. When the eye sees a stairway, it judges the size of the stairs not so much by the incline of rise or descent, but rather by the length and width of the individual stairs.

What are Living Garden Walls? Houston, Tx |

What are Living Garden Walls? Houston, Tx |

Put a living garden wall in your exterior design and instantly you have a green oasis. Exterior Worlds creates these attention-grabbing structures by using the horticulture technique of planting shrubs and small trees, most often a an evergreen variety, then sculpting those plants into walls.