The Myriad Styles of Water Wall Fountains

Mounted and free-standing water features are readily available on the market. You can install a mounted wall fountain because they are little and self-contained. Normally made of resin (to resemble stone) or fiber glass, these types of fountains are lightweight and easy to hang. Floor fountains are freestanding, big, and also have a basin on the ground as well as a flat side against the wall. Generally constructed of cast stone, this kind of water feature is not restricted in weight.

Custom-built fountains which can be incorporated into a new or existing wall are often prescribed by landscaping designers. A professional mason is required to install the water basin against the wall and properly install all the plumbing inside or behind the wall. It is also necessary to add a spout or fountain mask to build it into the wall. A custom-built wall fountain blends into the landscape instead of standing out because it was a later addition, which adds to a cohesive look.

Contemporary Garden Decoration: Garden Fountains and their Beginnings

Pure functionality was the original role of fountains. Residents of urban areas, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains needed to be connected to nearby aqueduct or spring. Up until the nineteenth, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water source, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to decorate their fountains. Throughout the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners incorporated fountains to create mini depictions of the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.

Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Gravity was substituted by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.

Nowadays, fountains adorn public spaces and are used to honor individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.