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Pondspectives with Mike
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, 4:50 p.m. EST
Pond Pros Fight Against the Recession
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By Mike Garcia
 I recently had the privilege of interviewing award-winning landscape architect and water feature installer Rhadiante Van de Voorde, founder of Elemental Design Group in San Francisco. Her business is more than 20 years old and has won numerous state and national awards for design and installation.
Every business has been hit by the recession, and Van de Voorde's business is no exception. When asked how she keeps the water feature part of her business alive, Van de Voorde relayed this experience:
“Our clients were not interested in having a water feature for the project. They had a prefab cast concrete water feature and the husband did not care for it so they did not want another one unless it was something they could get inspired about.
The most important thing any contractor can do is to understand their client's lifestyle. This particular client did a lot of entertaining. Their large yard was located in the side yard with no doors there off of the house. The rear slider in the living room opened up to a small patio space.
We saw an immediate opportunity to create a fountain focal point with arbor and lighting that is visible as soon as one walks into the living-room space. The feature's bubbling sound is perfect as a soothing background to conversations.
Another important consideration is the vessel itself. Contractors and designers need to look at the interior of the client’s home and recommend something that ties in with their personal style and color palette. Do not be afraid of color or style, and find sources for wholesale vessels in your area."
The current crisis is forcing us in the pond and water garden world to think out of the box and to go back to basics. How have you brushed up on the basics or gotten out of the box?
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