Fields planted white impatiens at its base and edged it with Granbury limestone and a shaped panel of grass to properly showcase the artifact. As one enters the property, the carefully sited urn beckons -- a fetching focal point that effectively pulls the eye through the garden.
For an Italian Renaissance-style house and garden with more grandiose ambitions, Fields and Proler again collaborated, this time on several tableaux, including a 50-foot-long wall fountain designed by Fields and carved by Proler's artisans. With its classical lion masks and playful spouts, the fountain is reminiscent of the water follies found at the historic Villa d'Este in Tivoli. "Fountains provide great sound effects and movements," says Fields. "They liven up a garden immeasurably."
The antique-inspired marble urn and pedestal in the center of the pool spa is no less impressive. The urn was initially designed as a stationary object, but plans changed when the homeowners decided to add a cover to the pool. In a feat of engineering, a thin steel piston was inserted up into the center of the urn. Now, with the touch of a button, the artifact can be lowered to slip beneath the surface of the water.
An artist-signed 19th-century French terra-cotta sculpture of two cherubs clasping doves serves as the centerpiece for the house's covered arcade. Fields paired the sculpture with an antique Italian table whose pale Rosso Verona marble echoes the pinkish tinge of the terra-cotta carving.
The crisp parterres of the estate's rose garden called out for a show-stopping ornament to accentuate the pathways. An antique cherub fountain exhibited such finely carved and varied detail that it was ideal for a cross-axis placement, where it could be fully appreciated in the round. Fields fashioned a simple curbed basin for the fountain, to elevate it above several potted topiaries and create visual impact.
In contrast to the rich ornamentation of the Renaissance-style garden, Proler and Fields' most recent collaboration involved a more tailored house for which simple yet monumental garden pieces were most appropriate. Six robust terra-cotta jars, fashioned by Proler's artisans in Impruneta, fit the bill. Fields interspersed them with holly trees and rhythmically lined them against a garden wall. "The jars, recessed into the semicircular wall, strongly play up the curves of the garden, creating depth and interest in the space," explains Fields. "The garden is Italian in feel, so antique-inspired olive jars are a great touch." The result is a composition of classical simplicity that belies its well-thought-out design and historical antecedents.
RESOURCES: Landscape architecture by Paul Fields, Lambert Landscape Co., 214/350-8350, www.lamberts.net; garden antiques through Lynette Proler, Proler Garden Antiques, Inc., 310/459-0477, www.garden-antiques.com; architecture and Venetian-style lanterns by Cole Smith, Smith, Ekblad & Associates, 214/871-0305.
- Loading comments...
