Poignantly associated with life, healing and vitality, water can serve as a design inspiration in many ways – and the effect of this life-giving element on our state of mind is becoming an increasingly important aspect for many designers.
Of all the elements, water is perhaps most closely associated with healing and restoration. Its reviving effect is instantly, viscerally apparent when we quench our thirst. Plants of all kinds droop without it and can be almost immediately revived when given a fresh supply; even deserts can burst into sudden, startling bloom, awakening dormant seeds in years with unusually high rainfalls. So powerful are the associations between water and healing that even just the sound of it has restorative properties.
It is hardly surprising, then, that water can spark the inspiration of designers in many ways. Partly by presenting us with problems to overcome – how do we handle sudden downpours? Partly as a source of direct visual inspiration: The aesthetics of water can be bright, clear and sparkly; offer up many shades of blue, green and grey; and be evoked in fluid and sinuous lines. What is more, water can inspire us by boosting our state of mind, mental health and general wellbeing through its physical, cleansing properties and soothing sounds. So designers can create settings that promote wellbeing by means of water. And water can be used to facilitate a clear state of mind that aids the design process.
The power of water is perhaps best encapsulated by one of its most spectacular manifestations: the waterfall. The roaring cascades, the misty spray against your skin, the rainbows thrown up by the unending droplets – and the sheer physicality of the forces released. Standing by a waterfall is a truly immersive experience. One that makes you feel gloriously, utterly alive.
This is not a new idea. The thinkers, poets and artists of the Romantic era (first half of the nineteenth century, give or take) were preoccupied with the notion of ‘the sublime’, the sensation of awe and humility prompted by vast natural spectacles like mountains, thunderstorms and of course waterfalls. Feeling such awe in the presence of the greatness of nature lets our worries fade away; according to European Journal of Philosophy, this is because it calms the ego and offers a state of mental calm and detachment.
The sound of rushing water blocks out distracting sensory input, promoting a sense of calm.
Purely physical aspects of the experience affect us too. According to the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, the negatively charged ions found in the air around waterfalls can directly affect our serotonin levels, promoting a sense of ease and wellbeing.
The white noise effect is another important aspect: the sound of rushing water blocks out distracting sensory input, promoting a sense of calm – as reported by Environmental Psychology Research. The sensation is familiar to many of us from personal experience: the sound of water (as waves, rain, etc.) is used by millions of people as an aid to concentration, meditation and sleep.
A state of calm detachment is obviously helpful in many aspects of life, but it can also greatly aid problem-solving, including in design processes. It may allow hitherto disregarded ideas to come to the surface – and it’s very helpful during the (often long!) process of refining the original idea – conceived with great passion – over the course of a development process that throws up all sorts of practicalities. Fine-tuning is best done through unhurried reflection.
It goes without saying that few of us can visit a waterfall whenever we need a reset (certainly not here in mountain-less Denmark). So what may be done to recreate the sensations and benefits of water through design?
In bathrooms, the shower is the obvious answer! Particularly, of course, if your design scheme centres around a power shower capable of imitating the force of great masses of falling water. In fact, reports suggest that the massaging effect of power shower jets can boost blood circulation, relieve muscle tension and boost serotonin levels. Even if the client’s preferences (or budget) do not extend to a power shower, other elements can be brought into play to echo the genuine waterfall experience. Even the sound alone may be enough to feel some of the benefits.
As indicated in the above, the sound of water is widely used to reduce stress. And the effect is supported by science. For example, one study conducted by departments of psychology in Switzerland and Austria states: ‘We found that listening to water sounds before a major stress situation significantly reduced the subsequent cortisol response, an indicator for the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activation.’ – which they explain in rather simpler terms as follows: ‘These studies suggest a stress-reducing effect of natural sounds, as reflected by changes in the endocrine and the autonomous nervous system. This implies that listening to natural sounds may be a simple and easily accessible intervention that is capable of positively affecting the major human stress systems.’ For full details, feel free to dive into the study yourself here. As the effect can be preventative, it can be actively used to prepare for stressful situations. So if you find yourself facing a major design challenge, you might want to soothe yourself with the sound of water beforehand.
Narrow basins like this can scaled to fit even quite small spaces – and thanks to the multiple jets, the sound is very pleasant and really fills the space. The example shown here is approximately 12 metres long and comes from “Haven i Hune” a privately designed garden in Blokhus, Denmark.
