The homeowner proudly counts off the 17 different ways water goes up and down on his watershape as he guides visitors around the yard. It is indeed quite a scene, a composition of space and motion that leaves guests with much to consider and experience.
    For starters, there are waterfeatures that flow downward in what you might call the usual way: One five-foot cascade spills from a raised wall behind the spa, flowing into the spa and pushing the water from that vessel down a set of tiled stairs into the pool. There are two additional waterwalls on either side of the cascade that send gentle trickles over uneven rock surfaces, easing the flows into troughs below.
   Six other features push water upwards: Three bubbler fountains in a trough on the left side of the wall cascade, and three more bubblers in a trough on the right. This confluence of motion creates a dramatic view from the living room's window, through which one sees water dropping or drizzling down and also shooting up at different heights - quite a dramatic show.
   Finally, another set of features shoots water horizontally via a series of jets on the raised pool wall. These sprays - adapted from deck-jet fountain nozzles for this application - fan straight out onto the pool surface through decorative sconces.
   The effect is one of thin sheets of water washing across the pool's surface in small waves.
    As you walk around the watershape and partake of the rich variety of its sounds and motions, it becomes clear that the designer also has a special understanding and appreciation of the interactions of water and the rich set of finish materials he and the clients have selected. The pool and spa interiors, for instance, have pebble surfaces in hues of black and blue that effectively darken the sides and bottom and make everything below the waterline vanish - even the entry steps - and leave observers to guess at the depth of the pool.
   Overall, the impression is one of constant activity across and atop deep and inviting expanses of water - a feeling of life and action touched by great tranquility. In this case, Tardiff also breaks the traditional boundaries of the watershape, including "step-overs" in the flat decks that carry small flows of water and provide dramatic access to the pool's steps.
   The architect also enjoys the interplay of texture and color, as seen here with the rough flagstone of the raised walls and how it works with the dusty colors of the hills surrounding the home. The coping is simple poured-in-place concrete in the same cream colors as the flat deck and the classic pergola (the mass of which is mediated by the neutral coloring).