(Excerpt from Watershapes magazine April 2001 issue)
"Biomirages founder and principal
landscape designer, Melanie Jauregui, believes there's much more to
a good exterior design than an understanding of project parameter,
sound engineering and tight planning and execution. That's why she
takes time to uncover the aesthetic and thematic preferences as well
as the emotional motivators of each client - a process that enables
her to create landscapes and watershapes that not only function as
desired, but speak to the heart as well."
After more than 19 years as a professional
landscape designer, I am still driven and excited by the challenge
of creating comprehensive landscapes for my clients. I thrive on the
complexity of organizing the myriad elements required to create outdoor
spaces the function properly, are beautiful and harmonious to the
eye - and even touch the heart.
A garden design typically evolves from
practical and relatively impersonal list of needs. The client, for
example, may want an outdoor barbecue, a terrace for dining, a lawn
for play, an herb garden and, often, a beautiful watershape of some
kind. What I've found through experience is that the way these elements
are organized and applied can enrich and add deeper meaning to the
work.
The Right Touch:
What I'm after
here is a personal touch that means something to my clients. In
some cases, it's an architectural element or pattern, woven through
the work that calls to my favorite architect, artist, or poet. Other
times, it's setting up an arbor bedecked in sweet pea because grandmother
had one just like it.
Through the years, I've found that
the various elements in a garden - plants, trees, structures, furnishings
or water - can carry great meaning for my clients. In a moonlit
garden, my clients might want gardenias because the fragrance evokes
memories of their long-ago honeymoon. In another, a client might
want an oak tree because he or she climbed one as a child. Someone
of Scottish or Irish descent might crave a Celtic cross and knot
garden as part of the landscape plan.
When you
consider these creative element or decorative elements as part of
the design, there is no end to the possibilities. Best of all, every
situation with every client and site is completely different.
So, armed
with sensitivity, creativity and a bit of detective skill, landscape
designers and watershapers can create spaces that absolutely resound
with personal meaning. We can create designs that remind clients
of their past and heritage, or we can reflect their spirit and embody
their deepest personal interests and passions.
