Falling Waters: Simple, Elegant Fountain Designs

Pleasure isn't complicated, and neither are beautiful fountains. The timeless designs here reduce to a few elements: a great pot, a pump, some pipe, and a spout to splash water back into a reservoir. Simple but elegant.

Oil Jar Classic

A glazed blue oil-jar fountain sits on a tile-covered concrete pedestal framed by a 20-inch-deep pool in a Hollywood garden. A submersible recirculating pump in the pedestal pushes water through a galvanized pipe fitted through the jar's bottom; water trickles over the rim into a 3½-foot-square concrete-lined pool. Rubber gasket, washer, and nut seal the pipe. Pump runs on 120V with GFCI outlet.

DESIGN: Frank Perrino, Woodland Hills, CA, and Laura Smith, Hollywood. Jar from Gladding, McBean (916/645-3341 ext. 202). Tiles from California Pottery and Tile Works (323/235-4151).

Big Bowl Fountain

A rough-textured pot suits an ancient village square or this San Marino garden. Water recirculates through a pump in a fiberglass pond liner beneath the pot; stones cover the liner. Pot from Al's Garden Art, South El Monte, CA.

DESIGN: Mark Bartos, BEM Design Group, South Pasadena.

Urn of Stone

Water spills from an antique French stone urn into a rectangular pool and narrow 18-inch-deep channel in a San Clemente garden. Pump recirculates water. Design by Larry Steinle (Laguna Beach landscape architect) and Lew Whitney (Roger's Gardens, Corona del Mar). Focal point for quiet contemplation; scented geraniums and foliage nearby.