Selected Work
Each project below began with a site visit, a clear brief, and a commitment to craft. We build living systems, not décor.
The Tidewater Residence
A 400-gallon reef wall, built into a floor-to-ceiling niche in a modern waterfront home. The owners wanted a living focal point for their primary living room, but the space posed constraints: no structural support for additional load outside the niche, and natural light limited to late afternoon exposure from the west.
We designed a soft coral and clownfish community, chosen for its tolerance of lower, indirect light and its visual movement without requiring the aggressive feeding regimen of SPS corals. This meant less nutrient export demand and a simpler daily routine for the owners. All plumbing—intake, return, and overflow—runs behind the existing drywall to the basement mechanical room, leaving the wall face clean and uncluttered. The tank became invisible infrastructure serving a visible living ecosystem.
From initial consultation to final install: four months. The first three involved structural assessment, filtration design, and aquascaping trials in our studio. The final month was integration, lighting calibration, and a slow, staged stocking process to establish bacterial colonies before introducing the animals.
The Koi Courtyard
A 6,000-gallon koi pond and stone garden built in a private urban courtyard. The owners inherited a blank concrete pad and wanted a water feature that felt native to the space, not grafted onto it.
We spent two weeks studying the courtyard's sun path, drainage, sightlines from indoors, and the owners' daily movement through the space. The pond was sited to be visible from the kitchen window and the main garden seating area, but positioned to follow the natural slope of the land. We built a bog filtration bed into the garden slope—planted with Japanese iris and sedges—so the mechanical work dissolved into the landscape design.
The pond contains a dozen imported Japanese koi, selected for pattern and temperament. Granite stepping stones connect the courtyard edges, inviting closer inspection without the anxiety of falling in. Water clarity is maintained by circulation and seasonal maintenance visits, but the system is designed to feel more like a natural pool than a managed tank.
Meridian Hotel Lobby Installation
A double-sided, suspended planted aquascape installed in the atrium of a boutique hotel in Portland. The tank hangs between the lobby and mezzanine, visible from both levels, and serves as the room's living centerpiece.
The engineering challenge was structural: a 300-gallon tank mounted on a frame that had to pass code for load distribution without visible support legs. We custom-built a stainless steel suspension cradle anchored into the concrete beam above, disguised within the tank cabinetry.
The planting scheme prioritized low-maintenance hardy species—Anubias, Bucephalandra, Java fern, and slow-growing stem plants—chosen because hotel staff with no aquascaping experience would manage it day-to-day. We designed a monthly service schedule and trained the operations team on basic maintenance. The result is a living installation that guests see as permanent elegance, not managed exhibit.
Cloudforest Paludarium
A custom paludarium built for a private collector in Seattle, combining a waterfall wall, terrarium environment, and shallow aquatic stream. The brief was simple: bring a slice of a cloud forest indoors.
The structure is a 48-inch by 24-inch by 36-inch sealed cabinet with a false bottom, allowing us to route water from the upper waterfall through drainage channels and back to a sump without visible plumbing. Live sphagnum moss carpets the mid-level, with epiphytic orchids and Tillandsia mounted throughout. The waterfall cascades over textured stone into a shallow stream below, home to dwarf shrimp and aquatic mosses.
The technical heart is the misting automation: a timed system releases fine spray three times daily to maintain humidity and keep the mosses thriving. The sump circulates water through the stream while draining excess back, creating a miniature hydrologic cycle. The result feels less like a built object and more like a terrarium portal—still, humid, alive.
Every Piece Starts With a Site Visit
The projects above share one origin: an in-person assessment before any design work began.
We visit your space to understand its light quality, structural capacity, humidity, temperature swings, and how you actually use it. We measure, observe, ask questions, and take notes. Only then do we sketch, specify materials, and propose a system built for that exact place and that exact life.
If you have a space in mind and want to explore what's possible, let's start with a conversation.