Outdoor and landscape
Reflecting Pools
Reflecting Pools, planned around how the room is used before how it looks — layout, hardware, services and the six house styles we draw it in.
Overview
Reflecting Pools, in plain specification
Written for the decision, not for the mood board.
The parts of reflecting pools that fail first are the parts nobody looks at — hinges, runners, seals, fixings and the edge nobody sealed. That is why our specification names hardware by model and the substrate by grade, and why our estimates look different from ones written by category.
Every reflecting pools we build starts from how the room is used at its busiest hour. Circulation, reach and storage volume come first; elevations come second. It is a slower way to start and it removes most of the changes that would otherwise appear halfway through production.
Two homes can specify reflecting pools identically and get different results, because site conditions differ: slab level, wall plumb, humidity, water hardness and how the household lives. The specification is a starting point that we adjust against the survey.
Six house styles
Reflecting Pools in six personalities
The same brief resolved six ways. Each carries its own material, finish and detailing.
Minimal Reflecting Pools
Serene Minimal treats reflecting pools as chalk · pale oak · linen: nothing decorative survives unless it also does work. Fabric: Solution-dyed acrylic. Fill: Quick-dry foam. Deck: WPC, grooved.
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Bold Reflecting Pools
Bold Contemporary treats reflecting pools as charcoal · oxblood · smoked oak: high contrast, confident mass, a single saturated move per room. Fabric: Solution-dyed acrylic, 5-year. Fill: Quick-dry foam with drainage. Deck: Composite with hidden clips.
See this styleHeritage Reflecting Pools
Modern Heritage treats reflecting pools as teak · cane · antique brass: indian craft detailing on a contemporary frame — jaali, cane, inlay and hand-finished brass, used sparingly. Fabric: Cotton canvas. Fill: Coir. Deck: Teak with plugs.
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Photo: jenny downing · BY 2.0Classic Reflecting Pools
Classic Luxe treats reflecting pools as ivory · statuario · gold: proportioned panelling, cornice and moulding, book-matched stone and warm gilt detail on ivory. Fabric: Solution-dyed acrylic. Fill: Quick-dry foam. Deck: Porcelain paver on pedestals.
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Photo: Ken Lund · BY-SA 2.0Scandi Reflecting Pools
Indo-Scandinavian treats reflecting pools as birch · chalk · sage: pale timber, soft daylight and muted green — nordic restraint adapted for indian light, dust and humidity. Fabric: Outdoor weave. Fill: Quick-dry foam. Deck: Composite.
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Photo: kohlmann.sascha · BY-SA 2.0Deco Reflecting Pools
Art Deco Glam treats reflecting pools as emerald · brass · lacquer: fluting, fans and geometry. Fabric: Solution-dyed acrylic. Fill: Quick-dry foam. Deck: Porcelain on pedestals.
See this styleSpecification
Reflecting Pools specification, style by style
This is the table we issue to the factory and the site. It is also what a warranty is enforced against, which is why it reads in grades and dimensions.
| Specification | Minimal | Bold | Heritage | Classic | Scandi | Deco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame | Powder-coated aluminium | Marine-grade aluminium | Teak, unfinished | Powder-coated steel | Aluminium | Aluminium with brass detail |
| Fabric | Solution-dyed acrylic | Solution-dyed acrylic, 5-year | Cotton canvas | Solution-dyed acrylic | Outdoor weave | Solution-dyed acrylic |
| Fill | Quick-dry foam | Quick-dry foam with drainage | Coir | Quick-dry foam | Quick-dry foam | Quick-dry foam |
| Deck | WPC, grooved | Composite with hidden clips | Teak with plugs | Porcelain paver on pedestals | Composite | Porcelain on pedestals |
| Drainage | Fall to channel drain | Pedestal system with free drainage | Fall to spout | Channel drain | Fall to channel | Free-draining pedestals |
| Wind | Rated to 60 km/h | Rated to 90 km/h | Sheltered use | Rated to 60 km/h | Rated to 60 km/h | Rated to 90 km/h |
| Shade | Retractable awning | Bioclimatic louvre roof | Timber pergola with vine | Retractable canopy | Shade sail | Motorised louvre roof |
| Lighting | IP65 step lights | IP65 with dimming | Lantern | IP65 wall lights | IP65 step lights | IP65 profile in louvre |
Before you commit
How to choose reflecting pools
Six checks that prevent the failures we are most often called to fix.
- Start with drainage and waterproofing. An Indian balcony takes horizontal rain, and every outdoor project that fails, fails there first.
- Check the structural load allowance before adding pavers, planters or a pergola to a balcony or terrace.
- Specify UV and salt resistance honestly. Powder-coated aluminium and solution-dyed acrylic survive; painted steel and standard fabric do not.
- Plan for wind. Anything light enough to move in a pre-monsoon squall needs to be fixed or storable.
- Give planters proper drainage and a root barrier, and route the overflow somewhere intentional.
- Consider afternoon sun before furniture: an unshaded west balcony is unusable from 3pm regardless of what is on it.
Bangalore
Reflecting Pools in Bangalore
What the city's climate, water, housing stock and society rules mean for this specification.
Working in Bangalore means working around two practical constraints more than around climate. Apartment societies restrict working hours, service-lift access and debris removal; and the new high-rise stock along the eastern corridor is handed over as a bare shell, so reflecting pools arrives at the same time as every other trade.
Balcony enclosure rules vary sharply between societies, and a few refuse them entirely. Anything involving a balcony gets checked against the society's own rules before design, not after — including in Indiranagar and Koramangala, where older buildings often have their own restrictions.
The mild climate is a genuine advantage: solid timber and veneer move far less here than in Delhi or Chennai, which makes craft detailing more durable and more affordable than it would be elsewhere. It is one of the few Indian cities where that is true year-round.
Hard borewell water in Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Hebbal and Yelahanka leaves scale on glass, chrome and stone within months. Where the supply is hard we specify surfaces and fittings that tolerate it, and we tell the family the honest maintenance routine rather than leaving them to discover it.
For Bangalore homes we hold material with the grade and batch recorded, and we plan deliveries around society access rules rather than around our own convenience.
Sizing
Reflecting Pools by home size
Sizing below is what we plan reflecting pools to in each home size. These are working dimensions from completed projects, not catalogue minimums.
| Home size | Typical scope | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 BHK | Compact, single run | Compact planning, one clear gesture |
| 2 BHK | Standard, two runs | Standard scope, most common brief |
| 3 BHK | Full specification | Full scope with storage planned in litres |
| 4 BHK | Extended with island or dresser | Extended scope, bespoke elements |
| 4+ BHK / Villa | Bespoke, villa scale | Villa scale, bespoke throughout |
Cost
What moves the price of reflecting pools
We quote line by line rather than per square foot, because these are the items that actually differ between two estimates.
- Waterproofing and drainage correction, which is invisible and often the largest item.
- Frame material and grade for coastal exposure.
- Shade structures, especially motorised louvre roofs.
- Planting, soil and irrigation.
- Outdoor-rated electrical work, which is a different specification to internal wiring.
Process
How the work runs
Five stages, with the decisions each one locks.
We measure the space ourselves rather than working from the builder's drawing, note the services, water quality, daylight and society rules, and write down how the room is actually used. Reflecting Pools is specified against that survey, not against a catalogue.
Plans, elevations and details, with the specification written as grades and dimensions. You approve an elevation, not a render — this is the stage where changes cost nothing.
Material, finish, hardware and services are locked, and the estimate becomes a line-by-line document. We tell you exactly what this date locks and what can still change afterwards.
Factory production runs to the approved drawing while site work is prepared. Material is checked against the approved sample on arrival, in daylight, and stored correctly until the programme calls for it.
Installation, testing, snagging and a documentation file with drawings, warranties, decor codes and hardware models. A first-year service visit is scheduled at handover.
Living with it
Maintaining reflecting pools
The honest routine, and the mistakes that cost the most to undo.
Care and maintenance
- Clear drains and channel gratings before and during the monsoon; a blocked balcony drain floods the room inside.
- Store or cover cushions during the monsoon even when the fabric is rated for it.
- Wash salt off metalwork in coastal cities every few months.
- Oil teak annually if you want it to stay honey-coloured; leave it to silver if you do not.
What goes wrong
- Building a deck over a terrace without checking the waterproofing membrane underneath first.
- Using indoor-grade fabrics and finishes outside because they were on hand.
- Blocking a drainage path with a planter or a deck edge.
- Adding weight to a cantilevered balcony without checking the structure.
Detailing
Reflecting Pools detailing notes
The small decisions that separate built work from assembled work.
A pedestal-mounted paver deck lets water drain freely underneath and lets you lift a panel to service the drain. It is the single best outdoor detail for Indian terraces.
Keep the finished outdoor level below the internal floor level with a clear threshold detail, so wind-driven rain cannot cross.
Screen the neighbours, not the sky. Vertical louvres at eye level do more for usability than a heavy roof.
Lighting outdoors should be low and warm — step lights, planter lights, one wall wash. Bright overhead light makes a terrace feel like a car park.
Questions
Reflecting Pools — answered
Will Reflecting Pools survive the monsoon?
If it is specified for it. Marine-grade aluminium, solution-dyed acrylic and free-draining decks handle Indian monsoons; indoor materials moved outside do not last one season.
Can a balcony take a deck and planters?
Usually, but the structural allowance must be checked, especially on cantilevered balconies in apartments. Pedestal systems help because they spread load and drain freely.
How do I stop water entering the room?
Keep the external finished level below the internal, maintain a drainage channel at the threshold, and never block the existing fall. Most water ingress is a level problem, not a sealant problem.
What maintenance does an outdoor space need?
Clear the drains, wash salt off metal, cover or store soft furnishings in the monsoon, and check the waterproofing annually before the rains.
Is a pergola allowed in an apartment?
Society and municipal rules vary and often restrict permanent structures on balconies. A freestanding, removable structure is usually the workable answer.
How much shade is enough?
Enough to make the space usable at the hour you would actually use it. For a west-facing balcony that means blocking low afternoon sun, which needs vertical shading, not a roof.
Do you work on reflecting pools projects across Bangalore?
Yes — Bangalore is where most of our projects are, from apartments along Sarjapur Road, Whitefield and Hebbal to independent homes in Jayanagar, Indiranagar and Malleshwaram. We survey the space ourselves, work within the society's access and working-hour rules, and hand over with a documentation file. There is a dedicated page for our work in the city if you want the full picture.
Does Bangalore's climate or water affect this choice?
The climate helps and the water does not. Mild year-round temperatures are kinder to timber and joinery than almost any other Indian city, so craft detailing lasts. Hard borewell water in the eastern and northern corridors is the real constraint — it scales glass, chrome and stone, and it changes what we specify and what maintenance we ask the family to commit to.
Explore more
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Next step
Planning reflecting pools for your home?
Send your floor plan and we come back with a layout, a material direction and a line-by-line estimate. Free survey across Bangalore.