Art Deco Foyer Garden with a Water Feature

The glass-block wall lets daylight flood the entrance while keeping the space private, since you cannot see clearly through the textured blocks. It glows like a lit screen through the day, which suits a spot that might otherwise be dark. Glass block is also solid and low-maintenance, unlike a plain window. It gives the plants the light they need without an open window to the outside, so the greenery does well in what is really an internal lobby.

The floor is a glossy green tile laid in a herringbone pattern, which carries the garden feel down to ground level and plays off the terracotta walls. Herringbone adds movement underfoot and looks more considered than a straight grid. The green ties the floor to the plants and the glazed partition. A glossy tile in an entrance does show wet footmarks and needs a wipe, but it also bounces the glass-block light around and keeps the narrow space bright.

It is a glazed partition in a rose-gold metal frame, patterned with art deco arches and fitted with textured glass. It separates the entrance from the bar lounge without closing it off, so light and a sense of the room beyond still come through. The arch pattern matches the window grilles used through the rest of the home. Screening the lounge like this gives arriving guests a moment before the space opens up, rather than stepping straight in.

Yes, a single wire-framed lounge chair in mustard sits among the plants, softened with a blush cushion. It is a light, open-weave chair that does not block the narrow space or hide the water feature behind it. One chair is enough here, since this is a spot to pause and take off shoes rather than a sitting room. Its warm yellow picks up the copper and terracotta tones, so it belongs to the scheme rather than standing out awkwardly.

It needs sensible planning rather than being a problem. The pool is sealed and the pump recirculates the water, so the main jobs are topping up for evaporation, an occasional clean to stop algae, and a check on the pump. Good ventilation, which the ceiling fan here helps with, keeps humidity in check. Run it past a plumber and an electrician early, since it needs a water top-up point and a safe power supply, and those are hard to add afterwards.

It scales down well because it is really a narrow strip of space put to work. In a compact home you might drop the pool to a small wall-mounted water feature, keep a section of glass block for the light, and cluster three or four potted palms instead of a full border. One chair still fits. The idea is to treat the entrance as a room worth designing, not a corridor, so even a slim version changes how the home feels on arrival.

The glass-block wall gives bright, indirect light through the day, which suits palms and ferns well, so they do better here than in a windowless hall. They still need watering, the odd feed and a wipe of the leaves to keep them glossy. Choosing hardy indoor varieties over fussy ones keeps the work down. If you travel a lot, a mix of real plants near the glass and a few good artificial ones deeper in the corner keeps the look with less effort.