Every home tiki bar needs a water feature — and I finally found one I liked: The Design Toscano Cascading Bamboo Sculptural Fountain, found on Amazon (affiliate link). I love it — and my husband took one look and said, “It’s perfect!”
Details on this fountain:
- I paid just under $400, free shipping.
- Dimensions: 14.5″Wx13.5″Dx57.5″H 51 lbs.
- Hand-cast using real crushed stone bonded with high quality designer resin
- Each piece is individually hand-painted by our artisans
- Includes a UL-listed indoor/outdoor recirculating pump
- Exclusive to the Design Toscano brand and perfect for your home or garden
Some tips if you get one, and a few nits:
- I thought the fountain was too noisy: The water hitting the resin in each of the receptacles was too loud. I MacGuyvered the problem by putting pieces of small mosaic tile in each “cup” to shorten the height of the water-drop; then, put pieces of sponge on top of the pebbles. I’ll switch the tile out for pebbles when I get a chance. The sponges are visible, so need to rethink that, but they do do a good job of letting me “tune” the sound of the water.
- Similarly, inside the water receptacle, the water drop was long and making too much noise. I stuck something in there, too, to create a sort of “slide” that the dropping water falls on to so that it can glide, not plop, into the receptacle.
- To get the water all the way to the top of this nearly 6′ tall fountain, the only pump setting that would work was “high”. I might try to hunt a stronger pump in the future, as it might be nice to dial down the water volume at some point. I did not have any issues with the pump noise; you can hear it, but not much given the tinkling of the fountain and usually, what else is going on in the room.
- There were a few quality defects, but nothing that forced me to send it back. I need to put a bead of silicon on one of fountain beaks (I don’t know what you call them); there was one hairline crack at the back but fortunately, not anywhere anyone would see it; and, there was a tiny chunk-bite taken out of the resin at the bottom, also in the back and also not really visible. The fountain was large and heavy — it was packed well, but given its travels, I can see how there might be damage.
None of my nits are major — I am very happy with this piece! The size and scale suit the space: The living room is quite long, and I’m splitting it into a sitting and bar area. The fountain sits in the planter area that will delineate the split, and the fountain’s height is terrific 2/3 of the way down the room. I also like that the fountain is of just bamboo — no creatures or other decorative embellishment.
Happy happy, the Mahalo Lounge is coming together pretty quickly now!
Link love one more time:
- The Design Toscano Cascading Bamboo Sculptural Fountain, found on Amazon (affiliate link).
Grama Robin says
Toscano has a catalog of all sorts of interesting stuff, from women coming out of walls, to dragons, to chair and table sets that look like books, to suits of armor.
Risë says
CAN.NOT.WAIT.TO.SEE.ALL!!!
Laura Ainsworth says
I am so enjoying seeing the progress of your tiki lounge because you and I are in exactly the same place, taste-wise. It’s even a little eerie! We both have that same barkcloth print, and I even have an almost identical bamboo fountain, purchased online about a year ago. This one is more petite, though, only three feet tall, and much less expensive. It’s had to be turned off until I can repair a leak somewhere inside. When it arrived, I didn’t know to use distilled water, and the room took on the distinct whiff of moldy water after a week of use! Since there were no directions with the fountain and I had never had one, I had to do some fast research on how to combat this problem!
It looks as though I’ll have to break down and buy the larger and (presumably) better-quality version now that I know it exists, and I look forward to hearing how well yours holds up over time. My tiki living room has all its original c.1955 features, including a brick planter that I have restored. I’m creating this room to be an exotic backdrop for my adopted parrots and cockatoos! In fact, a parrot may be just the thing you need. for your Mahalo Lounge. Just don’t let him anywhere near your new sofa.
Pam Kueber says
With parrots and cockatoos flying around, you’ll need plastic slipcovers for sure. tee hee
Email me when you are done — I’d love to see the room!
Ben says
Hi Pam,
Could you share any more photos of that chair? I think I have the same one and don’t have any info about it.
Nikki says
Thanks for the sneak peek Pam! I have to confess I had my doubts, but it looks fabulous! Hubby’s plants put it over the top!
LuAnn says
Love the fountain…it’s perfect. So much to see in this sneak peak. So many layers. This room is going to be quite a work of art. I bet you will get featured in all kinds of publications, too. Love it! ❤
Pam Kueber says
Thanks, LuAnn! Yes: Layers! I have a feeling I’ll be adding more for years after I’m done!