There’s this story about the building of the Taj Mahal. It appears that Shah Jahan not only constructed a white palace for Mumtaz Mahal, but he also was constructing a black one as his final resting spot. As the story goes, structure of the shameful one ceased when Shah Jahan’s son took charge and imprisoned his dad. (Surely, Shah Jahan was neither the first nor the last to get into trouble for overbuilding, but that’s a story for a different time.)
Though some say the black palace was never completed, a few say it was and that it is the manifestation of the white Taj Mahal in the water. I very much enjoy this excuse, as it embodies the inexorable link of not only the 2 buildings but of husband and wife.
While we all can’t build a Taj Mahal, we could, when given the opportunity, create a manifestation of our house in a means which provides a deeper connection to the earth while also making our house more majestic and complete.
Swaback Partners, pllc
“He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, together with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees herself in a mirror and thinks: there’s another dog.” — Rainer Maria Rilke
A house constructed in a vast landscape with nary a neighbor in sight does not need to be lonely. A sibling gets created from the manifestation of the house in an adjacent pond or lake, especially when the manifestation is mirror-like.
LLC, Dan Joseph Architects
“Like water which can mirror the sky and the trees only provided that its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is calm and totally relaxed.” — Indra Devi
A house constructed at the edge of the wood tends to stand taller and not be intimidated from the trees when it is doubled in the neighboring water.
Scott Allen Architecture
“Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley
The reflection does not need to be literal, like a photorealist painting. It may be a milder version of the house that intensifies its luminosity.
Smith & Vansant Architects PC
“‘Never trust a mirror,’ his mom had told him. ‘They never tell the truth if you don’t make them.'” — Isobelle Carmody
The reflection does not need to be similar to that in a bathroom mirror. In fact, frequently the water is rough and weathered, like so many lakes may be; turning the property’s manifestation in an impressionist painting.
“The world is a looking glass and gives back to every man the reflection of their face.” — William Makepeace Thackeray
A town is an perfect setting for these reflections, especially when the water slides, twists and turns the reflections, as in a Canaletto painting.
“Beauty is truth’s grin when she beholds her face in a perfect mirror.” — Rabindranath Tagore
in case you don’t have a body of water nearby to make your home’s alter ego, try constructing a reflecting pool. A small and partial reflection will alter how you view your home.
More: Reflecting Pools as Liquid Assets