The Living Wall concept in a contemporary interior
An original room concept. Final dimensions and details would follow a site survey.

Concept / wall

The Living Wall.
A quiet focal point.

For a dining room, study or shared living space, a wall installation creates a calm center of attention. The cabinet below gives the equipment a home and presents the water like a living picture.

Make this your starting point

The starting point

Good proportions.
Room for your ideas.

A planted freshwater view, set on a walnut cabinet so the room and the aquarium feel designed together.

  • Integrated joinery
  • Concealed service access
  • A considered view from the room
Base example · freshwater & chalk
$18,000 USD
Concept tank dimensions
71 × 22 × 22 in
Placement
Integrated wall installation
Ecosystem
Freshwater or marine, with a different equipment specification

Inside the design

Every beautiful view
needs a working side.

Look through the cabinet to understand the service space, filter and return path. The cutaway is a simplified design illustration. Actual equipment is specified for the chosen ecosystem.

The aquarium with its cabinet doors open on the service space

Behind the doors, the service zone gives you room to reach the equipment.

Accessible service zonePurpose-built supportClear viewing area

Materials with a place in the room

A quieter kind
of detail.

Choose a starting finish, then look at it against the surrounding walls, flooring and furniture. The cabinet should belong to the room as much as the aquarium does.

Natural walnut

Warm, open-grained timber with a clear, low-sheen finish.

Pale oak

Light, straight-grained timber with a clear, low-sheen finish.

Soft chalk

A quiet, pale finish that sits easily against light walls.

Deep graphite

A dark, understated cabinet that lets the water hold the light.

A sense of scale

Measure the view.
Leave room for care.

This 71 in inspiration preset is a starting scale, not a construction specification. The room layout, full installation load, delivery route and maintenance clearances need to be resolved together.

The aquarium in its room, with space left above it and in front of it

The display length sets the scale for everything around it.

Display length · 71 inHeight 22 in · depth 22 inService clearance

Sample for this concept

What to expect.
Set out as a sample.

A sample of how a real studio would set out a project. Every figure here is illustrative.

Sample

Timeline

  • Design and site survey. 2 to 4 weeks.
  • Detailed design and specification. 3 to 6 weeks.
  • Making the tank and cabinet. 6 to 10 weeks.
  • Installation. 1 to 3 days.
  • Commissioning before any life is added. 4 to 8 weeks for freshwater, 6 to 12 weeks for marine.
  • Livestock introduced gradually, once commissioning is complete.

Sample

What the allowance includes

The display, the cabinet, indicative lighting and filtration, the aquascape and ordinary installation.

Excluded: structural work, unusual access, electrical and plumbing changes, livestock, travel and taxes.

Sample

Payment stages

  • A design deposit.
  • A stage payment when making starts.
  • A payment at installation.
  • The balance at handover, after commissioning.

Amounts are set in each real contract.

Sample

Aftercare

  • A handover walkthrough.
  • A first check once the aquarium is established.
  • An optional care plan, illustrated on the care page.

Any warranty is set in each real contract.

Sample

Who you work with

Fictional designer Mara Ellison in a natural studio setting
Mara EllisonSpatial design & client direction
Fictional aquatic designer Jules Navarro in a workshop setting
Jules NavarroAquatic systems & ongoing care

Fictional team.

Sample

Service region

Set for each real project.

Your next chapter

See what belongs in your room.

Take this concept into the studio. Change the finish, ecosystem and scale, then save your ideas as a project brief.