I wonder when it happened that prescription glasses became an accessory to a look, as opposed to a purely utilitarian device. Sometime in the mid twentieth century, I’d say, but I wonder if there was a particular design event that brought about the advent of what’s now available in the world of prescription eye-wear: a choice between loud frames, ‘frameless’ frames, designer blockbusters and kooky one-offs.
With summer coming on, and looking out at the backyard of my new house, I’d venture to say that the same kind of thing is happening with pool fencing design in Melbourne. It’s generally the first city in the country to adopt new design ideas, whether these be fads or fabulous additions to the world. So it seems plausible to say that we can expect to see a growing range of pool fencing options as this utilitarian feature of outdoor space comes into line with an increasing interest in garden design.
There are already, as with glasses, a number of set versions of the basic safety fence available. From aluminium to semi-frameless and frameless glass designs for pool fencing, Melbourne has more options on the go than you might expect.
It doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch to imagine that, a few years down the track from now, ‘forcefield’-style pool fencing has become a common sight. You know – an invisible barrier that activates when it senses your kid’s microchip approaching (I’m going to mildly dystopian place here, I know). Or balustrades made of some element that’s only available on the moon, which behaves like a cross between water and concrete.
I’m getting carried away now. Time to get back to musing on what I can put in my new backyard to complement the futuristic visual effect of the seemingly floating, blue-tinted glass panels that make up the pool fence. Me reclining in a matching pair of frameless, Matrix-vibes glasses would be a cool starting point.