By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

A photo of this gleaming steel monolith lured me away from my desk and down to Laguna Beach, California last week.  I'd never seen a wall fountain quite like this before and was eager to get a closer look.

Dustin Gimbel of Second Nature Garden Designs came up with this idea for his client Dan Rinkenberger.  Rinkenberger's garden--as you can see in the photo below--is virtually all slope, and Gimbel decided it needed a strong focal point at the top of the stairs.  "I wanted an art piece large enough and bold enough you would see it from any area of the garden," he says.

Because this flat area near the top of the slope is also an ideal place to sit and enjoy the ocean view, Gimbel thought the art piece should double as a fountain.  "When you're looking at the water, it's nice to hear it, too," he says.  "It adds to the effect."

And to make the most of sunsets, Gimbel thought the fountain should have a reflective surface, but with some texture to defuse glare.  He decided on the diagonally pleated design shown here.

The stainless steel panel is 6' x 3.5' and was pleated by a metal fabricator.  For stability it has a concrete board backing, attached with Liquid Nails, a super-strength adhesive.  The panel is attached to a stanchion and "floats" about six inches off the ground.  The bowl that catches the water is from Pot-ted In Atwater Village and is made of a mix of resin and concrete dust.  "Looks like concrete, but it's lighter and cheaper," says Gimbel.  Spillover flows into a catch basin below the bowl and recirculates.