Water you keep in view, on purpose
There is a difference between a vase you walk past and a bowl you glance at when you need a one-second break for your eyes. Position and height matter. So does the sound: some pumps hum on a single pitch that the ear learns to treat as furniture noise, while others add a new layer you may not want while reading. We go through those details on the dedicated Water page instead of duplicating the whole argument here.
Reflection is another design variable. A dark bowl reads like depth in the evening; a light porcelain bowl reads like morning. Neither is a moral choice—only a fit question for the wall color and the lamp you already own.