Subprime loans have been all over the news. It’s been enough to give borrowing a bad name. But there is a type of borrowing that doesn’t cost a thing and that will pay interest to the borrower for years to come. I’m speaking of borrowed space.
No, I don’t mean camping out in the neighbor’s backyard. Borrowed space is a design technique that expands the perceived size or boundaries of a space. Architects use it all the time to fool the eye into seeing a room as being bigger than it actually is. An example would be arranging the view through one room so that it also takes in a farther room and then though a window to an outdoor vista. The accumulation of spaces makes the first room appear to be bigger by making its farthest boundary ambiguous.
Outside, borrowed space can have an equally “big” impact. By locating outdoor spaces to take advantage of sight lines to distant views, you can make the owners feel like they are masters of all they survey. The two houses featured in this issue are fine examples of the skillful use of this technique.
Borrowed space works just as well for small sites. Opening strategic view corridors in the landscaping can give the owners the visual sensation that their yard actually encompasses property they don’t happen to own. Just make sure that they borrow the most pleasing part of the neighbor’s property and that trees, fences, and other devices shield them from invading the neighbor’s privacy or viewing anything that might give borrowed space a bad name.
