Life on the Outside

In 2004, I was a sophomore in high school and my parents were considering moving my family to Kansas City, Kansas. I'd never lived anywhere but Dallas, so I was excited when we got the chance to visit Overland Park and to look at Mid-Western-style houses (BASEMENTS!!!). While I was excited about the vision I had for my basement bedroom, I couldn't help but be nervous about one thing. My basement bedroom had a glass-pane door that led to the backyard. None of the houses had fenced-in backyards. 

I had only ever lived in and seen houses with wooden fences, cast iron fences, security fences. Somehow not having a fenced-in backyard invaded my family's personal space and made me lose a sense of security that I never even knew I had, until then.

Years later, my dad showed me some pictures of a special project he had just completed. More than the design itself, I was really interested in the spatial relationships that were created by his a-typical landscape design. 

 You see, the design moved the outdoor living area from the backyard to the front.

In college I studied a lot on self-other/ private-public theories (as humanities majors inevitably do...) and I thought that it was a really genius move to move a typically private space into the public realm. It makes people think, and isn't that what makes compelling art? At least, it made me think. So whether you like the design aesthetically or not, it has value because of the new public relationships it creates. So, thanks Victor Myers Custom Homes for giving my dad the chance to create something not just beautiful, but interesting. We've seen neighborhood kids hanging out on the stone benches playing the guitar engaging with one another. Just like you see Mid-West kids playing on an open turf area between two un-fenced houses...

The house featured is located in Highland Village, Texas and is currently for sale and listed by Victor Myers Realty.