Dallas, TX 2021-2024

It’s always exciting to collaborate with clients who are passionate about celebrating their landscape. From the start, the clients shared a vision for an urban ranch tailored to their dogs and friends who visit.

Designed by Bentley Tibbs, the home responds directly to a site surrounded by mature trees. The residence is divided into two structures to work with the land’s topography—one serving as the primary home, the other dedicated to dog training and exercise. Both buildings are oriented toward expansive landscape views, reinforcing the outdoors as the heart of the property.

The front landscape unfolds as a curated native woodland, where a steel wall frames the auto court and entry sequence. Walkways constructed from stone salvaged from the former home wrap both buildings, connecting them seamlessly to the broader site. Beyond the woodland, a series of garden rooms emerges, culminating in the puppy garden at the rear of the property. Here, a terraced lawn is framed by native grasses and perennials and enclosed by a steel picket fence with a large sliding gate—allowing dogs (and their humans) to move freely between planting and open space.

A fire garden is nestled within the native landscape, with concrete walls and steps providing places to gather, observe, and move. These steps continue through the site, leading to the training facility and dog run, which includes a sliding gate and dog ramp for easy access to loading vans. Grooming tables positioned at opposite ends of the property offer elevated working surfaces with views into surrounding plantings and wildlife.

None of the gardens are tidy. Seasonal texture, backlighting, color, and dormancy are embraced. These spaces are lived in allowing the landscape to remain organic, expressive, and continuously evolving.

Architect: Bentley Tibbs

Interiors: Nancy Leib

Lighting: Steven Bryd

Photography: Robert Tsai Photography