Fort Worth Report: Garnett Receives Design Award for Frazier Conservatory Project

Thank you Fort Worth Report for the interview!

Excerpt from the article below:

Frazier Conservatory stands as a stunning example of Garnett’s design ethos, an example that the Frazier family hopes to share by making the Conservatory available to host retreats, special events, and overnight stays for individuals and groups, particularly community non-profit organizations. With its secluded setting, serene atmosphere, and abundant natural life — the ranch is also a nature preserve and birder’s paradise — Frazier Conservatory can serve as the ideal location for workshops, artist residencies, educational activities for nearby Tarleton State University, and environmental or conservation-focused events.

As for Garnett, his work on Frazier Conservatory demonstrates his ability to create spaces that are beautiful, functional, and profoundly connected to their environment. With the 2024 AIA Fort Worth Design Award, Garnett solidifies an already impressive reputation as a leader in Texas modern and modern ranch architecture.

Read more here: Garnett receives design award for Frazier Conservatory project | Fort Worth Report

Fort Worth Inc: Architect Jeff Garnett Honored with American Institute of Architects Recognition

Thank you Fort Worth Inc. for the interview!

Excerpt from the article below:

“It’s such an honor to be recognized by my peers at AIA Fort Worth,” Garnett said. “Frazier Conservatory has been a special project to me — a ranch retreat where people can step away from the rush of life and find connection, to each other and to the land around them. I’m so grateful to the Frazier family for trusting me with this beautiful location, which has been part of the Frazier family history for generations.”

Read more here: Architect Jeff Garnett Honored with American Institute of Architects Recognition - Fort Worth Inc.

Fort Worth Inc. Magazine: Best Draw in the West

Thank you, Fort Worth Inc. Magazine!

Excerpts from the article below:

“As early as I can remember, I wanted to be an architect,” he says. “I have very clear memories of being in the back of our family car. I was the youngest of three boys, so, I was always in the back seat. That was my happy place as a kid on road trips and even just going to the local grocery store. I just loved to look out the window. I always remember really paying attention to the buildings around me.

“Living in the suburbs back in the day, I remember criticizing some of the redundancy and repetition. I've always wondered what would have happened if I would have never left the city as a teenager. I think I would have absolutely still been an architect, but I feel like I would have probably gone a little bit different route.”

He’s influenced by West Texas, even though “I’m not intentionally trying to do that.”

“I've been told that a lot, that, ‘Hey, your designs have a West Texas vibe.”

His father is from the Marfa-Alpine region, so, the family spent a lot of time out there.

“I guess it just kind of comes out a little bit,” he says. “But a lot of it, too, is just growing up even just around Somervell County and Glen Rose. There’s so many old stone buildings and cedar clad buildings. I really appreciated that because it felt timeless to me.”

Another of his award-winning projects is his office building, which sits on a small plat on the Somervell County Courthouse square. The courthouse was erected in 1893, two years before the Tarrant County Courthouse.

Fort Worth Inc: Minimalist Architect Doing Major-League Stuff From the Town Square in Glen Rose

Thank you Fort Worth Inc. for the interview!

Excerpt from the article below:

Five times his designs have been recognized by professional peer organizations, including three by the Fort Worth division of The American Institute of Architects.

Garnett, 39, went the entrepreneurial route in his industry because it allowed him to get more interesting projects.

“My drive and ambition is just to do exciting work,” he says. "The ambition to design, that's my true passion. That really is what fuels all of this.”

A minimalist architect who focuses on creating designs that emphasize simplicity, functionality, and the elimination of unnecessary elements, Garnett always tries to incorporate natural, native materials into his designs.

“I've always wanted to have an office in the middle of nowhere,” he says. “I also wanted to have an office on a town square. I didn't know which was going to hit first, but I saw an empty lot here on the Glen Rose square. There are not many empty lots on Texas squares. There was a small, narrow lot here. I jumped on it. I bought it and about a year later started construction on it. It was a fun, fun project.”

Read more here: Minimalist Architect Doing Major-League Stuff From the Town Square in Glen Rose - Fort Worth Inc.

UTA Magazine: Award-Winning Escapes

Thank you UTA Magazine for the feature!

Award-Winning Escapes: Alumnus designs havens in surrounding landscapes

Excerpt from the article below:

Garnett’s architectural journey, rooted in a childhood fascination with old barns, stone ruins, and the Texas landscape, has evolved into a practice that spans ranch houses, lake homes, and remote retreats, as well as urban properties and other installations.

“I design places for people and strive to make each place a haven from the demands of today’s society, a sacred place for our clients to call home with a strong connection to the natural environment,” Garnett says.

Read more here: Award-Winning Escapes - News Center - The University of Texas at Arlington (uta.edu)

Texas Architect Magazine: Zen Rose

Thank you Texas Architect Magazine for the studio feature!

Zen Rose (By Lee Hill)

Excerpt from the article below:

Interior materials are simple: natural wood, exposed steel, and CMU. Stitched leather accents and polished concrete complete the palette. Toward the back is a small restroom that could have been a simple back-of-house space, and no one would have been the wiser. Instead it features a small square window high on a wall providing a framed eye-level view of the historic Glen Rose water tower nearby—a built-in piece of art in a space that needs nothing else. That’s the organizing theme of the design—compression and decompression of space, looking inward and then looking out.  

With a Stetson hat propped on his modest desk, Garnett is a quintessential native Texan, friendly and warm in person, and he cares deeply about building a residential design practice that resonates with the historic culture of Glen Rose and Texas. While Texans have a reputation for being boastful and loud about our state, when it comes to our courthouse squares, we quietly revere these unique places and shared history. Texas architects like Garnett continue to work in modest and creative ways to help preserve this legacy. 

Read more here: Zen Rose - Texas Architect Magazine (texasarchitects.org)

360 West Magazine: Piano Plan

Thank you 360 West Magazine for the feature story!

A Houston composer and architect team up to develop a family ranch retreat, conservatory and community venue (By Scott Nishimura)

Excerpt from the story below:

Frazier contacted Garnett as a potential architect for the project after staying at Glen Rose’s Rough Creek Lodge and Resort, where Garnett, 38, has done significant design work that helped catapult his career, including work on The Residences at Rough Creek Lodge.

Garnett met Frazier and his family on the property. “Todd was really a blank canvas, more than any client I’ve ever had,” Garnett said. “He wanted a retreat on or near the lake, a family space, a place to sleep and potentially a guest space. Todd is truly amazing. We have a budget we have to hit. Other than that, I really just went for it. That’s a rarity in my profession.”

Garnett’s rustic, unobtrusive, modern design blends with the landscape rather than competes with it. The buildings are all one story. “We didn’t want to go to two or three stories,” Frazier said. “We wanted it to blend.”

Frazier loves the sight lines Garnett drew into the plan. “They were so well done throughout,” Frazier said. “Everyone has a great view of the lake. But you also have connection among the structures.”

The main lodge is highlighted by a 16-foot barrel-vaulted ceiling and continuous bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that face the lake from the great room, dining room and main bedrooms. Garnett, as he typically does, kept a limited list of materials.

“I don’t like to add a long list of materials,” Garnett said. “I try to keep it as short as possible, and native. It creates harmony with the landscape. In some projects, we quarry stone from the site or from the region.”

The construction team sanded down and sealed the lodge’s concrete floors, exposing the aggregate, including fossils that can be seen in the smooth finish. Other colors in Garnett’s palette, such as in the stone, help draw out ones in the aggregate.

Book Feature: New View Texas

Incredibly honored to be featured in a new book by Beth Buckley.

New View: A Curated Visual Gallery: Twenty Magnificent Homes by Texas Architects

Part anthropological and part declarative, New View: A Curated Visual Gallery — 20 Magnificent Homes by Architects of Texas is the fourth installment of a series that is at once trending and historic. Mesmerizing photography capturing the elegance of urban or rustic life is balanced with the architects’ design philosophies, perspectives, and transformational experiences.

New View Texas reflects the immense creativity of the featured celebrity and world-renowned architects: Kevin Alter, Burton Baldridge, Christy Blumenfeld, Tim Cuppett, Steve Raike & Ted Flato, Jeff Garnett, John Grable, Mell Lawrence, Laura Juarez Baggett, Brian Korte, Steve Levy, Craig McMahon, Tobin Smith, and more.

Through steadfast curation, New View Texas reveals itself as a complete collection of unique Texas homesteads. Pictorially rich pages infused with poignant prose tell the engaging story of our civilization.

Buy on Amazon: New View: A Curated Visual Gallery: Twenty Magnificent Homes by Texas Architects: Buckley, Beth Benton: 9798987339107: Amazon.com: Books

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: AIA Fort Worth Design Award

Thank you to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for showcasing the AIA Fort Worth Design Awards!

Excerpt from the article below:

Glen Rose-based Jeff Garnett, who recently also won an AIA Texas studio award, won an honor award for his studio. Tobin and Old (design jurors) were enthusiastic about what he did with the narrow, tunnel-like limestone building in the growing town square. Garnett’s focus integrating the interior with the exterior created a building that has, as he said, is “wonderful.” That focus was “a brilliant move,” he said.

Read more at: Fort Worth firms honored by American Institute of Architects | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Red + Rio Magazine: Feature

Thank you to Red+Rio Magazine for featuring the work of Jeff Garnett Architect in its inaugural issue.

The edition spotlighted the 2023 AIA Fort Worth Design Award for the JGA studio in Glen Rose, Texas, as well as Garnett’s modern ranch style portfolio.

Excerpt from the story:

Q: Your emphasis on outdoor space is evident in your designs. Can you elaborate on the importance of outdoor spaces in your projects and how they contribute to the overall experience?

A: Outdoor spaces are integral to all my designs. Whether it's a remote ranch, lake house, or an urban infill project, I start by thinking about the outdoor space — often the back porch. The back porch is the heart of the home in my opinion. From there, I’ll work in both directions: from the outside, integrating the architecture into the landscape, and from the inside, focusing on the views beyond and the feeling they give to the interior space. 

For me, the goal with each project is to create a retreat where clients can unwind and connect with nature. Even in compact settings like 110 Walnut Street, the outside space plays a pivotal role in enhancing that overall experience.

Click the images to read the article in its entirety. 

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