Fort Worth Magazine: Architect Jeff Garnett Wins Two AIA Fort Worth Design Awards

Thank you, Fort Worth Magazine!

Excerpt from article below:

Elk Edge Retreat shows Garnett at his best with private family getaways — a house that seems to grow from the land itself. Animal Sanctuary, by contrast, imagines how that same careful attention to place and people can extend beyond private walls, creating spaces that nurture both humans and animals. Taken together, the projects suggest a new chapter for his work: Texas modern architecture that doesn’t just sit on the land, but engages with it and the communities that inhabit it.  

“For me, these awards are encouragement to keep pushing the same questions about refuge and place into more public work,” Garnett said. “Whether it’s a family retreat or a gallery, museum, or community space, the goal is the same: to make architecture that feels inevitable in its setting and generous to the people who use it.” 

Read more here: Jeff Garnett Wins Two AIA Fort Worth Design Awards - Fort Worth Magazine

2025 AIA Fort Worth Design Awards

Animal Sanctuary & Elk Edge Retreat have both received AIA Fort Worth Design Awards!

The American Institute of Architects Fort Worth held their annual Excellence in Architecture Design Awards jury on Friday, November 14th, at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Of the 25 projects submitted by local architects, jurors singled out 7 projects to receive awards. Among projects of varied size, function, and budget, 2 Studio Awards (unbuilt), 3 Merit Awards, and 2 Community Impact Awards including 1 Honor Award were presented. The Animal Sanctuary project received a Studio Award, and Elk Edge Retreat received a Merit Award. Truly an honor, and thank you to AIA Fort Worth and the design jury for the recognition.

Read more here: AIA FW Design Awards

Artsy Scoop Magazine: Frazier Conservatory

Artful Travels: The Frazier Conservatory

Thank you to Mouty Shackelford and Artsy Scoop Magazine for the cover feature! We had a great time providing a tour of the Frazier Conservatory project.

Excerpt from the article below:

“My goal was to make it feel as though it had always been here,” says Garnett. “When you’re working with land this beautiful, you don’t want to overpower it. You want the buildings to feel delicate, like they belong.”

The site, a former family farm, includes a 50-acre lake and pastures that have been lovingly preserved for generations. Garnett oriented the buildings to follow the land’s natural contours, letting the lake guide his design. “We discovered that part of the site was in a flood zone,” he explains. “That dictated how the structures rotated and where they sat. In the end, it actually gave us the perfect buffer between the architecture and the water.”

Each building, which include the main lodge, guest casitas, and outdoor pavilions, is crafted from materials sourced close to home: locally quarried Texas stone, board-formed concrete, and white stucco that gleams against the fields. The interiors are equally grounded, with polished concrete floors embedded with fossils and soft, filtered light that moves across the rooms throughout the day. “You can literally see time in the floor,” Garnett says with a smile. “It connects you to the history of the land.”

Read more here: Artsy Scoop (November Issue)

The Albany News: New Museum Plans Revealed

History in the making: New museum plans revealed (By David Waller)

Excerpt from the article below:

Plans for a new museum in downtown Albany were formally presented last week, with local stakeholders gathering Thursday afternoon to review architectural renderings and discuss next steps for what promises to be a major new attraction for the city.

The museum, which will spotlight the legacies of both the Buffalo Hunters and Buffalo Soldiers who once lived and worked in the Fort Griffin region, will be constructed on the lot just east of the historic T.E. Jackson Warehouse. Local rancher and historian Cliff Teinert is spearheading the project, working with a group of community advisors and architect Jeff Garnett. Garnett’s design draws on the materials and proportions of surrounding buildings, including the neighboring T.E. Jackson structure, the oldest wooden building in town.

Read more here: History in the making: New museum plans revealed | Albany News

The Citizen Magazine: Before the Blueprint, There Was Silence

Thank you Ashton Gustafson and The Citizen for stopping by the studio for the interview!

Before the Blueprint, There Was Silence (By Ashton Gustafson)

Excerpt from the article below:

Jeff Garnett is not your typical architect. He listens before he draws. He lets the land speak before he lifts a pencil. He calls it “letting it breathe,” and it’s not just poetic—it’s his process. And in a world addicted to renderings, rush orders, and carbon copies, amid the endless repetition of design, his work feels like a rare breath of something honest.

“I never start sketching on the first visit,” he tells me. “I go with the client, walk the site, soak it in. I don’t want to pollute my imagination too early. I let the land breathe. Then I come back. That’s when I start.”

We’re sitting in his studio—a sanctuary of steel, glass, exposing and showcasing the neighbor's rock wall —with windows that seem to frame the Texas sky like paintings. It’s clear he built this place with the same intention he brings to his work: reverence for space, light, and the story a building is supposed to tell.

Read more here: The Citizen Vol 8.pdf

Living Magazine: Jeff Garnett | Modern Ranch Architect

Thank you Melissa McBride and Living Magazine for the interview!

(HOME ON THE RANGE) Jeff Garnett | Modern Ranch Architect (By Melissa McBride)

Excerpt from the article below:

For each new design, Garnett draws inspiration from the specific site and region, immersing himself in the landscape and the natural world before sketching any designs on paper.  “Experiencing the breeze, the sunset, the surrounding wildlife – all of these things must be taken into account to properly integrate a home into its site.  My designs are modern, but I almost always use local materials: stone, wood, and glass. I’m trying to create timeless architecture that seamlessly blends modern aesthetics with the natural elements of the ranch landscape.”

With native wood and stone, glass, leather, steel and concrete, Jeff Garnett speaks the language of the wide-open spaces of the west.  For those lucky to find a place in the handful of projects he takes on every year, Garnett designs ranch homes and rural compounds that perfectly match those spaces.

Read more here: Winter 2024 2025 Ellis County Living Magazine by Ellis County Living Magazine - Issuu

Western Art & Architecture Magazine: Elk Edge Retreat

Thank you Western Art & Architecture Magazine for the interview!

Elk Edge Retreat: A comfortable Texas home revels in the vastness of its surrounding landscape (By Christine Rogel)

Excerpt from the article below:

“You want your buildings to speak to their place because I think that that’s how you create longevity and their interest and artistry,” says Garnett, a sixth-generation Texan with a firm in Glen Rose. “You want them to be an extension of their location.”

For Garnett, integrating the home with its environment was an immersive process. Before sketching the layout, he spent hours on the property, observing how the sun shifted across the hillside, feeling the breeze, and watching the elk wander into view from a neighboring ranch to the south. Once these initial impressions settled, he returned with his sketchbook and large rolls of paper. “I have a Jeep pickup truck, and that’s kind of my makeshift desk while I’m out there,” Garnett says. “It’s great to be fully immersed in the site while I’m sketching, just because I can see things in real-time and make sure I’m capturing those views. … And if you really get out there and just listen, the site truly does speak to you, to anybody that’s out there. ... It’s a fun back and forth between architecture and landscape.”

Read more here: ELK EDGE RETREAT - Western Art & Architecture