Before Bill and Brenda Bogart built the River House, their beloved home in Dallas’s Bluffview neighborhood, the couple lived in a modern, three-story, 8,000-square-foot manse in University Park. By the time their six children moved out, they were ready to downsize.

Growing up in Dallas, Brenda—a celebrated collage artist whose work is available at the city’s Blue Print Gallery—loved Bluffview for its nature and rural ambiance. The neighborhood was once a dairy farm, and it still retains a country atmosphere thanks to its scenic tree-lined streets.

In 2013, Bill—cofounder of Case & Bogart, LLC—and Brenda purchased a piece of land on a floodplain overlooking the neighborhood’s 50-acre park and tributary creek. Next, they called upon Dallas architect Bentley Tibbs to design a 3,300-square-foot 2-bedroom home that feels more like a country oasis than a bustling Dallas domain. “We love the outdoors and natural light, and we wanted it to blend in with nature,” says Brenda.

The home features five different porches, one of which is a year-round, screened-in room with a fireplace, a swinging day bed, and sliding screen doors that catch the cross-breezes. “We wanted to seamlessly and selectively invite the exterior to the interior,” says Tibbs. This room quickly became one of the couple’s favorite spaces—a place where they spend their mornings with their two beagles, Ruby and Ranger.

Walking into the entry hall, a dropped ceiling and dark, pressed steel walls create an intimate, warm, embracing environment, like a womb. The entry is a portal to the living room, with 12-foot ceilings and glass windows overlooking the park.

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The textured brick fireplace, inspired by Josef Albers, functions as a piece of art in itself and changes with the daylight.

The couple’s eclectic style continues in the dining room and the kitchen, where black Zimbabwe granite countertops complement a midcentury burled olive wood dining table, a colorful basket collection, and Massimo Vignelli Sigaro sconces, which hang cheerfully over the kitchen island.

Central to the home’s design was crafting a space for Brenda’s art studio. Tibbs positioned the sunlit workspace on the second floor with glass windows overlooking the trees. “It catapulted my work into a different level when I moved into this space,” says the artist.

The physical demands of Brenda’s work dissipate every evening in the spectacular master bathroom, which the artist admits is her favorite space in the home. After a long day, she watches the sunset from her bathtub, which flanks a floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the park. “It’s my chill time and prayer time at the end of the day,” she says. “It’s a sanctuary for me.”

Tibbs’s thoughtful, space-saving designs are evident throughout the house, including the office, which is carved into the hallway between the dining room and the master bedroom.

The architect maximized space once again in the bunkbed niche, where visitors like the couple’s three-year old granddaughter stay overnight. In lieu of a ladder, the bed has stairs outfitted with book cubbies and a charging station. This space connects to the couple’s upstairs “martini deck.”

Through the use of clean lines and humble materials, the simplicity of River House emphasizes the special details of the Bogarts’ life together, from collected art to family heirlooms.

Outside, the inviting backyard is an extension of the couple’s warmth. The elegant fire pit, aquaponic fish pond, and fountain all add a serene sensory element, as does the layered landscape that leads down to the park.

Landscape designer Robert Bellamy planted a mixture of trees, such as Texas mountain laurel, Austrian pines, Mexican plums and Italian cypress, adding to the lush surroundings.

Without question, the couple’s love of the outdoors pervades the soul and spirit of the River House. For Brenda, that love of nature, birds, and trees informs both her personal and professional life. “They drive what I collect, what I create, and ultimately where I chose to build this home—a property surrounded by nature, and a home designed to entertain and enjoy family and friends.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Bentley Tibbs Architect / @bentley_tibbs_architect

Photo Stylist/Producer: Jenny O’Connor Studio / @jennyoconnorstudio

Landscape Designer: Robert Bellamy / @robertbellamydesign

Kitchen Designer: Helene Terry, Helene’s Luxury Kitchens / @helenesluxurykitchens

Professional Organizer: Laura Simmons, Design Your Life / @designyourlifels

Photographer: Nathan Schroder / @nathanschroderphoto