After winding across the savannah of central Texas, climbing the crest of a gentle hill, one is greeted by a beacon on the horizon, a small, windowed watch tower which sits atop a sweeping metal roof in a field of Blackland Prairie grasses.

This home on the range consists of a collection of parts: main house, garage/workshop, and oversized chimney in the landscape, laid out across the field to maximize the experience of big sky. Trees surround the open field; observation from the third floor tower covers sunrise to sunset on distant horizons. After nights of camping to understand their property, the owner chose this specific site, in the middle of the prairie, shielded from distant lights in the valley, to star gaze.

Materials were selected to reflect the Owner’s affinity for the rugged outdoors: Western Red Cedar siding above a flagstone base. Interiors were finished to invite casual living along with the rough and tumble play of kids and dogs. Patterns and colors of textiles and finishes recall ideas of a western lodge.