Wimberley Safari

Bringing South Africa Home to Central Texas

As we bounced down the dirt road on our first visit to this sprawling ranch in Wimberley, Texas we knew this place was special. Once we saw the Zebras, Kudu, Bongos, Bison and Kangaroos roaming the Texas Hill Country, we simply couldn’t wait to get out of the truck.

Balancing expanse with intimacy, whimsy with context

Like many, our clients, Jim and Monica love to travel to exotic places. When their long-anticipated plans of a luxury Safari vacation were cancelled in 2020, they took action. Rather than visiting South Africa, Jim and Monica decided to bring the Safari to them, complete with a resort style space for entertaining friends, families, and guests from around the world. This is where the team at Land Water Light was brought in. Our goal was to design a place that blended the experience of Africa with the Texas Hill Country while allowing for comfort and luxury amongst the expanse of hills and ponds throughout the valley.

Bespoke Details, Luxurious Finishes

One of the highlights of this project for us was the opportunity to work with Mohon Interiors. Having worked with Jim and Monica on previous projects, their team was instrumental in making material and style selections for various aspects of the project. We met with them weekly throughout the design process in order to make sure their vision for the furnishings matched our vision for the landscape, pool and deck. Elements such as the outdoor shower with an assembly by Sonoma Forge and the “Sunburst” bench with custom fabricated stainless steel firepit are two of our favorite collaborative elements.

Meticulous Craftsmanship

In order to bring this design to life, we brought in one of our partners, Iconic Pools who helped with the technical design and engineering of the pool itself. In collaboration with their team, we installed this project over the course of about nine months. The terraced boulder walls were comprised of dozens of moss rock sandstone boulders weighing multiple tons. Each boulder was carefully selected, organized and placed to help create the sculptural, natural walls. The deck itself is comprised of Ipe, a tropical hardwood known for its density and durability. We opted to let everything turn gray over time to fit the natural ranch aesthetic, including the aging cedar posts that can be found throughout the ranch. One of the hallmark features of the deck is the radial “sunburst” bench, consisting of a tig-welded aluminum frame with over 500 pieces of individually milled Ipe pieces. The fire pit bowl was custom-built as well out of stainless steel and fitted with a 450 BTU gas burner on an electric switch.

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If you are looking to create a unique outdoor space at your private estate, we’d love to talk with you.