The Sweetest Oak Cliff English Cottage With an Equally Sweet English Cottage Garden

On late spring mornings, when the air is cool and fragrant and the sun hasn’t yet announced the start of a new day, the garden in the front of a certain North Oak Cliff Tudor is in a dew-laden repose, ready to rise and shine and offer a wellspring of beauty and delight. 

It’s a scene that Robert Edwards literally cultivated at his dreamy Kessler Park Tudor during the years he loved the property. And as a result of his careful curation, his front yard garden gained his place the nickname of “The Garden House.”

“His love for his home extended to his gardens which were widely admired throughout the neighborhood,” said Jenni Stolarski of Edwards’ Kessler Park home, which she listed last year. “Mr. Edwards always said ‘How could I have an English cottage and not have an English cottage garden?’”

Indeed, Robert. And it’s your cottage and its lovely cottage garden that had us swooning. It made 1019 N. Edgefield Blvd. an easy finalist in our search for The Sweetest Homes in Dallas-Fort Worth. (Homes eligible for nomination must be listed in the North Texas region between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of 2021.)

Of course, Edwards’ garden wasn’t a typical English cottage garden, Stolarski noted. “Naturally, he put a Texas twist on it by using natives and adapted plants, but it was definitely in the style,” she said. 

Our Nikki Lott fell head over heels for this Kessler Park Tudor last September when it went on the market. The best part for her? The beehive that pollinates all of those beautiful flowers.

While his garden is a point of pride, the entire home is an absolute treasure, too.

“The sweetest thing about the home was how much the owner loved it. It was clear in every detail he put in it,” Stolarski told us. “Most people look at a home from the 1920s and think ‘How can I modernize this?’ but Mr. Edwards seemed to ask himself “What can I do to keep changes in the true character of the ‘20s?’”  

This home has so much beautiful character, too. While it’s a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home, you’ll easily find yourself formulating reasons why this warm and inviting house could work for you. From the bookshelf that lines the ceiling of the office to the cozy kitchen that is begging for a day filled with baking and pots of fragrant tea, it’s a home that breathes character and life.

The dedication to authenticity is what makes this English Tudor cottage truly sweet. Stolarski told us that Edwards went so far as to hunt down antique furniture and fixtures to use in his home.

“He searched for years to locate the right dining room light fixture,” Stolarski said. “And things he couldn’t find, he would have custom-made, like that arched front door, which, by the way, he also handmade the stained glass for that.”

This home is not only sweet, but it’s so special, too. A home like this needs the right touch to be marketed in a way that shows off those details — the ones that make a house a home.

“Of course, he could have had any agent champing at the bit to sell his home, but long ago we bonded over gardening,” Stolarski told us. “So Mr. Edwards put his trust in me to find the next owner/caretaker.”

And that’s what the new owner is — caretaker of The Garden House on Edgefield. I hope they know just how important their job is.