OWNERS Kip and Suzi Petroff  |  DATE BUILT 2000  |  STYLE Tuscan farmhouse

On a clear, spring day, the sounds of chirping birds and cascading waterfalls echo throughout the Petroff home. It’s easy to forget you’re in the city just yards from busy streets.

Kip and Suzi Petroff created an urban oasis after a remodel that expanded the back of the house and added walls of windows that open into the huge patio and backyard. The pool’s rugged rock formation and waterfall provide a natural ambiance surrounded by clusters of perennial flowers. A smaller patio juts out from the sunroom and master bedroom on the west side. That’s where Kip and Suzi got married in July 2010.

“It was so hot, so we had a 10-minute ceremony,” Suzi says. “Then, people spontaneously jumped in the pool with all their clothes on. It was a fun wedding.”

The upstairs game room at 6230 Stitcher Ave. features a wall-to-wall mural by the Petroffs’ niece Kathryn Petroff of KLP Fine Art. It depicts realistic, old-time characters inside a smoky pool hall, creating a natural extension of the room. Photos by Danny Fulgencio

The fun-factor is reflected throughout the Petroff home, which includes a gym and two game rooms where people can play pool or shuffleboard, watch television and serve food. Between Kip and Suzi’s relatives, family gatherings can get pretty large.

“Our family is very active,” Suzi says. “It’s like the Beverly Hillbillies. We’re huge and rambunctious. We wanted a place where we could all get together and have fun.”

There is also plenty of open space where Suzi and her 15-year-old son, Michael, can practice the less rambunctious art of tae kwon do. They are both black belts.

The Petroffs work from home, which makes a comfortable design all that more important. Kip is a lawyer and was a lead prosecutor in the infamous Fen Phen case. Suzi is a former theater arts teacher and now writes educational material. They both run the New Hope Foundation, a local nonprofit that aims to help break the cycle of poverty in South Dallas. Their offices are on opposite ends of the house, and the two meet in the kitchen every day at around 5 p.m.

Suzi admits that, at 11,500 square feet, the house is too big, especially for a couple their age. However, the Petroffs have at least one big event each year at their house, accommodating more than 100 guests at time.

“The best compliment we could have is, ‘Your house is so much fun.’ That’s what we want to hear.”