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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 7 REGULARS SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2022 ZACANDZACBYIMAGE Contents 22 THIS LIFE Artist Rosemary Beaton 37 MONITOR Hot new things 39 INTERIORS NEWS The latest inside stories 44 DISCOVERY Squid Ink Studio, Glasgow 48 TRENDWATCH Olive green, Western 52 HEIRLOOM Lee Broom’s Vesper light 54 DESIGN SPECIAL Get the most from tiles 90 COMPETITION Win a bespoke ANTA rug 102 BOOKS Read up on the latest trends in design 105 BATHROOM NEWS Tiles, towels and taps 157 DESIGN IDEAS Future classics 165 ART NEWS This autumn’s unmissable exhibitions 168 KIDS NEWS Cool kit for juniors 211 ECO NEWS Stylish treats with a conscience 241 ARCHITECTURE ’22 Top tips for self-builders 274 AVARICE Fornasetti’s tempting rug & SCOTLAND 22WIN A WOOLRUG PAGE 90

8CONTENTSHOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM LIVING ROOMS 62 CASE STUDY Inspired by bespoke cabinetry 66 CASE STUDY Retro vibes for the modern age 69 CUSHIONS AND THROWS Get comfortable 70 ARMCHAIRS AND SOFAS Shapes and styles that sing 74 LIGHTING Change the mood of your living space 77 ART Work those walls 80 STORAGE Behind closed doors 85 WALLPAPER Looks to live by 89 FIREPLACES Get set for winter ARCHITECTURE 108 DOUBLE VISION This award-winning home for an art collector effortlessly blends Georgian and modern styles 124 SECOND LIFE A new extension dropped into the remnants of the old one is a smart, eco way to build 134 WHIPPED INTO SHAPE A first-time developer has turned a derelict Edinburgh ‘sauna’ into an ultra-cool pad 146 BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE Retrofitting a period farmhouse in Fife shows the way forward INTERIORS 170 ARTIST’S PERSPECTIVE Interior designer Ian Smith has used all his talents to transform his own home 184 WARM HEART Dark tones and a muted palette gave this Edinburgh flat a cosy Scottish ambience 200 MID-CENTURY MOOD Uniting a 1950s house with its new extension via colour, texture and materials 37 178 212 onContinuedpage11

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COMCONTENTS11EXTERIORS 214 LET’S GO OUTSIDE A gold-medal winning garden from this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show 219 BRANCH OUT Want a tree house but don’t have a tree? We’ve found an inventive solution 222 GARDEN NEWS All you need to create your own little slice of heaven ESCAPES 224 HOUSE OF GODS If decadence is your bag, this is the Edinburgh getaway for you 229 KILLIECRANKIE HOUSE Head to Perthshire for relaxed ﬁne dining in a top-class setting PROPERTY 272 PROPERTY NEWS The lowdown on prime pads 206 46 PAGE 241 FOOD & DRINK 234 AUTUMN’S HERE The latest restaurants, producers and ingredients for seasonal feasting with ﬂair 51 ARCHITECTURE 22

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Just turn to page 200 and see how an interior designer and an architect joined forces to create a new, improved home for their clients, connecting it to their vast green garden and welcoming nature in through a palette of earthy tones, natural wooden accents and lots of glass.

Our Architecture ’22 guide (page 241), meanwhile, has the lowdown on everything from the latest trends to how to build a low-carbon home. Pull a throw around your shoulders, top up your coffee and get planning. Change reaps rewards.

Living rooms are being put to work, too; they are multipurpose spaces in modern life and we’ve got 20 pages of ideas to help you spruce yours up, with practical suggestions for storage, lighting and soft furnishings.

I have a confession to make… I’m not sad summer is over. But that’s only because autumn is my favourite season. For me, it’s when you can really indulge your senses. The air is crisp, it’s scarves-and-sunglasses weather (best of both worlds, I reckon) and it’s all about texture, colour – russet, auburn, sage – and transition.

EDITOR’S WELCOME

The move away from the vibrancy of summer, settling into the gentle comfort of autumn, has inspired this issue. Here at Homes HQ we’re looking at how to layer texture and prepping our homes – inside and out – for when the temperature drops and barbecues are swapped for ﬁre pits, cocktails for hot chocolate. What this edition has taught us is that leaning into what nature provides can give your home a refresh.

OPENING

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Woolbeding Gardens is open on Thursday and Friday until 30 September. Glasshouse-only tickets are free. nationaltrust.org.uk | heatherwick.com

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 15

SHOT

It takes four minutes for the ‘sepals’ on this kinetic glasshouse to unfurl, transforming it from a glistening clasped jewel with a pointed dome to a spiked crown splayed like a lotus ﬂower across 141 sq.m of the National Trust’s Woolbeding Gardens in West Sussex. A collaboration with Heatherwick Studio, the glasshouse is the centrepiece of a new Silk Route Garden where visitors can admire 300 species of ﬂora from the ancient trading route. The glasshouse itself houses rare specimens alongside magnolias and ferns. Its design isn’t purely decorative, either. Cutting-edge engineering has been deployed so that the ‘sepals’ open on warm days to allow the plants to bathe in the sunshine. In the colder months, they remain closed to protect the subtropical species.

16 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM Showroom By Appointment Only Tel: 0131 448 enquiries@charlottejamesfurniture.com2133charlottejamesfurniture.com Luxury Handmade Furniture Exclusively For Trade Sofas - Chairs - Stools Cabinetry - Beds - Headboards Image courtesy of Anna Mills & ZAC and ZAC Photography Image courtesy of Chelsea Mclaine & ZAC and ZAC Photography ISSUE 144, SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2022 EDITOR CATHERINE COYLE DEPUTY EDITOR NATASHA RADMEHR DIGITAL EDITOR STEPH TELFER BOYLE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT/WRITER MIRIAM METHUEN-JONES DESIGNERS GILL DURHAM, NATASHA KNOX, LINDA PARK PRODUCTION CAROLINE MACIVER, SHANNON NAPIER ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER STUART ELDER ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE AILEEN BOOTH ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE RUTH BOWIE CONTRIBUTORS GABRIELLA BENNETT, JUDY DIAMOND, CAROLINE EDNIE PHOTOGRAPHY SERGEY ANANIEV, DAVID BARBOUR, ALEX BAXTER, HUFTON & CROW CALUM DOUGLAS, HELEN FICKLING, ISABELLE LAW, PAUL RIDDLE, PATRICIA RODI, MARTIN SAFRO, WILL SCOTT, LAURA TILIMAN, ZAC AND ZAC PUBLISHER PEEBLES MEDIA GROUP LTD THE ALBUS, 110 BROOK STREET, GLASGOW G40 3AP TELEPHONE 0141 567 6000 ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES stuart.elder@peeblesmedia.com EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES miriam.methuenjones@peeblesmedia.com PRODUCTION ENQUIRIES caroline.maciver@peeblesmedia.com PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, APRIL, JUNE, AUGUST, OCTOBER & DECEMBER SUBSCRIPTIONS 0141 567 6064 [Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm] www.homesandinteriorsscotland.com ©Peebles Media Group Limited, 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ISSN 1361-6056 SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year (6 issues) £22, Two years (12 issues) £38 – includes p&p within UK only Subscription enquiries, change of address, and orders payable to Peebles Media Group Ltd at address above. Manuscripts, transparencies, and other materials are welcomed on the understanding that we cannot be liable for their safe custody or return. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means whatsoever, without the express written permission of the Publishers. The design of advertising copy produced without additional charge by our company remains the copyright property of Peebles Media Group Ltd and may not be reproduced in any other publication without our express written permission. Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation ON THE COVER FELLINI ONDA TILES, £69.60 PER SQ.M VENETIAN LAGOON PAINT, £45 FOR 2.5 LITRES ROCARD CONCRETE BASIN, £645 BOURNBROOK BRASS TAPS,£680 ALL CLAYBROOKSTUDIO.CO.UK & SCOTLAND & SCOTLAND

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[Right] A dress by Dries Van Noten. The Belgian designer is an inspirationsourceendlessof

HOW DO YOU INVEST IN YOURSELF? Through time spent exploring the world with my baby daughter, Joni. Imagining the universe experienced for the very ﬁrst time through her innocent blue eyes is utterly uplifting. Striking a balance between running the company and learning the ropes as a mother has been my greatest gift and challenge. It’s as though I am learning the basics of life for the second time through her, my ﬁnest creation.

WHAT IS YOUR OWN HOME LIKE? A Victorian pile in Pollokshields, mid-renovation, with a mix of moodily serene spaces, print-adorned furniture and drapery, and an evergrowing collection of baskets ﬁlled with building blocks, tractors and miniature tea sets.

[Below left] A cushion covered in pattern.Diana’sCrawford’sGrove

WHICH ICONIC INTERIOR PRODUCT DO YOU WISH YOU’D DESIGNED? The Chesterfield sofa, the grand piano or the cordless Dyson. WHAT’S THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT AND LOVED? An antique rattan folding chair at auction. WHAT SHOULD WE BE WEARING RIGHT NOW? Your finest frock, fancy hat and the outfit that makes you feel one hundred million dollars. If life has taught us anything these past few bizarre years, it’s to live life in the moment and to make every day exceptionally special. Glad rags for rainy days!

HOW HAS YOUR STYLE EVOLVED? My style has evolved to embrace self-expression and imagination. As ﬁne art is typically created with an inner meaning, a viewpoint or a purpose, my work begins with a concept or a notion related to life which drives the art and designs that follow. My process has probably always been this way, but age and experience have gifted me the conﬁdence to translate more expressively.

IN THE FRAME

The artist and designer crossed over from fashion to the world of interiors, and is renowned for her painterly, nature-inspired prints

Iona Crawford

HOW DO YOU RELAX? Long walks with Joni in the Southside of Glasgow’s abundant, beautiful parks. Preparing feasts for family and friends. Pilates with my eyes closed in meditation.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE BUILDING? Verona’s vast Roman amphitheatre. I ﬁrst saw it at the age of 17, and it took my breath away.

DESCRIBE YOUR DREAM HOME A building with history and poise, by the ocean and not far from the mountains. It would offer the potential to celebrate contemporary and traditional aesthetics, art and artefacts harmoniously. Vast, high-ceilinged spaces for entertaining paired with curious nooks for quiet moments – and hide-and-seek, of course.

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES? When I paint, it’s James Guthrie, whose work I have admired since high school. In design, it’s the mastery and skill of Dries Van Noten – his grasp of silhouette, palette and composition is ingenious. In life, love and in raising my daughter, it’s my incredible parents.

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31 Dundas Street, Edinburgh,

TILIMANLAURABYIMAGE ZACANDZACBYIMAGE

Photography Zac and Zac, and Laura Tiliman Words Natasha Radmehr

ROSEMARY BEATON

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Colour bursts from the acclaimed artist’s canvases and ﬁlls her home and garden in

Renfrewshire

THIS

t is the hottest day of the year, but even in an Arctic tundra I’d be warmed by the exuberant scene before me. Sunlight streams through the glass doors of the artist’s studio, skipping generously across her acid-bright landscape paintings. Canvases ripe with colour climb the walls and perch on easels; fuchsia-drenched hills and lush lime-green plants wink from every corner. On a table, wrinkled paint tubes congregate around rainbow-stained palettes. Amid the riot of colour sits Rosemary Beaton, a vision with a tangerine-lipstick smile.

ZACANDZACBYIMAGE

THIS LIFE

Not that she necessarily needed it. In 1984, aged twenty, Beaton became the first Scot and the youngest person to receive the John Player National Portrait Award. Even then, her style was distinctive. In the winning painting, her husband Paul Doherty (they met while at school; she lived in Bishopton, he in Langbank), reclines on a chair in a cherry-red room, a jolly green cheese plant peering over his shoulder. “At that time, there weren’t very many artists using colour at all,” she remembers. “Everything was dreich and heavy. Muddy palettes were the ‘in’ thing, whereas I preferred the clarity of pure colour.”

[This image] The hallway was designed as a long gallery space for the couple to display their collection of art. A cheerful pink wall enhances the colours in one of Beaton’s own paintings, Song Bird [Right] One of the artist’s greatest joys in life, she says, is cleaning the pond in the garden. [Far right] A nude sketch and vibrant landscapes in the studio at the back of the house

Beaton, one of Scotland’s most important artists (though I suspect she’s too modest to admit it), has always known how to brighten a room. As a young student of the Glasgow School of Art in the 1980s, she was part of a second wave of female artists dubbed the ‘Glasgow Girls’ who enjoyed critical acclaim for their bold, expressive work. “We had the artists Steven Campbell, Adrian Wiszniewski and Ken Currie a few years above us, who painted big, bold canvases and set the path for women in my year to push forward on the art scene,” she remembers. “We were quieter, and perhaps a bit more poetic, but the energy we got from them was really inspiring.”

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 25 TILIMANLAURABYIMAGES

ZACANDZACBYIMAGES

26 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM THIS LIFE

The kitchen island is from Burndale Workshop in Bridge of Weir. Train Collage by Scottish artist David Mach hangs on the wall. [Top right] Another view of the hallway, which spans the length of the single-storey home. Beaton’s painting Mother and Son on the left-hand wall faces Madonna by Alison Harper, a contemporary of Beaton’s

The artist’s home in Kilmacolm, which she shares with Paul, reﬂects her colourful sensibilities. Sited on a plot of woodland on the fringes of the village, the Pond House was designed by architect Jamie Ross of Technique Studio to allow the intermingling of nature and art. The bedroom is the colour of limoncello, but takes on the complexion of a pear during the day when the sun shines through the trees by the window. Mustard pendant lights and a yolky-yellow island pop against a dusty-teal feature wall in the kitchen; in the sitting room, another single-colour wall, this time an intense candy-pink, echoes the rhododendrons in the garden below. But white space is plentiful too. “It’s maybe a wee bit old-fashioned to go for mostly white with just one colour picked out for a wall, but it suits the artwork,” says Beaton, whose exquisite, vibrant paintings adorn every room. Although she has always been creative, at school Beaton flirted with the idea of becoming a nurse like her mum. She volunteered at Erskine Hospital, where she played dominoes with the elderly ex-servicemen patients. Some were amputees, others recovering from strokes, their hardships etched on lined faces. “I ended up drawing them, and it was so much fun – they liked the camaraderie of it, and they were great to draw

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 27

[Above] The kitchen connects with a terrace and is enlivened by cheery primary colours. “Paul and I aren’t really ‘designery’ people,” says Beaton. “I just wanted colour to dictate the house, and we got most of the furniture online because of lockdown.”

28 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

“I IDEA OF PEOPLE’S WORK PROGRESSING – IT’S EXCITING TO SEE AN ARTIST CHANGE. I’M INSPIRED BY PEOPLE WHO DON’T STICK TO A PLAN”

LOVE THE

Beaton requested a bright, airy studio and Technique Studio delivered. Velux roof windows and a large bi-folding door allow the light to pour in. The door opens to a private courtyard, which separates the main house from the studio

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 29 THIS LIFE

ZACANDZACBYIMAGE

ZACANDZACBYIMAGES

THIS LIFE [Above] The architect was granted planning permission to demolish the 1970s bungalow that used to sit here and replace it with a contemporary build that has a far better relationship with the surrounding nature. Waterstruck, coal-ﬁred brick and untreated larch cladding meld with the woodland. Over time, this cladding will turn silver. [Right] Dramatic panoramic views can be soaked up in the glass-walled sitting room

because of their wrinkles,” recalls Beaton. The portraits formed part of her art school submission folio, and she became known early on for her ﬁgurative work and virtuoso draughtsmanship. Like her favourite artist, Paula Rego, who died in June at the age of 87, Beaton’s practice is constantly evolving. A book of her work published four years ago reveals the breadth of her oeuvre: lively nudes reminiscent of Egon Schiele; an intricate stainedglass window on Glasgow’s Great George Street Lane; a grass wave sculpture with two steel metal heads, emerging from a meadow of wildﬂowers in Aberdeen. “I love the idea of people’s work progressing – it’s exciting to see an artist change and jump about just because they can,” she says. “I’m inspired by people who change it up and don’t stick to a plan.” Landscapes have been her focus since moving into the Pond House last year. “During lockdown I couldn’t do life drawing, so I’d go for walks with my sketchbook,” she explains. “I like to be immersed in a landscape; for everything to be up close. I’m not drawing what I see, but what I feel while I’m there.” The beaches of Iona, Lewis and Harris provide endless inspiration,

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 31

Often, women lie at the heart of her landscapes. Folklore, myths and legends are sewn into many of her pieces; Greek and Roman goddesses cast an otherworldly lens on the modern female experience. “I think a lot of my work has been about justice for women,” she says. When asked to contribute to 400 Women, an exhibition that shone a light on the horrific femicides in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Beaton was given an image to work from of a 19-year-old woman whose body had never been found. “I imagined this poetic idea of tears, breast milk, everything ﬂoating into the soil and re-emerging as these breast mountains, which kept appearing in my work. They represented the dead women who now form part of the landscape.” In a later work, she painted the young woman as a nymph, grinning mischievously as she bathes in a fountain well. “That was my girl coming back to life,” she smiles.

but it’s on the ﬂoor of the standalone studio at the back of the house that the real magic happens. “That’s where I’ll put it on a larger canvas and bring in other ideas,” she says.

An artist whose work I covet I’d like a Paula Rego.

A recent discovery Plants coming up in the garden.

TILIMANLAURABYIMAGE

Music I play on repeat Paolo Nutini’s new album, Last Night in the Bittersweet, and I like old jazz.

The last thing I bought A red ﬁshtail dress to wear to a wedding.

The podcast I listen to At the moment I’m listening to Spanish podcasts; we have a wee place in Pollensa, Mallorca, so I’d like to speak the language.

Favourite restaurant Saﬀron in Kilmacolm is the best Indian restaurant ever; amazing food, and the guys are delightful.

We have a big tree that, when we moved in, I thought was an evergreen. But it turned golden last autumn, which was a lovely surprise.

When I blow out the candles I wish for Health and happiness.

Best bit of life right now It’s summer, so the garden.

Permanent ﬁxtures in my fridge There’s always cold white wine and natural yoghurt.

In her new home, though, she has a place where stillness can be savoured. This winter, she will hunker down in the studio to paint for a future exhibition in London. She has a hobby (“For the first time in my life,” she laughs) in tending to her glorious, sprawling garden, and ﬁnds immense satisfaction in cleaning the pond after which the house is named. “It’s such a cool, lovely place to be – and rather meditative,” she smiles, as she pulls her waders on for a dip. “You just have to seize the happiness in the everyday, don’t you?”

A message to my younger self Believe in yourself.

The view I never tire of Iona’s North End Beach.

[Left] The islands of Iona, Lewis and Harris make regular appearances in Beaton’s colourful landscapes

Beaton usually has two or three paintings on the go at once and can work at pace – a skill finessed while raising her four children, Simon, Samantha, Josie and Daisy. “I had to work really fast when they were young, mostly at night when they were asleep,” she recalls. “I switched to acrylic paints because they dried faster than oils and weren’t as messy. It’s only recently that I’ve returned to using oils again.” Through her art, she has charted the many facets of motherhood, from the joyful expectation of pregnancy to the bittersweet wrench of the kids growing up and moving out, as all of hers now have. “It’s a big jolt when that happens,” she reﬂects. “You go from this chaotic family life to things being just a wee bit quiet.”

The last exhibition I went to The fantastic John Byrne retrospective at Kelvingrove Art Gallery.

Must-have gadget A knife for sharpening my pencils.

My style icon is Honestly, I’m not really into fashion. Most days I wear jeans or ﬂing on my dungarees!

Dream dinner date Leonard Cohen.

THIS LIFE 32 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

A SLICE OF LIFE City or countryside? For looking at art, a city. But to live in? The countryside.

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 37 REAL APPEAL 1 PRETTY IN PINK Is it a hand? An abstract skyline? Nope, the Ajui from Hommés Studio is of course an armchair 2 EARN YOUR SALT Le Creuset isn’t just for pots and pans, as this vibrant green salt mill proves 3 FLASH LIGHT The Jaded candlestick from Aussie brand Kip&Co will make any old candle look jazzy 4 UPDATED CLASSIC Designer Luke Edward Hall and Italian textile brand Rubelli collide in this updated ﬂoral pattern: ‘Ribbon Bouquet’ 5 GO BANANAS This wacky sculpture from Jonathan Adler is made from wicker, so sadly not appropriate for an equally oversized lunchbox 6 PLATE UP Looking to quite literally elevate your dining? Try the Comet ceramic stand from Wanderlust Wares 5 4 6 1 2 3

Looney dunes

These pretty Scallop pendants from David Hunt Lighting were launched for London Design Week. They come in a fun selection of colours, good for eclectic households looking to spice up their light ﬁttings. The two-tone, hand-ﬁnished pendants look especially fetching as a duo – mix and match the colours if you’re feeling bold. £390. davidhuntlighting.co.uk

BEST ANGLES

The organic lines and shadows of the Heritage fabric from Lelievre’s Najd collection is the “textile translation of an aerial view of the desert”, according to the Paris design house. It’s a 100% cotton Jacquard, pictured here in ‘Naturel’, and also comes in two other colours. £170.50 per metre. lelievreparis.com

PERFECT PEACH

INTERIORSNEWS HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 39

FICTION

Named after a savoury staple of Asian cuisine, the Koji table aims to similarly spice up its environment. It has steel legs and an MDF top, the height is adjustable and there are hidden castors to move it around with ease. There’s also an eco-friendly version available with a ﬁbreglass top that’s fully recyclable. £POA. opinionciatti.com

Fenwick & Tilbrook, the paint specialist, has collaborated with wallpaper and fabric house Colefax & Fowler on a range of contemporary colours. Courtyard, an earthy pink, joins a growing collection of rich, autumnal shades. Every hue is available as exterior paint too. From £28 per litre. fenwickandtilbrook.com

BULB

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If you’re currently sitting like a prawn (it’s okay, most of us are), feast your uncomfortable eyes on this wiggly chair from Back in Action. The brand focuses on ergonomic design for anyone struggling with back pain. Its Varier Ekstrem chair looks like a work of art, but it gives the user an almost endless variety of seating positions. You’re sure to ﬁnd one to soothe that aching spine. From £1,999. backinaction.co.uk

Bright, beautiful and good for the planet: the Palazzo rug has it all. The geometric design is made from 100% recycled cotton, reducing the amount of water needed during production and ensuring the rug is biodegradable. The mix of checkerboard and contemporary stripes make it worthy of a second look. Place it at the foot of your bed and start each day with a smile. From £69 for a runner. iansnow.com

Lookin’ good

Italian atelier Hagit Pincovici has teamed up with American design supremo Kelly Wearstler to produce this one-of-a-kind mirror. It’s called the Palm, thanks to the Israeli desert palm cast in bronze and mounted on the frame. Each husk is diﬀerent, and so each piece is unique. Approx £7,400. kellywearstler.com

Launching in September, the Plivello pendant light is a new addition for Le Klint. The modern chandelier is a nod to the Danish brand’s roots: it all started with a simple folded paper shade. The light is available in three formats, all made from FSC-certiﬁed paper and aluminium. £1,929. leklint.com THE RUG

Come out on top

INTERIORS NEWS 40 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

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LOOK THE PART

TOP COAT TABLE SERVICE Go for a run

INTERIORSNEWSINTERIORSNEWS HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 43

Dining table looking a little battered? If you’re ready for something imaginative to take its place, try the Atrium from Cattelan Italia. Lorenzo Remedi’s design has a striking glass base that’s textured almost like quilting, with a top in either timber or ceramic. It’s a statement piece that’ll take your dinner parties to another level. £POA. cattelanitalia.com

The Waving & Smiling paint collection from Atelier Ellis includes this muted sage (‘Amrita’s Green’), which feels fresh yet warm enough for autumn. Pair with deep mahogany, fresh white linen and stripped-back timber ﬂoors. From £51 for 2.5 litres. atelierellis.co.uk

The colourful collaboration between A Rum Fellow and Roger Oates is a treat for your ﬂoors, producing a collection of stair runners in a bold and inviting mix of colours. The Kahlo design (pictured) was the starting point for the whole range, with a dramatic strike-through pattern and contrasting rib background. From £1,050. rogeroates.com The colourful collaboration between A Rum Fellow and Roger Oates is a treat for your ﬂoors, producing a collection of stair runners in a bold and inviting mix of colours. The Kahlo design (pictured) was the starting point for the whole range, with a dramatic strike-through pattern and contrasting rib background. From £1,050. rogeroates.com

Streamline your morning routine with the swish Salomé valet stand from Bonaldo. The metal frame has a rail for tomorrow’s outﬁt behind a full-length mirror. There’s also a tray for accessories and an optional light for touch-ups. If you’re lacking space for a dressing table, this is a swanky alternative. £1,500. bonaldo.com

Words Miriam Methuen-Jones

TUCKED AWAY DOWN ST ANDREWS STREET just off the Saltmarket in Glasgow’s east end is the joyful Squid Ink Studio. It’s about midway between Glasgow Green and the famous Barrowlands – an apt spot for such a haven of playful design.

Pop in if you’re in the neighbourhood and have a browse. We’ve got our eye on the weaving loom kits (child- and adult-friendly) and the citrus squiggle candles.

SQUID INK STUDIO OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE FULLY INSURED ALL WORK GUARANTEED REFERENCES AVAILABLE Susan Gallagher BA (Hons) Landscape Architecture 0141 429 6267 l 07985 www.terraﬁrmagardens.com070433 DISCOVERY OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Artist and designer Sarah Henderson opened up here in 2013 not long after she’d graduated from art school and was looking for a creative outlet. Since then, she has collaborated with the likes of the Tate Modern, the Barbican and even the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. All the colourful concrete homewares, such as sculptural candle holders and soap dishes, are handmade by Henderson in the shop’s studio. The ochre walls are pleasingly lined with candles, planters, home fragrances, dried ﬂowers and eco-friendly gifts.

5CranmoreCharnwoodNEWThe Exceptional British made wood stoves for the home. 01983 537780 • @charnwoodstoves • www.charnwood.com charnwoodYEARS5

ESSENTIALS 46 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM SUPER BOWLS 1 Small ceramic bowls, £22 for a set of four, Wanderlust Wares 2 Cath Kidston Strawberry Garden mixing bowl, £23.99, Very 3 Azure green stripe ceramic salad bowl, £17.50, Oliver Bonas 4 Acorn soup bowl, £25, Glosters 5 Good Luck green bowl, approx £310, ACH Collection 6 Diggins pudding bowls in Burnt Custard, £28 for two, Loaf 7 Mango-wood and enamel serving bowl, £22, Habitat 8 Adderbury pasta bowl, £102 for four, Soho House 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Conservatories Orangeries Sun Lounges Garden Rooms Mozolowski & Murray Mozolowski & Murray Design Centre 57 Comiston Road Edinburgh EH10 6AG Open 6 days, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm with Saturday by appointment. www.mozmurray.co.uk To ﬁnd out more call us on 0345 050 5440 Visit our design centre or request a brochure.

48 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM OLIVE BRANCH 1 Hadano wall light, £73.20, Dar Lighting 2 HAY double vase, £79, Amara 3 Guacamole paint, from £27 for 0.94 litres, Benjamin Moore 4 Eva large rug, £1,695, Arlo & Jacob 5 Olive wall paint, £55.95 for 2.5 litres, Annie Sloan 6 Lima footstool, from £1,412, House of Dome 7 Poitiers Smoke gloss tile, £59.99 per sq.m, CTD Tiles 8 Philippe Malouin sectional sofa system, £15,922, SCP 9 Château 150 range cooker in Rush Green, from £6,000, La Cornue TRENDWATCH 1 2 9 3

3BIGSOFTIES HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 49 6 7 8 4 5 £qRRetreat velour quilted cushion, £19.50, AmaraSc£Scallop£80,cushionstripeinSage,ToriMurphy Otto pillow, from Jonathan£88, Adler

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WILD WEST 1 Tanzania stripe rug, from £821, Jonathan Adler 2 Kosmo sculptures, £236, Arteriors 3 Marguerite rug, £925, Ligne Roset 4 Large bison skull wall decoration, £59.99, Auburn Fox 5 Moritz wall mirror, approx £2,500, Hommés Studio 6 Strike It Lucky luxury matches, £7, Heavenly Homes and Gardens 7 Buffalo drawer knob, £10, Ella James 8 Reprise chair with hide seat, £2,750, L.Ercolani 9 Gilroy plaid throw, £275, and Yadigari Anatolia red wool Kilim rug, from £1,870, Mind the Gap 10 A Long Ride From Hell 1968 French Grande film poster by Belinsky, £300, Orson & Welles 11 Gibson bar stool, £169, Where Saints Go TRENDWATCH HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 51 3 6 7 8 4 5

LIGHT WORSHIP

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FOR GLOBALLY RENOWNED DESIGNER Lee Broom, inspiration can be found everywhere. His career has spanned multiple genres, but he started out at theatre school, which explains some of the drama displayed in his collections of lighting and furniture. To celebrate his studio’s 15th anniversary, Broom has released six new lighting collections. The Vesper, a jaw-dropping mix of geometric lines and gravity-defying shapes, is our favourite.

Shown here in the Quattro format (there’s a smaller Duo version too), the Vesper is more suspended sculpture than mere light ﬁtting. It was inspired, says Broom, by the Brutalist architecture he grew up surrounded by in the Midlands, especially in temples and cathedrals. The Quattro would certainly look at home in a modern cathedral, but we suspect it will be more popular in a domestic setting – it would look pretty sensational in one of Edinburgh’s highceilinged Georgian townhouses, for instance, or above the dining table in a contemporary build.

HEIRLOOM KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY

The light is made from rectangular aluminium cubes (in a brushed silver or gold ﬁnish) connected by illuminated spheres, and is 75cm tall. This is certainly one to keep in the family. After all, who can imagine those simple, dramatic lines ever going out of style? £4,248. Words Miriam Methuen-Jones

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 53 • INTERIOR DESIGN • ARCHITECTURE • FURNITURE • LIGHTING • FABRICS • FLOORING • DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES • WALLPAPER • SOFT FURNISHINGS 38 Gibson Street, Glasgow G12 8NX Open Monday-Friday 9am – 5pm Saturday 10am – 5pm Tel 0141 339 9520Fax 0141 337 2127 Email info@designworks-scotland.co.uk Glasgow Furniture Store: The Peel Carmunnock Bypass Busby Glasgow G76 9HN Scottish Independent Furniture Retailer of the Year for four consecutive years Do you provide an exceptional dining experience? 0141 644 1115 www.johndickandson.co.uk Image features Porada Table and Chairs

Eterna Verde encaustic tiles, £125 per sq.m, Maitland & Poate Starry Night handmade encaustic cement tiles, £180 per sq.m, Otto Tiles and Design

Don’t let grout be an afterthought. Decide whether you’d like it to co-ordinate with your tiles (or be unnoticeable), or contrast with them for more of a design statement (consider a pale metro tile outlined in graphic black).

porcelain wall

THEBETWEENLINES

Fellini tiles, £69.60 per sq.m, Claybrook

“In high-traﬃc areas, grey grout will age better, and there are now many shades to choose from,” says Achillia Mavrovounioti, studio and design assistant at Edinburgh Tile Studio.

Ca’ Pietra Lily Pad porcelain tiles, £73.09 per sq.m, Hyperion Tiles

Price and colour are not the only factors to consider when buying tiles. Shape, material and ﬁnish will decide if they’re right for you

W hat does the camera roll on your phone look like?

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 55

Mine, especially following a recent trip to Lisbon, is a little something like this: my feet planted on a mosaic-patterned floor; the cornflower blue, Azulejo-tiled interior of a Portuguese church; my hand holding various sage-coloured tiles aloft as I try to decide what to clad my bathroom walls in. I am a tile-phile, if there is such a thing. But I am also the kind of person who gets so swept up in how something looks that practicalities are frequently forgotten about. Which is why a few years ago muggins here ordered porous encaustic tiles for her kitchen walls (including the splashback) and didn’t have them sealed. A bold – silly, some may say – move for a turmeric-lover, and a mistake easily made if you’re clicking “add to basket” instead of chatting in person to an expert. So what should we be thinking about before going on a tile-shopping spree?

Words Natasha Radmehr

DESIGN SPECIAL

PATTERN RECOGNITION

“Porcelain tiles and glazed ceramics are the easiest material to maintain as they don’t usually require any special treatment or maintenance,” says Achillia Mavrovounioti, studio and design assistant at Edinburgh Tile Studio, when I ask which materials cause the least hassle for bathrooms and kitchens. “Encaustic tiles are made of hand-pressed cement, so they’re not

Oh, and tag us in your Instagram photos once your room is ﬁnished. You might end up on my camera roll.

glazed or pre-sealed, and therefore require treatment during the installation. Be careful with the cleaning products you use for these tiles; anything acidic could irritate their surface.” Budget is an important consideration, too, especially if you’re tiling a large space. Mavrovounioti says factory-ﬁnished ceramic tiles tend to be less expensive, while handmade and encaustic designs – as well as large-format porcelain tiles, particularly marble-effect styles – sit at the higher end of the price range. If you want to treat yourself to something unique, look into reclaimed tiles; UK-based companies such as Bert & May and Maitland & Poate salvage stunningly beautiful encaustic tiles from across Spain. “People love them not only because of how they look but because of their heritage,” says Chris Gulson-Brooke, the co-founder of Maitland & Poate, which specialises in original encaustic Spanish tiles (as well as selling handmade designs inspired by them). “They also have the advantage of being environmentally friendly, as we are recycling the tiles and cleaning them so they can enjoy a new lease of life.”

Before you buy any tiles, reclaimed or otherwise, order a sample to see how the colour looks outside of a styled image. This’ll also allow you to place your ﬂoor and wall options side by side to see how well they go together. “If you’re using patterned tiles on one area, such as a ﬂoor, I’d choose a plainer style for the walls, and vice versa,” advises Gulson-Brooke. “Otherwise the room might look a bit too busy.”

Osby porcelain tiles, £34.95 per sq.m, Walls and Floors

Deco Tayberry ceramic tiles, £3.38 per tile, Original Style

Schedule the delivery day for your tiles a week or two earlier than the installation date in case of delays, and ask your tiler if they’ll be providing grout and adhesive (and sealer, if required).

DESIGN SPECIAL | TILES 56 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

Pattern isn’t the only way to introduce eye-catching design; hexagonal and scalloped-shaped tiles create an interesting look even if you stick to plain colours. Their drawback? They are trickier to lay than their square and rectangular counterparts, so you’ll need to order a fair bit extra. “We recommend ordering more than the standard extra 10% for cuts and wastage with this type of tile,” says Mavrovounioti. “And if you are looking to create a herringbone pattern, we’d suggest you order an additional 20%.”

A design classic, terracotta tiles have enjoyed a surge in popularity recently. They add instant warmth (and a hint of the Med) to any space, but don’t feel forced into an earthy palette if you’d prefer your room to feel vibrant. Punch up the rustic look with Mondrian-inspired primary colours for a fresh take on the trend.

Jade Square tiles (£128.40 per sq.m), Jade Herringbone tiles (£273.02 per sq.m) and Rhubarb Square tiles (£107.10 per sq.m), all Bert & May Stone’s Riad range comes in various colours in matt and gloss porcelain (£73.60 per sq.m), with complementary Decor tiles inlaid with blue or white (£74.13 per sq.m)

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 57

Mandarin

“If you’re using patterned tiles choose a plainer style for the walls and vice versa”

DOWN TO EARTH

For estimates contact us on 07510018008 sculpturetiling.com Sculpture Tiling are trusted, reputable and experiencedproviding the highest quality, accredited and fully insured work for projects of all sizes. sculpturetiling UK Tiler of the Year 2022

INNOVATION

58 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

SOMETIMES YOU THINK YOU’VE SEEN IT ALL.

Deep dive Furniture, Lighting, Accessories 32 E Princes St,

DESIGN HOW BIZARRE

Interior design, like fashion and music, works in cycles and it feels like nothing is really new any more. And then, just like that, a sculpture of a deep-sea diver wearing a seagull on its head crops up… Yep, that’ll do it. These wonderfully weird 30cm-tall sculptures are the work of Italian atelier Freaklab, established by ceramicist Antonio Sunseri in 2016. They’re part of a collection called ‘Big Humans’ which Sunseri says is about the relationship between man and nature. In this instance, the divers represent the idealistic dreamer living under constant pressure, and the birds represent free thought. It’s a comment on the trials of everyday life and the increasingly impossible balance we’re all striving for. Or, if you’re in a more dismissive mood, perhaps they’re just a bit of fun for your display cabinet. Think the divers are odd? Check out the rest of Sunseri’s work for more anthropomorphic, playful and occasionally monstrous sculptures. Special mention goes to the blue donkey covered in eyes and the stackable crocodile bowls. £290 each. Words Miriam Methuen-Jones Helensburgh tojodesign.com

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 59 BEAUTIFULTILES, NATURALLY EDINBURGH TILE STUDIO Tel.:enquiries@edinburghtilestudio.co.ukedinburghtilestudio.co.uk@EdinTileStudio01316293780 BATHROOMS & WETROOMS 172a Main Street, Prestwick 07493 839 495/0800 652 4372 www.inspired-vision.co.uk inspiredvisionbathrooms NEW SHOWROOM OPEN 7 DAYS Late night appointments available We offer a 4D virtual plan and servicedesign

35A DUNDAS STREET EDINBURGH EH3 6QQ 0131 556 WWW.BRYCEMCKENZIE.CO.UK2185

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 61 Atticus chair in Ivory Bouclé, £748, Anthropologie LIVING ROOMS

PICTURE THIS Words Miriam

There are clues all over this seriously impressive apartment about what the owner holds most dear. Look at the poise of the beautifully crafted furniture, the balance of the various elements so that nothing dominates, the symmetry of the way things are arranged. Everything combines to produce a harmonious whole. Of course, the pictures give it away too: this is the home of an art lover. Paintings, sculptures, treasures collected over many years are all carefully positioned where they can be seen to best effect. But doing this hasn’t turned the apartment into a gallery; rather, the art has become a part of the home – which is exactly what the owner requested. It’s all thanks to the efforts of Anna Agapova of interior design studio O&A London. “Our client had a phenomenal collection of paintings so the main objective was to incorporate these and produce the atmosphere of a house with a history,” she says. Methuen-Jones

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Photography Sergey Ananiev CASE STUDY BRIEF To create a cool, calm, owner’sArtinterior,neoclassical-inspiredwithelementsofDeco,toshowoﬀthecollections INTERIOR DESIGN O&A London DIMENSIONS 200 sq.m apartment

[Opposite] The Avior light fitting above the dining table is from O&A’s own collection. [Below] The living room is open to the hallway library. The shape of the arch is echoed by the coffee table by French designer Stéphane Parmentier

The owner is also a music-lover and has thousands of vinyl records. Agapova’s task was to ﬁt these into the living room in a way that felt beautiful, elegant and luxurious. Bespoke shelves were built for the LPs, with space left above for two favourite paintings which have been given new gold frames: “Every element in this space is an art object,” Agapova points out. Beside the record storage she created an alcove to display a rare reel-to-reel audio tape player the client found in Switzerland, and to mount the television. This technology nook is softened by a hand-painted ombre wallpaper by Calico. A quick pivot reveals more bespoke joinery – this time for books. The hallway has been opened up and put to work as a library. The charcoal ﬁnish of the shelves harmonises with the palette of blues, greens and greys used in the rest of this openplan space: “Our art department got involved to make the books look as good as possible.” In the adjoining dining room, meanwhile, a pair of display cabinets were specially built around the client’s objets d’art. Each piece has its own spot where it can be seen to best advantage. Attention to detail like this ensures the apartment already feels well established and lived in: “We wanted to create a personalised interior which is classical and unusual at the same time.”

The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Gray Mist, apart from behind the speakers and TV (right), which has a wall covering by Calico. Space was left for a painting above the built-in LP storage WE LOVE

It’s always worth adding greenery (real or faux) to your scheme

LIVING ROOMS | CASE STUDY 64 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

STYLE FILE

[Clockwise from top left]

The Rebel sofa by Snug, £1,039; hammered metal planter, £21.95, Melody Maison; Houston pendant, from £140, Sofa.com; Autumn Landscape print by A. Wyant, £216, Mind the Gap; Asher rug, £165, Walton & Co; Porada Koster console table, £1,946, Go Modern; faux garden shrub branch, £15, OKA

LIMESTONEBARRBLONDEANTIQUEGENUINE FIND OUT MORE +44 (0)1423 400 100 REINVENTED RECLAIMED REIMAGINED LAPICIDA.COM/RECLAIMED

from Zara

the 1860s

and antiques

with a rug

66 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM BRIEF To create an evocative and relaxing hub that celebrates the owner’s style: eclectic, with a touch of French romanticism and Swedish country WHERE A Victorian home on Scotland’s west coast INTERIOR DESIGNER Patricia Rodi

Heirlooms mix and coffee table Home. The fireplace tiles are original, from

[Clockwise from top] Velvet medium sofa, £1,695, Rockett St George; Kraak teapot, £100, OKA; Roald walnut-effect large table, £132, Dar Lighting; Madrid cane armchair, £529, Pepper Sq; Tea rose vase, £50, Day Home; Ca’ Pietra Brompton porcelain Kew tiles, £42.90 for 0.52 sq.m, Hyperion Tiles; Green striped fringed cushion, £35, Rose & Grey

A three-seater is great for cuddles and Rodi’ssocialisingantique cane chair was brought back from Canada by her partner’s grandfather WE LOVE

Never underestimate the power of nostalgia.

VINTAGE VIBES

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 67 LIVING ROOMS CASE

The walls are finished in Farrow & Ball’s School House White – a timeless backdrop for the prints and paintings she has collected over the years. Also in Rodi’s collection is work by Glasgow artist Kirsty Lackie: “These are some of my absolute favourites. I love her shapes. We have older work and newer pieces from her too; it has been really nice watching her style develop.”Theoverall feeling in her living room is one of relaxation. A round coffee table encircled by vintage seating encourages conversation and lingering. Pull up an armchair in front of the fire, though, and it becomes a serene spot to listen to a record or read a book. “If I want it to have a buzzier atmosphere I’ll open the door to the kitchen and listen in on the cooking and chatter in there,” she smiles. Under the rug (just visible at the edges) are reclaimed timber floorboards from Gourock town hall. “These floors are special to us. We used linseed oil soap to finish them, which is a traditional Scandinavian technique. They’re gorgeous!” STUDY

Words Miriam Methuen-Jones Photography Patricia Rodi STYLE FILE

Interior stylist Patricia Rodi certainly doesn’t: in fact, it’s where she gets much of her inspiration. “I love to create spaces that are a nod to my childhood experiences,” she says. “I have a multicultural background – I’ve lived in Italy, Sweden, France… I have memories of running barefoot on tiled floors and of my father’s French antique kitchen.” Home now, though, is the west coast of Scotland in a Victorian house filled with a thoughtful mix of vintage pieces and new finds. “My partner and I have acquired a lot of our furniture from family members, heirlooms that have been passed down through the generations. I think everyone should have pieces of heritage furniture; it’s the things that mean something that are the most Onlinebeautiful.”auctions, antiques shops and flea markets are the sources of many of the other gems that decorate her home. “I like Vinterior, but it mostly has higher-end furniture,” she says. “I turn to eBay or Etsy for more affordable pieces. It helps that you can bargain with sellers and haggle down the price. You just have to be confident when you buy antiques!”

68 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM Siobhan McFadden | Expert Colour Consultant Tailored Colour Consultancy Service | In Home & Virtual m: 07523 039731 | e: enquiries@studiohomestead.co.uk www.studiohomestead.co.uk @home__stead Be Coorie - A Scottish lifestyle brand inspired by nature... Hand-made one-of-a-kind products made sustainably and ethically in the UK Visit our online store: becoorie.com For information contact: 07797 764768 or email: info@becooriejersey.com Camper van hire BeBeNaturalWild

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 69 LIVING ROOMS | CUSHIONS & THROWS 1 Viridian Intarsia velvet cushion, £100, Susi Bellamy 2 Merino wool throws, £259 each, Life of Riley 3 Polaire cushion cover, £POA, Camengo 4 Static throw in Truffle by Donna Wilson, £325, SCP 5 Mickey & Mercy cushion, £49, The Cornrow 6 Chunky knit throw, £150, Cox & Cox 7 The Wanderer cushion cover, £50, Cai & Jo 8 Herringbone Jacquard cushion, £195, Johnstons of Elgin 9 In Love cushion, £110, Christian Lacroix 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 COMFORT ZONE Cuddle up with funky cushions and deliciously so throws 9

LIVING ROOMS | SOFAS & ARMCHAIRS 70 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 1 Hémicycle Vis-à-Vis conversation seat, from £5,870, Ligne Roset 2 Parker curved sofa, approx £4,000, Jonathan Adler 3 Etienne modular sofa, £POA, Porada 4 Elystan sofa covered in Radish climbing chevy fabric by Tori Murphy, from £3,110, David Seyfried 5 Lune sofa, from £5,632, Nordic Living 1 2 3 4 5

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 71 Mags sofa by HAY, from £2,400, Catalog Interiors SEATING PLAN Every home needs a luxurious place to lounge, and today’s curves and modular pieces ﬁt the bill

LIVING ROOMS | SOFAS & ARMCHAIRS 72 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM SITTING PRETTY We’re big advocates of merging interior styles if you share space with someone else. Your sofa should be a collaborative piece with the right height, ﬁrmness and aesthetic to please the whole household. You can be more independent in your armchair choices, though. If there’s space, choose a comfy seat each and allow the contrasting (or complementary) styles to add character to your living room. Bookworms will beneﬁt from prioritising a wider seat and padded arms for long stints curled up with a good read. Boxset bingers, meanwhile, should take the height of the TV into account and opt for a supportive back. 1 Bucket Bergerie chair,Amara£4,144,Hawksmoor armchair, £1,915, Original CompnayChair Bruno£5,089,armchair,SCP Big Easy £3,500,armchair,SusieAtkinson Emmeline velvet armchair, £549, Atkin & Thyme HOT SEATS 2 1 Otto coffee table, £112, Noa & Nani 2 Pelle coffee table, £249, Dwell Coffee break

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 73 43/45 Main Road, Kirkoswald (by Turnberry) KA19 8HY, Tel: 01655 760505 Open Monday to Saturday 10.30am – 5pm and Sunday 12noon-5pm (Closed Tuesdays) www.saksandhart.com FurnitureHome Accessories Jewellery & Accessories

baton cluster,

Everyone is feeling the pinch, not least with rising energy prices. Michael Meiser of Lumilum oﬀers his advice to stop us sitting in the dark this autumn.

PICK THE RIGHT BULB Use LED lightbulbs where possible, as incandescent and halogen lights are more costly to run and less ecofriendly. LED bulbs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. A transparent shade (such as glass), meanwhile, means all the light goes into the room, so you won’t need to switch on extra lamps.

CUT

PLACEMENT With some clever design tricks, you can use your decor to distribute more light around your room. Mirrors and shiny surfaces help to amplify the light; position a mirror opposite your light source or at a 90-degree angle for best results. COSTS Strado vase lamp base, £198, Cotswold Grey Landis table lamp, approx Hudson£300,Valley Cattelan£POA,Italia

Forked pendant, £1,175, Buster & Punch Pick-n-mix ball diamond,Rothschild£450,&Bickers

Dowsing & Reynolds

Coimbra pendant lights,

LIVING ROOMS | LIGHTING 74 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

Copper from £240,

Calypsopendant,Antigua£910,LuxDeco Arte LED floor lamp, £229, Dwell BRIGHT IDEA Dazzling, subtle or moody: solutions for lighting every corner of the living room

Your wonderful new decor scheme is nothing without decent lighting. Interior designer Jo Littlefair lets us in on some industry secrets: “Lighting should never be underestimated – it has a huge impact on the ambience of a room and consequently on how people feel and react in the space,” she Startingsays.from scratch? Fantastic. “If you’re able to plan the architectural lighting of a space (the lighting that is fixed to the framework of the room) then consider how the light sources themselves can be concealed,” she suggests. “Hidden tracks or directional spotlights are a great idea. Think of your room as a canvas and ask yourself what you want to highlight and what you want to knock back into shadow. You could accentuate the texture of a tongue-and-groove-clad ceiling by washing it with an LED track, pin-spot columns with floor-recessed uplights, and task-light a work surface with concealed LED tracks. I prefer when you can’t see the actual light source itself but just feel the benefit from the effect.”

light,

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 75

Of course, it’s all about the angles: “Ensure there is as much side light as possible: ﬂoor and table lamps and wall lights. These allow you to highlight dark corners, or create a reading area without flooding the whole room with light and killing the atmosphere. And, as a bonus, sideways light is always more ﬂattering than anything from directly above!” ceiling approxPinto£3,300,Paris chandelier,Swirl£POA,BethanGrayxBaroncelliAtelier

Raïto

Polaris

94 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4BY | 0131 447 3041 | www.morningsidegallery.co.uk BLYTHE SCOTT COME A LITTLE CLOSER 3RD-18TH SEPTEMBER M O R N I N G S I D E G A L L E R Y S O L O E X H I B I T I O N Please contact the gallery to sign up for exclusive updates

WALLS

[Above] Don’t fear clashes: look how well these fabrics from

One of the most satisfying ways to breathe life into your home is through art. Eileadh Swan, owner of Edinburgh’s Morningside Gallery, has plenty of advice on how to get started, with a focus on the living“Thinkroom.about the mood you want to create in your living room. We feel different things when we look at curved lines and straight lines, circles and geometrical shapes. Ask yourself questions. Do you want to be invigorated and energised when you walk into your living room or do you want this to be a place for relaxing and daydreaming? You might find yourself drawn to lots of different styles and types of artworks, but once you have made a decision about the atmosphere you’d like to create, you’ll find it easier to narrow down your search for a painting. “Once you’ve found something you love, let it become the inspiration for the rest of the room. Think about the colours, the shapes and the textures within a painting and use them as a creative springboard to find textiles and furnishings for the rest of the room. We always

Blank walls can sap energy from your room. Here are easy tricks to ﬁll them Chloe Jonason Teresa Rego

Interiors stand up to the bold array of artwork. [Below] ‘Tulips & Coffee’ by

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 77 LIVING ROOMS | ART

WONDER

“Find galleries and artists that you like and view as many works as possible. Galleries will often allow you try a painting at home. If they offer this service, take them up on it – it is incredibly helpful to see an artwork in situ, in your home and at different times of the day.”

THE

Blythe Scott, mixed-media artist “Knowing where a painting will be hung, how it ﬁts into a scheme and who might be enjoying it, is hugely satisfying. It feels like a very particular honour when your work is chosen to take pride of place in someone’s living room. As I initially trained as a designer, I see no shame in allowing an interior scheme to inﬂuence the choice of artwork or even the making of it. If my art goes with your sofa, so much the better! I will often incorporate wallpapers or textiles into the surface of my work and so it seems only natural that I should sometimes incorporate decorative samples provided to me by clients. Conversely, clients sometimes treat my work as a starting point and decorate their room to coordinate. They may take inspiration from elements within it when choosing furnishings too. Artwork can really be an excellent starting point for a room’s decor.” ARTIST’S VIEW [Top left] Art from Anthropologie contrasts coolly with traditional coving. [Left] ‘Teabowl & Bracken’ by Angie Lewin. [Below] Statement lighting and furniture by The Private Label are balanced out with oversized, abstract artwork

encourage people to begin with the art and then look for cushions, not the other way around!

LIVING ROOMS | ART 78 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

“It is important to consider size: a loosely painted semi-abstract landscape might be best appreciated from a distance, so examine whether your room is spacious enough. A detailed and delicate still-life on the other hand is probably best viewed up close, so you might want to ﬁnd a smaller nook or section of the living room to hang it in, to create a more intimate interaction with the art.

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 79 Lally Walford Interiors offers a comprehensive interior design service, tailor-made to meet your speciﬁc requirements. 4 Old Tolbooth Wynd, Edinburgh, EH8 8EQ. www.lallywalford.co.uk @lallywalfordinteriors www.lochcarron.com Visit our online shop hello@lochcarron.com | +44 (0)1750 726025 Let us bring Scotland to you New Visitor Centre opening in Summer 2022

LIVING ROOMS | STORAGE 80 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 1 2 Poise sideboard in Coral, £435, Bisley Custom shelving system by JohnsonNeville GET SORTED Is it worth going bespoke? We asked the experts for the pros and cons

1 Ravello sideboard, £1,400, Ercol 2 Inky Dhow three-door cabinet, £16,200, Bethan Gray 3 Canvas media unit in Walnut, £4,215, L.Ercolani 4 Chakra media unit, £289, Atkin & Thyme

Storage is everything, especially in the living room, but is it worth having something specially made? “Going down the bespoke route gives you much more creative freedom, and is a great way to ﬁnd solutions for awkward spaces in your home,” says Helena MacDonald, designer at Stirling’s Steven Burgess. Usually, it’s the cost that is the barrier: “As soon as the word ‘bespoke’ is used, the assumption is that it will be three times the price of a standard piece,” she adds. “We specialise in nonstandard, made-to-measure and bespoke furniture, which makes us very efﬁcient at the process. So yes, bespoke from us will cost more than our standard pieces, but just a little bit more. Unless, that is, you’re aiming for the totally outrageous, in which case it could well be three times the price! It may also take a bit longer to be made than a standard piece: creative sketches must be done before detailed manufacturing drawings are produced for approval and then sent to the workshop.”

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BespokeshelvingalcovefromNDStudios SIDE HUSTLE34

One big advantage of having a bookcase specially made is that the height and depth of each shelf will be based on the size of your largest book, so they’ll all ﬁt perfectly. If your collection is still growing, adjustable shelving might be worth considering. The holes for adjustable shelves don’t look great in light colours, though, so bear this in mind when choosing the ﬁnish of your bookcase.

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ARRANGE CAREFULLY

Start by curating your collection. Choose the best and the most beautiful of all your books – the rest can go to the study or the landing. One interior design trick is to turn beautiful books sideways on the shelves so they face out like pictures. It’s a great way to display your coﬀee-table books and it breaks up the monotony of a large collection. I’ve also seen books grouped by colour. It looks striking if you have a large collection to choose your colours from, but makes it hard to arrange your books logically.

STYLING BOOKS ON SHELF Existence bookcase,freestandingfrom£9,310,HouseofDome Dainelli bookcase,Libreriafrom£4,272,King String system in ash, components from £42, String Furniture Everywhere shelving unit, from £1,119, Ligne Roset

CONSIDER BESPOKE

Love to read? Simon Tcherniak, senior designer for bespoke furniture company Neville Johnson, explains how to keep books tidy in the living room

84 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM Sylvia has over 30 years of experience in interior design, bringing a classic – contemporary style with a modern are. Projects ranging from Scottish country houses; hotels and residential properties in London, across the UK & Europe. T: 07768791988 l E: sylvia@sljinteriors.co.uk www.sylvialawsonjohnstoninteriors.co.uk Dungallan Country House, ObanDungallan Country House, ObanDungallan Country House, Oban Handmade curtains, Roman blinds, furnishings and upholstery from our in-house workroom Choose from our extensive library of designer fabrics, curtain poles and wallpapers WWW.PETERNEILINTERIORS.CO.UK For appointments call 01821 670 278 or email hello.peterneil@gmail.com THE OLD SAWMILL, RAIT ANTIQUES CENTRE, RAIT, PERTH PH2 7RT PETER NEIL INTERIORS Fabrik Magik Interiors covering the Highlands and Islands and beyond with their personal Magik touch www.fabrikmagik.co.uk | info@fabrikmagik.co.uk | 01463 715 255 | 50 Seaﬁeld Road, Inverness, V1 1SG

LIVING ROOMS | DECOR HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 85 OUTSIDE IN On trend palettes for your living room inspired by nature – with a twist FAB WALLS Jangala mural in Sahara, £209, OhpopsiCalacatta Verde marble slabs, Cullifords£POA, 1 House Points, £30 for 1 litre, Coat 2 Freaky Leaves, £41.95 for 2.5 litres, Victory Colours 3 No. 106 Sisal, £32.50 for 2.5 litres, Cox & Cox 1 3 2

LIVING ROOMS | DECOR 86 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 1 In Deep Water, £49.99 for 2.5 litres, Dowsing & Reynolds 2 Geometrica collection, from £12.32 per metre, ILIV 3 Primer Red, £55.95 for 2.5 litres, Annie Sloan 4 Rousham linen and cotton fabric in Pink, £140 per metre, Rubelli 5 011 Mallard, £45 for 2.5 litres, Woodchip & Magnolia 6 Fresh Peach, £21 for 1 litre, YesColours Look now CALM COMBO Change the mood with just a lick of paint or a roll of wallpaper 1 2 3 4 5 6 Among the Gum Trees wallpaper, £180 per roll, Bobo1325

earthbornpaints.co.uk differentBeautifullypaint. Scan to nd your nearest stockist Stockists in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. Colours shown: Peach Baby and Secret Room.

88 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM Perthshire Flooring perthshireflooring.co.uk The Home of Beautiful Wood As Tayside’s largest Ted Todd Showroom we o er their full range of quality, sustainable solid hardwoods and engineered wood floors. Built to last a lifetime, our confidence in these outstanding floors is reflected in a minimum 20-year guarantee. FSC and PEFC certified. Book an appointment today: 01738 447607 56 Canal Street, Perth City Centre, PH2 8LF CLOCK HOUSE FURNITURE DREM AIRFIELD, FENTON BARNS, EAST LOTHIAN EH39 5AW Tel: 01620 842870 enquiry@clockhouse-furniture.com www.clockhouse-furniture.com clockhousefurniture USSEE , FENTON EAST LOTHIAN EH39 5AW 70 khouse-furniture.com sefurniture Bobbin window seat toThis120dimensions:x50x50/80cm.canbemadecustomer’sown See our website for Bobbin Collection.

LIVING ROOMS | FIREPLACES & FLOORING A timber (or wood-eﬀect) ﬂoor looks warm and inviting. Lay a rug in winter for extra comfort Go with the grain HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 89 LOG ON Contemporary and compact burners to keep you cosy 6140 wood stove, £1,899, Morsø Grande parquet oak flooring, from £108 per sq.m, Russwood Sherwood Mahogany porcelain tiles, £59.99 per m, CTD Clock Blithfield 5KW stove, £1,395, Wm. Boyle M Series 5 Widescreen, from £1,049, Arada

WIN A PUREHAND-CRAFTEDBEAUTIFULLYWOOLRUG WORTH £725 COMPETITION 90 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

ANTA, THE LUXURY SCOTTISH HOMEWARE BRAND, designs and manufactures quality carpet, upholstery fabric, stoneware and home accessories in its Highlands factory. Inspired by the Scottish landscape, its collections are crafted from natural, locally sourced materials. These timeless pieces can be enjoyed every day and will last a lifetime.

ANTA has been making carpeting since 1984 and offers a contemporary take on traditional ﬂatweave ﬂooring. There are 20 stunning designs available, all woven exclusively from British wool, to bring extra warmth and comfort into your home. These rugs are made with ANTA’s pure wool carpet cloth and fused to a non-slip felt backing before being bound with a choice of pure woolForedging.your chance to win a beautiful small rug (125x180cm) or runner (90x240cm), simply complete your details on the Homes and Interiors Scotland website to be entered into the prizeThedraw.winner will have the opportunity to design their own rug from a selection of carpet cloth and binding. www.ANTA.co.uk

ANTA

Alternatively, you may submit a postal entry by sending your name, address and telephone number to: ANTA Competition, Peebles Media Group, 110 Brook Street, Glasgow G40 3AP. All entries must be received by 14 October 2022. Visit the website above for full terms and conditions. made in Scotland since 1984

ENTER ONLINE: homesandinteriorsscotland.com/comp

Peden & Pringle Ltd, The Design Studio, 58 Bridge Road Colinton Village, Edinburgh, EH13 0LQ www.pedenandpringle.com TRULY BESPOKE KITCHENS & INTERIORS 0131 629 hello@pedenandpringle.com1771

MAKING KITCHEN LIFE EVERYDAYEASIER

Drink. Prep. Clean. Everything you need, all in one place. Multi-functional sink, NEW black matt boiling and cold ﬁltered drink system, and in-cabinet organisation seamlessly combined in a creative BLANCO UNIT at the heart of your kitchen. Discover our 4-in-1 hot taps at blanco.co.uk/evolspro

The Easyclean formula works for busy kitchens; it’s moisture- and stainresistant, wipeable and very durable. From £25 for 2.5 litres. crownpaints.co.uk

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The Bella kitchen, from Blossom Avenue, is a vision in sage. It’s a fresh colour and style for the brand, with Shaker-style cabinets, New Hampton knobs and New Trafalgar cup handles, both in a bronze ﬁnish. It’s a timeless look, given a contemporary edge with the fresh shade of green. £POA. blossomavenue.co.uk

The Easyclean formula works for busy kitchens; it’s moisture- and stainresistant, wipeable and very durable. From £25 for 2.5 litres. crownpaints.co.uk Is there any better place for a paint called Mustard Jar than on the kitchen ceiling? Well, perhaps on the walls, too. This warming hue from Crown pairs beautifully with contemporary black and rustic wooden accents.

Staub takes stuﬀed peppers to the next level with this versatile pot. It’s an adorable 11cm version of the cocotte, good for single portions. The ceramic dish is oven- and microwave-safe, so even the laziest of chefs can enjoy using this cutie. £24.95. zwilling.com

SAUCY CEILING

ROAST VEG Plate escape LOVE ISLAND

It’s the season to ﬁll your table with good food and crockery that sparks a smile. Playful interiors brand Donna Wilson can certainly help with the latter. The Bouquet Garni collection is a wild mix of colours and geometric shapes. Combine with other ranges (Clachan is similarly geometric, Kaleido has happy faces in the pattern) to create a wonderfully chaotic tablescape. £26.50 for a side plate. donnawilson.com

Is there any better place for a paint called Mustard Jar than on the kitchen ceiling? Well, perhaps on the walls, too. This warming hue from Crown pairs beautifully with contemporary black and rustic wooden accents.

These textured cabinet handles from Croft have linear grooves along their centre. The Brooklands collection, named after one of Britain’s first official racing tracks, takes inspiration from a racing car feature used to achieve optimal aerodynamic function. Finished here in a light antique brass, they’re a durable and quietly cool option for a kitchen. Pair with dark cabinetry for a sleek, masculine look. From £55. croft.co.uk Benchmarx Kitchens has launched its Marlow collection: a classic Shaker design. The range is available in stone grey (pictured) as well as a crisp white and moody navy. With growing demand for an uncluttered look in the kitchen, the Marlow includes hidden fridges and freezers, a handle-less finish, and floor-to-ceiling storage options. From £3,560 for an eight-unit kitchen. benchmarxkitchens.co.uk Benchmarx Kitchens has launched its Marlow collection: a classic Shaker design. The range is available in stone grey (pictured) as well as a crisp white and moody navy. With growing demand for an uncluttered look in the kitchen, the Marlow includes hidden fridges and freezers, a handle-less finish, and floor-to-ceiling storage options. From £3,560 for an eight-unit kitchen. benchmarxkitchens.co.uk

GOOD FOR BREW

An eco-friendly home in 2022 isn’t complete without a boiling-water tap. The Fusion Round from Quooker (shown here in gold) uses less electricity and water than the standard kettle. On average, it takes 2,200 watts to boil 1.7 litres of water in a kettle, compared to just 10 watts to keep the Quooker tank at 110 degrees. The taps also cut down on cooking time, thanks to the speedy access to boiling water, which in turn reduces energy usage at the hob. £2,020. quooker.co.uk

GETGRIPA

GO FOR GOLD

KITCHEN NEWS 94 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

FRIDGE RAIDERS

This wee machine is the Aurora from Aqua Optima, and it’s here to replace your kettle. The 3.8-litre machine offers up both chilled and hot water, with seven different temperature options and complete flexibility over the amount of liquid used. The volume control means the Aurora is more sustainable than the standard kettle. £150. aqua-optima.com

Scotland’s Platinum Showrooms Aberdeen Bon Accord Kitchens 01224 bonaccordglass.co.uk588944 Dundee Classic Design Kitchens 01382 kitchensdundee.co.uk731560 Dunfermline Vidaco 01592vidaco.co.uk774474 East Lothian Applewood of Haddington 01620 applecreations.co.uk824888 Edinburgh North EKCO 0131 343 ekco.co.uk6007 est.1975 A ModernCoordinatedPerfectlyKitchen Create a bespoke look at an affordable price with perfectly coordinated doors, worktops and internal storage features. Available via your local Platinum Tellshowroom.usabout your perfect kitchen at: masterclasskitchens.co.uk/wishlist and start your kitchen journey. masterclasskitchens.co.uk Metalix Titanium splashback and matching handle rail Melrose Highland Stone with Lava inframe effect flat slab door Fraserburgh Fraserburgh Kitchens 01346 fraserburghkitchens.co.uk513473 Glasgow Kitchens in Colour 0141 611 kitchensincolour.co.uk1231 Glenrothes Vidaco 01592vidaco.co.uk774474 Perth Callum Walker Interiors 01738 callumwalker.co.uk638822 West Lothian EKCO 01506ekco.co.uk857007

Cereal offender

Every home needs a base collection of good-quality crockery. These cereal bowls from Monoware are a great jumping-oﬀ point to build up your stash. They’re rustic ceramic, with a gently curved interior and speckled glaze. The rest of the range is similarly timeless, and available in three core neutrals. £18each. monoware.com

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How often do you make a coﬀee and then forget to drink it? This double espresso mug and saucer combination from Feldspar is a dream come true for the absent-minded. The lid, with handpainted handle, keeps your brew toasty (or your iced coﬀee nicely chilled) and doubles as a spoon rest. £90. feldspar.studio

ROYAL NAVY Take a break

KITCHEN NEWS

This homely setup is part of the Real Shaker Kitchen from deVOL. The handmade kitchen mixes the traditional style with a more contemporary colour palette and on-trend features like open shelving. The blend of old and new is continued with antiqued taps, natural worktops and modern glassware. From £18,000. devolkitchens.com

This swanky tap is part of the Hex range from Abode. The Hex Bridge has a pull-out hose with 60cm reach, a handsome antique brass ﬁnish, and knurled details on the spout and handles. It’s a great choice for a kitchen with an industrial theme or against a backdrop of pale tiles. £879. abodedesigns.co.uk This swanky tap is part of the Hex range from Abode. The Hex Bridge has a pull-out hose with 60cm reach, a handsome antique brass ﬁnish, and knurled details on the spout and handles. It’s a great choice for a kitchen with an industrial theme or against a backdrop of pale tiles. £879. abodedesigns.co.uk

TAP TEAM

98 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM We design beautiful living spaces For over 40 years, we’ve been transforming homes with beautiful exotic marbles, granites and limestones from every corner of the world. Surfaces | Fireplaces | www.stonecraftedinburgh.co.ukFlooring

ISEABAL HENDRY

[Left] Iseabal Hendry at work in her studio in the Highlands. [Below] Strips of soft Italian leather are sewn together to form her Barrel bag. [Bottom] The stitching is just as important in the curvaceous Half Moon crossbody bag

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The Highlands inspire me in an abstract, deeply rooted way. Unlike many artists who live or move here to literally translate the landscape into their work, I find inspiration in quieter ways. The act of making itself feels intrinsically linked to my upbringing, in a way I can’t quite deﬁne. Making by hand is deeply ingrained in me from days spent in my dad’s woodshed as a child ‘helping’

Leather designer

Photography Isabelle Law and Calum Douglas Interview Miriam Methuen-Jones MEET THE MAKER

I grew up in Wester Ross in the Highlands, in a tiny village of just ﬁve houses. Traditional Scottish crafts were a feature of my childhood: from the numerous handwoven baskets in my home and the thatched cottages we stayed in every summer, to my own apprenticeship in clinker boatbuilding when I was 18. Like all of those things, weaving allows the maker to create something whole and unexpected from a combination of relatively simple separate elements. In hindsight, my creative path makes sense, but at the time choosing to study embroidery came as a shock even to me!

There’s an expectation that makers have an idyllic life of sipping tea and crafting away, but the days where I get to make feel like a treat – only about 30 or 40% of my time is spent actually making. On the other hand, I’ve learnt a lot about spreadsheets… Maths hurts my head, and if it wasn’t for my mum helping, I’d quickly get overwhelmed.

ﬁnding a more local supplier is the goal! It took me four years to launch my ﬁrst collection because sustainability is incredibly important to me. Getting all my materials from Europe was a non-negotiable but it took a huge amount of time and investment. One of the best parts of owning your own business is that you don’t need to compromise. I’d rather not do this kind of work at all than not do it with integrity.

“IF YOU TAKE CARE OF LEATHER IT’LL LASTANDGENERATIONS,GETBETTERWITHTIME”

I suppose leather is in my blood. My dad worked in the leather industry when he was my age and I grew up with a real appreciation for the material. He had left school at the earliest opportunity and joined the army before embarking on a colourful career of his own. When he eventually went to university as a mature student, he took a vegetable-tan leather briefcase which he still has today. The scuffs and marks it has picked up over the years have softened into the patina and hint at all the journeys and memories it has seen with him. If you take care of leather it’ll last generations, and get better with time I work with vegetable-tanned leather that hasn’t been coated or treated with any plastics that would stop it biodegrading at the end of its life. I source all my materials from Europe, and my leather comes from a family-run tannery in Italy – although

My motto in both life and work is take your time; if it’s worth doing then it’s worth doing right. Also, get outside! When I’m not working, I’m in the hills. I wouldn’t be able to create without the space to be myself and remember what really matters.

[Left] Hendry weaves together Italian vegetabletanned leather by hand [Right] A box of threads hints at the vibrant colours in her collection

MEET THE MAKER 100 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

him build bookcases and furniture. I didn’t realise the impact my childhood had on me creatively until I went to the Glasgow School of Art. While many of my peers were experimenting with digital innovations, I found inspiration in the traditional skills that had surrounded me growing up It was 2014 and I was in my second year at art school. There was an annual sustainability project given to students at the time in collaboration with the Scottish Leather Group. Our class was presented with a huge table of leather offcuts, and everyone immediately rushed over to secure the biggest pieces they could find. I remember wondering what would happen to all the slivers of beautiful leather that were deemed too small to be useful. So it was with these remnants that I started weaving, stitching and plaiting, to build something greater than the sum of its parts.

MODERN EFFICIENCY with classic good looks CARBON NEGATIVE | HAND BUILT IN BRITAIN | ESTABLISHED 1979 everhot.co.uk | 01453 890018 An Everhot is the most controllable and versatile heat storage range cooker on the market. Offering supreme energy e ciency that beautifully integrates with renewables, including solar panels. Available in seven sizes and 21 stunning colours. Welcome an Everhot into your family.

Is there a better place to pick up the latest interior style trends than from the homes of the tastemakers themselves? This volume is a treat, inviting us into the living spaces of some of the world’s hottest designers. Check out the pads of Ben Pentreath, Nate Berkus and Charlotte Moss, among many others, if you’re looking to refresh your home, or if you simply fancy a peek behind the front door of the design world’s leading lights. There are also interviews with each featured designer, giving insight into the thinking behind these creative spaces. £39.95, Phaidon

INSIDE: AT HOME WITH GREAT DESIGNERS

Sometimes fusion just works. When cultural crossover has minimalism at its heart, it usually makes for a strong interior look. Japanese and Scandinavian design traditions both favour aesthetic and ergonomic principles that blend to form the kind of pared-back chic that many of us long to replicate in our homes. Japandi Style is a good place to start. Blending hygge and wabi-sabi, sustainability and simple colour palettes, it shows how to inject comfort, warmth and harmony into your living space. £25, Merrell

Twenty years ago, Jonathan Rachman quit his corporate job to follow his dream. The gamble paid off: he was recently named one of America’s top designers. Currently Classic gives us a taste of the joyful elegance he can create in any space. Chock-full of moodboards, floral designs, traditional influences and off-the-wall additions from Rachman’s portfolio of spirited projects, it speaks of his zest for life. If you favour all-out glamour, with a no-holds-barred approach to colour, texture and scale, this book could be the catalyst for the makeover you’ve always craved but were too afraid to try. Go on, take the plunge. £50, Flammarion

MORE IS MORE IS MORE

1 2 3

2 JAPANDI STYLE

If you lean towards a maximalist approach to decor, this useful book is essential reading. It explains how to layer bold colours, clashing patterns and lavish accessories to produce a showstopper rather than a mess. There’s valuable advice from veteran designers including Steven Gambrel, Bunny Williams and Ken Fulk, among others, all of whom have taken the art of overdoing it to stylish new heights. Textiles designer and author Carl Dellatore has put together a joyous selection of unapologetically overthe-top projects to revel in £40, Rizzoli

CURRENTLY CLASSIC

find clever and inspiring

for

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6 SOFT

How has your home changed, post-pandemic? What alterations have you made to your interior space to make you feel better? Copenhagen-based architecture practice Norm has compiled a series of essays and images exploring just how our environment inﬂuences how we feel. Norm’s ethos since it was founded 15 years ago has always been grounded in wellbeing, and this new book exempliﬁes how good design is integral to a good life. £55, Gestalten or maximalist, you’ll ideas your home round-up Catherine Coyle

LO-TEK: DESIGN BY RADICAL INDIGENISM

in this issue’s

For true sustainability, architects, designers and homemakers should be taking their lead from the natural world. So believes academic, activist and author Julia Watson, who has collated a series of projects to show just how the modern world can build and create while reducing humanity’s negative environmental impact – and without relying on technology. Lo-TEK (traditional ecological knowledge) uses local wisdom and indigenous practices to work in harmony with complex ecosystems. As we face a climate emergency, this is an urgent read. £40, Taschen MINIMAL

of the best new books Words

4 5 6 Minimalist

thebathroomcompany.co.uk UK BATHROOM SHOWROOM OF THE YEAR WINNERMaking the everyday exceptional Perth 01738 440 333 32 Leonard Street, PH2 8ER We create luxury, stylish and individual bathrooms and kitchens. Spaces you will love and make the everyday exceptional. Visit one of our award winning showrooms in Perth or Edinburgh. Edinburgh 0131 337 3355 8 Kew Terrace, EH12 5JE

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The Around mirror from Danish studio Montana joins a collection of versatile and contemporary pieces for the home. The water-resistant design is intended for the bathroom, but would work well in any spot, especially given the wide selection of colours the frame comes in. This bright blue is cool, but there’s a pretty lilac version we also have our eye on… Montana’s Selection range includes wall-mounted drawers, modular shelving systems and even a medicine cabinet – ideal for kitting out your bathroom. Mirror from £275. montanafurniture.com

FEELING BLUE If your lotions and potions are threatening to avalanche, it’s time to invest in some storage. We love the stackable Sound-Rack system from the Kartell by Laufen collection. It’s made from durable acrylic (great for damp environs) and can be arranged in lots of diﬀerent compositions. Mix two or more colours to make the shelves feel even more customised. From £450. laufen.com

The classic Amiata tub from Victoria + Albert Baths has been given an update in collaboration with House of Rohl and 2LG Studio. The ombre bath was part of a concept bathroom presented at the Wow!House exhibition at the Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour. It’s a custom design, but could be recreated for your own home. Pair with brass taps for a contemporary showstopper. £POA. vandabaths.com

Donna Wilson is known for jazzing up household basics and making them a focus in their own right. The Forest set of hand and bath towels is no exception, with a dark base colour, a fun pattern of leaves and trees in white, and a pink border. They look almost too good to use, but are 100% cotton and deliciously so to the touch. So, go on. £95 for a set of four towels. donnawilson.com

If your lotions and potions are threatening to avalanche, it’s time to invest in some storage. We love the stackable Sound-Rack system from the Kartell by Laufen collection. It’s made from durable acrylic (great for damp environs) and can be arranged in lots of diﬀerent compositions. Mix two or more colours to make the shelves feel even more customised. From £450. laufen.com

New reflections

DIP DYE

FOREST FANCY

The Black Selection from Keuco is a collection of matt-black bathroom products all designed to work in tandem, and includes everything from showerheads to mirrors. Pair with crisp white walls for a distraction-free zone in which to unwind, or use the monochromatic hardware to punctuate a bold, patterned tile. Thermostatic shower, £1,893. keuco.com

BATHROOM NEWS

Not all taps are created equal, as this design from Waterworks proves. It’s the Bond Union lavatory faucet with knobs ﬁnished in enamel, with guilloche detailing. The fuss-free lines allow this luxurious tap to ﬁt seamlessly into a modern scheme. With the recently launched additions to the Bond collection (four new coloured enamels, including this sporty dark green), there are now more than 1,300 options to choose from. £2,000. waterworks.com

THE NAME’S BOND

Taking a break from subway tiles? It’s about time! If you’re a fan of geometric pattern, we’d suggest the Mikado wall and floor covering from Lithos. It’s fittingly named a er the game of pick-up sticks and features bold, multicoloured stripes across a Carrara Ghiaccio marble backdrop. Four of the available designs are shown below, and all are modular so can be configured to fit your space perfectly. £POA. lithosdesign.com

FRESH SCALLOPS

Bright

106 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

MAGICBLACK

This soft, curvy rug is hiding a secret… It’s made not of wool or cotton, but of recycled plastic rescued from landﬁll. As well as making this a durable and eco-friendly design, the material means the rug is suited to any room in the house – even the bathroom. Just imagine: no more stepping onto chilly tiles. Your tootsies will thank you for it. From £310. salvesengraham.com stripes

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 107 ABERDEEN ALTENS 01224 335335 ABERDEEN MASTRICK 01224 663322 AVIEMORE 01479 811567 AYR 01292 286381 DUNDEE 01382 883555 EDINBURGH 0131 657 7703 ELGIN 01343 543181 FRASERBURGH 01346 514474 GLASGOW 0141 429 6627 INVERNESS 01463 245502 INVERURIE 01467 629853 KIRKCALDY 01592 653295 KIRKWALL 01856 871282 PERTH 01738 638323 PORTREE 01478 612577 STORNOWAY 01851 704046 THURSO 01847 891685 www.williamwilson.co.uk Showrooms throughout Scotland * Does not include a home visit. we can transform your bathroom 3D CAD technology • bathroom suites showers & enclosures • wet rooms tiles & accessories • • Our Stornoway showroom has moved - check our website for details. dreams....ofbathroomyour FREE DESIGN SERVICE* Book your FREE ConsultationBathroom at williamwilson.co.uk Fenton Barns Retail Village, North Berwick EH39 5BW 01620 850435, www.northberwickbathrooms.com Whether you are looking for some stylish new tiles to update your kitchen wall, or an exclusively designed new luxury bathroom, we’re with you all the way. the difference deesidearchitectsstudio.co.uk

Words Gabriella Bennett Photography Paul Riddle

ARCHITECTURE

Architect Alison Brooks put bold contrast at the heart of this award-winning project, bringing out the beauty of both halves of the house in the process

HER DARK MA

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ATERIALS

DETAILS What A remodelled period home with a large new extension Where Wye Valley Architect Alison Brooks

It’s not the ﬁrst time Brooks has dabbled in darkness. Her previous projects include the Lens House in London, clad in black Corian, and Newhall Be, an estate of modern homes outside Harlow in Essex with black-painted timber façades. Windward House, however, was to take her predilection for inky exteriors to the next level. In 2007, when owners David and Jenny Clifford bought the property, it was a digniﬁed Georgian farmhouse in rural Gloucestershire with a slightly sorry extension. “One of the strengths was that the house has very good

ARCHITECTURE

[Opposite and below] Windward House is in the Wye Valley, within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The farmhouse, built from local limestone, dates from the late-Georgian era, while the new west wing has glazed, undulating walls and an open-plan kitchen-dining-living room

“ am interested in the nature of shadows,” says Alison Brooks. It is not a statement the architect makes lightly: in the case of Windward House, a project she began designing more than a decade ago and which was named as RIBA’s House of the Year 2021, inspiration came from the blackest corners of the nearby Forest of Dean. “Dark surfaces amplify and reﬂect light in interesting ways that we don’t normally register,” she adds. “Shadows are very much part of the approach driving up to the house because you pass through these dark forests. And when you have the dappled shadows from the leaves [of garden trees projected] on to the house, there is a wonderful interplay.”

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The couple were clear about what they wanted: a home with art at its heart and the barrier between indoors and outside dissolved. But it wasn’t going to be straightforward, given the cellular layout of the farmhouse and the restricted floorplan of the single-storey 1970s extension. And there was another problem: the architects David had been calling about the redesign were proving impossible to pin down. “I thought I’d better go and actually see the next person and maybe I could make my case better face to face,” he says.

That person was Brooks, who was at a curious juncture in her career, having won several awards, including the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize (Wrap House, 2006) and the RIBA Manser Medal (Salt House, 2007), but was not yet internationally famous. David’s plan worked. “We were lucky to get her to run the project for us,” he says. “To her credit, she stayed with it and remained until the bitter end. I asked her why she did that and she said it gave her a chance to experiment with ideas.”

360-degree views,” says David. “But because it had never been planned, the kitchen (which we all know is where we spend most of our time) was in the middle of the old farmhouse and had very few sightlines out of it. It was dark in the middle of the summer so we knew we had to move it.”

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[Above] Sections of the rear of the house have been clad in mirror-polished stainless steel, reﬂecting the trees and bamboo planted opposite.

[Middle] Huge windows frame views of the garden. [Top right] The ‘Staircase of 100 Objects’ was designed as display space for small artworks. American walnut clads the wall. [Right] A piece from the owner’s collection of ethnographic art is recessed into a wall

The first experiment was more of an inversion: to start thinking of the farmhouse as if it were the extension and vice versa. The older building was restored, insulated and waterproofed, given triple-glazed windows and a new roof. Next came the second experiment: to turn the space into a three-storey gallery for David’s collection of African ethnographic art, which stars pieces from Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria. “It is a contrarian interest,” he says,“and a bit of a whimsical thing to pursue.”

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[Above] The open-plan kitchen-living area has a polished concrete ﬂoor and a large custom island, from where you can see across the Wye Valley as far as the new Severn Bridge

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[Above] The living area has two Soft Dream sofas from Flexform. Light spills down from openings to the ﬁrst ﬂoor and via light-wells in the roof

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 117 “THERE ARE GLAZED WALLS AND WINDOWS IN EVERY DIRECTION AND SO MANY OPENINGS TO THE SKY THAT YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE”

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No one can deny that contrast is what the couple got. And yet

As internal walls were taken out and the claustrophobic nature of the layout was washed away, what Brooks describes as “ﬂuidity” set in.“By opening the rooms up and loosening them up into polygonal spaces, we were working with plein-air language rather than the language of maths,” she says. Tight right angles were replaced with broad dimensions that harmonised with the Wye Valley horizon.

[Opposite and above left]

That was the Cliffords’ wishes for the older house ticked off the list. But then there was the new, much bigger, west wing to consider. How could it be clad so that it did not ﬁght with its surroundings but still had its own identity? With the architect, the couple went through different finishes, such as a patinated metal rain screen, which in the end became “inconceivably expensive”. Eventually they narrowed it down to two options: either an environmentally respectful hardwood or a black cement ﬁbreboard. “We chose the latter because we thought that once the hardwood weathered it would end up the same colour as the farmhouse and there wouldn’t be the contrast,” David says.

The pleasing combination of warm timber, sharp angles and fascinating art can be seen all over the house. [Top right] A deep timber-framed doorway leads the eye through to another striking piece of sculpture

despite the stark appearance of the 309 sq.m west wing, clever tricks allow it to settle into its hillside location. For starters, indigenous wildﬂowers such as quaking grass, poppies and small scabious grow on the Alumasc sedum roof. Also, the extension is set back from the farmhouse, allowing the older building and the landscape to shine. “It was really important that the west wing receded against the farmhouse, which is made of local limestone and is quite light in colour,” says Brooks.“By working with very dark materials, it is like a shadowy presence in the background.”

[Above] Douglas ﬁr ceiling beams enliven a minimalist window and allow an African sculpture to steal the show. [Opposite, top] Frameless glazing oﬀers unobstructed views, while slimline glass doors slide open to the terrace. [Bottom] The pared-back simplicity of the decor puts the focus on key artworks such as this pair of 15th-century doors from a Rajasthani hunting lodge

Inside the west wing is a cooking-dining-sitting area that spans the full depth of the building; it is open-plan but subtly delineated with carefully placed items of furniture. The kitchen is a bespoke design built to the architect’s drawings, with Carrara marble worktops from Middlesex Marble and Hansgrohe taps. A dark-grey polished concrete ﬂoor runs throughout and all the timber panels are made of American walnut, adding warmth and texture. A new staircase – in itself an art installation – is also a storage system with 100 display cells for David’s smaller treasures. Elsewhere, there are four bedrooms, two studies, a cinema and bathrooms with sanitaryware by Hansgrohe, Duravit and Kaldewei.

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NORTH ELEVATION

The building feels rooted to the outdoors, thanks to views of the walled garden to the north, the entrance courtyard to the east, a second walled garden to the west and the sheltered terrace to the south. The internal walls all angle towards the living area, gently inviting you to sit, while huge expanses of glass from Fineline Aluminium and Schueco capture further green scenes. “There are glazed walls and windows in every direction and so many openings to the sky that you feel as if you are outside,” says Brooks.“That is

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Windward House is set in almost seven acres, which provided an opportunity to boost the property’s eco credentials. A groundsource heat pump was installed under a meadow, and timber felled in the maintenance of the grounds is burned in energy-efficient Bellﬁres Slidebell ﬁreplaces, which recirculate heat to the rest of the house via the walls. Orchards were restored, 2,500 trees were planted, and more than a mile of hedges were renewed.

The pool pavilion has a Californian vibe with its decorative grass-fringed pool and 4m-high dry-stone wall set on concrete foundations, a modern interpretation of the ancient building technique. Elsewhere, contemporary sculptures are dotted around the meadows. Panels of stainless-steel cladding measuring 2.5m by 5m cover part of the rear of the farmhouse; Borinda papyrifera, a rare bamboo, is reﬂected back at David and Jenny when they potter outside. Finally, at the front of the house, which is south-facing, garden designers Stoney & Janson planted species that can withstand hot, dry temperatures, such as lavender and more decorative grasses, to give a Mediterranean ﬂavour.

Windward House might have been inspired by shadows, but it has brought light into its owners’ lives. “We’ve lived in it for almost ten years,” smiles David,“and it still provides a constant thrill.”

[Below] A picture window through the high drystone wall frames views of the sublime Gloucestershire countryside

[Left] The garden’s trees cast shadows on to the cement ﬁbreboard cladding.

122 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM partly due to the geometry, because the glass walls are undulating. I like to work with an innate sense of perspective.”

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There was little connection between this Victorian villa and the glorious mature grounds that surround it –until the new owners took matters into their own hands

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Words Caroline Ednie Photography David Barbour

The villa’s grand scale appealed. “We wanted to have a good-sized family home with plenty of room to entertain,” explains Nigel. The mature garden was also a major selling point, so much so that right from the start the couple knew that as well as redecorating the interior they wanted to open up the back of the house to the garden. So, before they’d even put in an offer, they approached Níall Hedderman of Capital A Architecture to discuss their ideas and ﬁnd out if they were achievable.

onventional wisdom suggests that when you retire, you’ll be wanting to downsize and put your feet up. If that’s the case, Nigel and Sue Evans have broken the rules. As their retirement approached, they were looking to relocate from Aberdeen to Edinburgh with the intention of finding a home they could put their stamp on. That opportunity presented itself in the form of a handsome detached Victorian villa in the Midlothian suburb of Eskbank.“Our daughter had just moved to Eskbank and when we took a look around the area we could see that it was just beautiful,” recalls Sue. “There are so many really nice houses there. It’s a little further out of town than we’d initially imagined but it’s actually very accessible for Edinburgh.”

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 127 DETAILS What An extension to a Victorian detached house Where Eskbank, Midlothian Architect Capital A Architecture Contractor Zebra Property Group Structural engineer SDC

“The house as it was had little connection to the garden,” Sue recalls. “In order to get to it from the back of the property, you had to go through a whole series of rooms – seven in total. The two just felt so detached. We wanted to open everything up with the idea that the garden would almost become part of the house.”

“There was little or no connection to the exterior. The brief was to create a space that would take advantage of the beautiful rear garden and also be a hub for family life, with a modern kitchen, dining and living space.” The architect proposed dismantling the conservatory and then removing the old extension’s internal walls. Once the ﬂoors here had been lowered and levelled, a new steel-frame structure could be ‘dropped’ into the shell that remained. These external walls were a mix of good-quality cut stone and solid (but less appealing) brick, so it made sense to retain them. Most of the

Research revealed that the property had been built for a local brewer, who was clearly a ﬁgure of some standing, which accounts for its grand scale. As is traditional with villas of this period, the formal rooms faced the front (in this case looking north). An extension had been added long ago to the rear and contained a ‘guddle’ of rooms including a kitchen and scullery, utility and bathroom. On the back of that was a more recent conservatory. “The whole thing had a convoluted layout with different floor levels from room to room,” says Hedderman.

[Below] The old extension that sat in this space was a warren of small rooms all with diﬀerent ﬂoor levels. The builders dug down to level the ground and create much more head room. The glazing and the external doors were supplied by Mitchell Glass of Galashiels. [Right]

The hallway’s beautiful ﬂoor tiles were revealed when the old carpets were lifted. [Previous pages] The patio was built by local ﬁrm John Lessels Landscapes. VMZinc supplied the zinc cladding

“We started discussing this with Níall, and he got it straight away,” adds Nigel.“He felt that a much more liveable space could be created. Almost off the bat we agreed on what we could do with the house, and then Sue and I went ahead and bought it.”

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[Above] The extension is largely open-plan, but the sitting area deliberately feels slightly separate. It’s a calm space warmed by the south-facing light that pours through the huge picture window. Porcelanosa tiles have been laid above underﬂoor heating. [Right] The kitchen has its own generous window – “We love the brightness and the space of the extension,” say the owners. The kitchen by EKCO matched their brief for a modern family hub brick was in the rear elevation, and a decision was made to hide it under a coat of white render. The walls were unusually thick in places but Hedderman saw this as an opportunity; in one section, for example, he used it to carve out a window seat in the new living area, overlooking the garden.

Parts of the brick and stone structure have been clad in black and grey zinc, chosen for its aesthetics and because it needs so little maintenance. The black zinc caps the head of the existing masonry walls and frames the feature window,

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The old layout has been replaced by a much more openplan arrangement. Each of the new areas is characterised by its own window: the kitchen has a long horizontal window that looks right out to the greenery beyond; the adjacent dining area is next to glazed doors to the patio, and the adjoining separate living space has a vast picture window, so the owners can sit indoors but still feel part of the garden.

matching the new window frames. The grey is used on the roof and vertical cladding. The other striking element of the design is the cantilever roof that provides shelter from rain and shade from summer sunshine. It gives the rear elevation a long, horizontal modern elegance. While they were waiting for these changes to receive planning permission, Nigel and Sue set to work refurbishing the villa’s interiors. “We’ve retained a great deal of its original features and character, including the marble fireplaces in the two living rooms, although these have now been fitted with modern log-burning stoves,” says Nigel. “We kept the original solid wooden window shutters too, which are ideal for keeping the place cosy at night in winter. The beautiful Victorian tiled floor in the entrance hall was completely hidden under carpeting when we moved in – it was a lovely surprise when we lifted the carpet!” Getting the go-ahead from the planning department turned out to be straightforward. The timing, however, could have been better: approval was granted in January 2020, just two months before Covid forced the country into lockdown. Nigel and Sue were renting a flat in Edinburgh during the build and fortuitously the small team of contractors were able to keep working. The Evans’, architect and contractor formed a WhatsApp group so they could communicate quickly and easily, thus allowing the build to progress. But the supply chain was badly affected by the pandemic, particularly in the manufacture and delivery of crucial elements such as the windows, which led to a delay of four months. “We couldn’t get hold of some materials, and prices were fluctuating,” recalls Nigel. “But there was such a good working relationship between Níall, the builder and us. Incredibly, the project still came in on budget, and the schedule in the end didn’t stray too far off course.”

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Sprinkled among the stress of delays and the general Covid anxiety were some wonderful moments – such as during the demolitions when the builders discovered a stone archway under the main stairs; the curve had been boarded over and nobody suspected it was there. A stonemason was brought in to clean it up and make it safe and it now serves as the link between the old house and the new garden room.

The couple eventually moved into their new-look home towards the end of 2020 and were impressed with the way it handled the winter. “It never gets cold in the extension, thanks to the underﬂoor heating and all the insulation,” says Nigel. And it’s just as pleasant in summer: “We had a garden party for our grandson’s fourth birthday that went very well – we had around 40 guests all making full use of the easy transition from house to patio to “Wegarden.”useevery bit of the house,” adds Sue. “The old part is cosy, but we love the brightness and space of the extension. The separate living area from the big kitchen-diner works really well. Now we can have peace and quiet and sit and read with our grandchildren in the window seat.”

Both are so pleased with what they’re sure will be their longterm home. As for quietly retiring, we’ll have to wait and see.

[Right] White render disguises ugly brickwork on the rear elevation. [Below] The archway had been hidden behind plasterboard and was only discovered when the old extension’s internal walls were being demolished

“We wanted to open everything up with the idea that the garden would thebecomealmostpartofhouse”

DETAILS What A former commercial unit converted into a three-bedroom home Where Comely Bank, Edinburgh Architect David Blaikie Architects Structural engineer McColl Associates

Words Natasha Radmehr Photography ZAC and ZAC

Tucked away in the back streets of Stockbridge, a former shop with a murky past has begun a new chapter as an award-winning home

f the walls of this property in Edinburgh’s Comely Bank could talk, they would have salacious tales to tell. And perhaps, in a way, they can: all you need to do is dig around behind the plasterboard to discover two eyebrow-raising objects that wink suggestively to the flat’s former life as a so-called gentlemen’s club. “We found a Venetian mask and a whip beneath the floor,” laughs the architect David Blaikie, who was hired by owner Innes Miller to help him reimagine the building, which dates from the early 1900s. “We hid them again so that whoever does a refit in another fifty years’ time will find Millerthem.”wasn’t the first person to consider turning the commercial unit into a domestic residence, but he was the first to follow it through. In 2014, another property developer had secured planning permission to convert it into a four-bedroom dwelling, but the project was abandoned in the early stages after some initial structural changes had been made. For nearly six years it lay dormant, until Miller bought it in 2020. “It was like a building site when we first went in,” recalls Blaikie.

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“There was material lying around and temporary structural propping still in place. The floors had been dug out but there was no concrete, so it was just earth.” Not that Miller was fazed by the empty shell. Though he works in financial services and had never developed a property before, he had a clear vision for what the interiors could become, as well as the determination to realise it. “Since I was a teenager, I’ve been interested in interior architecture, particularly modernism and minimalism,” he says. “I remember in my younger years getting interested in what had been produced by the Bauhaus, and the passion has never left me. If you walked into my house right now, you’d see a bookshelf filled with architecture and design titles.” Kyle House by Edinburgh-based architects GRAS and Peter’s House by Denmark’s Studio David Thulstrup were two projects Miller looked to for inspiration. Both are soothing in their streamlined simplicity, with neutral palettes and a use of humble materials. He was already familiar with David Blaikie Architects and felt the practice could achieve what he had in mind. “David had done work for some of my friends, so I understood the aesthetic he’s interested in and was confident we would work well together,” he recalls. The admiration was mutual; Blaikie was pleased to have a client with ambition and direction. “That’s always a good starting point,” he says. “If you’ve got a client like that who is interested and engaged in every level of detail, and you’ve got the imagination and skills to figure out how it’s all going to work, that’s a good project. Innes’s wife said something very funny which I think is very apt: she saw me as the midwife, and Innes was having the baby!” The first few months were spent getting to grips with the shapes and the spaces to see what was possible. “It was like a three-dimensional puzzle, shifting walls and floors to get to the right solution,” recalls Blaikie. There were some constraints

136 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM ARCHITECTURE in that they had to work around the new structural columns installed by the previous owner, but beyond that, the original plans were ignored. A new game of Tetris began. Instead of four bedrooms, they went for three, leaving an empty space where the fourth one would have been, creating a double-height, openplan living and kitchen area accessed from the street. “Having that volume makes the property feel a lot less claustrophobic than if you walked in and were faced with a normal two-metrehigh ceiling,” explains Miller. Adding to the drama of this room is a rustic dividing wall that was stripped back to the stone. It was cleaned and sealed but both owner and architect fought the temptation to repoint, and so its glorious quirks remain: brick repair infill patches, relieving arches, iron fixings. Its naturally varied colours – terracotta, putty, tobacco, charcoal – became a moodboard for the rest of the interior, informing the materials palette too, such as the dovegrey concrete floor and the lounge’s oak wall panelling. Miller particularly enjoys how the stone contrasts with the blackened perforated steel mezzanine barrier that slices [Previous spread] Corten steel, installed by J. Sailer Fabrications, was selected for the exterior, set within the original sandstone frame. [This page] A Contura stove warms the open-plan living area. Russwood provided the oak for the cabinetry, which complements the stone wall and concrete flooring. A blackened steel barrier connects with a sculptural staircase in the hallway. The perforated, laser-cut steel sheets were fabricated off-site and installed by G. Fitzsimmons & Son

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[This page] Owner and developer Innes Miller worked closely with Harriet Taylor, then of Edinburgh furniture store Moleta Munro, to source many of the home’s pieces, including the L-shaped Pixel sofa by Saba Italia, the DLM table by Hay and the Awkward ﬂoor lamp by Karakter Copenhagen. [Opposite, top] Vipp’s ultracontemporary oven and hob unit sits within an original range opening with an exposed stone lintel. [Opposite, bottom] The stainless-steel Bulthaup island nods to the property’s commercial roots

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Part of the thinking behind the steel was to maintain a connection between the building and its commercial past (a whipping of a different sort – it was also once a bakery). Black metal-fronted Vipp units and a stainless-steel Bulthaup island create a sleek, industrial-tinged vibe in the kitchen.“The fireplace in the living room also nods to Brutalist architecture,” adds Miller, “but I didn’t want to lean too heavily into that industrial aesthetic – I wanted it to be subtle, and for the overall feel to still be warm.”Theunderfloor heating and abundant natural light help to achieve this. In the morning, daylight pours through the glass double doors at the back of the kitchen, which lead out to a shared garden. The sun moves round to the front in the early afternoon, turning the wall the colour of a golden sunset. Two additional bedrooms, stacked one above the other at the front of the house, are bright and airy with white-painted walls and floorto-ceiling windows shielded by linen curtains. For balance, and to create a different environment, the downstairs shower room and upstairs en-suite are dimly lit and cosseted in a smoky-hued micro-cement.

[Main image] At around £50,000, the kitchen was one of the biggest outlays. The Vipp V1 units, stools and pendant lamps were all sourced through Moleta Munro.

GROUND-FLOOR PLAN across the end of the room. It’s part of a gallery level with a study that leads through to the master bedroom, and is reached by a sculptural steel staircase in the hallway. Like the wall, the steel has its ﬂaws. Some of the panels arrived a little bowed and scraped, while other parts were rusting. Blaikie convinced Miller to leave them that way, save for some minor touch-ups, reasoning that these were all part of the story of this particular element of the project. “I’m really glad he did,” says the homeowner. “It adds character and stops it looking too perfect.”

“When I buy items for a home, I want them to last both from a design and a quality perspective,” explains Miller. “The kitchen was an investment.”

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[Below] The restful, airy bedrooms have white-painted walls and oak ﬂooring supplied by Russwood. Silent Gliss curtains and the Mo bed by E15 ensure a decent night’s kip. Both were sourced from Moleta Munro, alongside the Vipp table lamps and the Peas rug by Hay.

[Right] The Hay AAC12 chair tucks neatly into Asplund’s sleek Tati desk

“I didn’t want to lean too heavily into the industrial aesthetic. I wanted it to be subtle, and for the overall feel to still be warm”

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The downstairs shower room (left) and upstairs en-suite have a moody, masculine feel with a little help from modish micro-cement. The sink on the left is a design by Kast Concrete Basins, while the sleek chrome shower is by Vola

“Every single element just works so well,” enthuses Blaikie. “I love that you walk off the street into this great big space and that you progress into areas that are more confined; it’s a sequence of events that together are very interesting. The daylight filters in from all directions, and there’s a real sense of calm because of the materials and colours.” So successful was the project that it won the Interior Design category at this year’s Scottish Design Awards, and has been longlisted in three categories at the Dezeen Awards 2022. It’s also a finalist in the AJ Architecture Awards in November – impressive work by Miller as a first-time property developer. “It was such a pleasant surprise to get that sort of recognition,” he smiles. “I was curious as to where its quality and design would sit within a broader context, and some of the projects I was up against were world-class. To be considered within that group was really quite special.”Fornow, the plan is to offer the flat as a short-term let to people who need somewhere to stay in Edinburgh for a few months, perhaps because they’re between homes or getting their own place renovated. The hairdresser’s next door is about to be converted into a residential property (by someone else), and another commercial unit two doors along is also now a home. The street, Miller says, is very peaceful. If those walls really could talk, they’d probably just be breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 145 T: 07930243979 E: W:katie@interiorsbycatherine.comwww.interiorsbycatherine.com Interior design turns an everyday space into specialsomething www.johannessailer.com | info@johannessailer.com | +44 (0) 1875 833 670

FUTUREFORFITTEDRETROTHE

146 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM DETAILS What An upgraded and reorganised period farmhouse Where Fife Architect Calum Duncan Architects

Photography Will Scott Words Judy Diamond has been here for two centuries already, but this old farmhouse has plenty of life left in it yet, thanks to a forward-thinking overhaul

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[Above] Before work began, this was a formal dining room that was almost never used. Now, open to the new kitchen, it is the centre of family life. The warm timber-framed glazed openings on the left, with their deep mullions, have transformed the room, bringing in light and warmth and connecting it to the eastern patio. The ﬂooring is by Russwood and the table and bench are by Grain. [Right] A view of the same opening from the outside. [Previous pages] The south-facing side of the house is the family’s private space. The other side faces the farm and is always busy with tractors and work

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One person who is all too aware of this is architect Calum Duncan. He is currently working towards accreditation in the passivhaus standard – for super-insulated homes that need next to no heating – despite feeling that new-builds are only a small part of the solution.

ost of us recycle our soup cans, take a bag for life to the supermarket and never leave the TV on standby. And that’s great – anything that cuts waste, prevents the burning of fossil fuels or the production of carbon dioxide is worth doing. But if we’re going to come close to achieving our net zero targets, we’ll have to do a lot more –starting with making changes to the way we live. That’s because buildings and the construction industry are a major source of planet-warming CO2 emissions. It’s a big problem in Scotland, where many homes have draughty windows, insufﬁcient insulation and inefﬁcient central heating.

“Sustainability is so important,” he says.“We’re supposed to be hitting net zero by 2050, but 80% of the buildings that will be around then already exist now. We need to improve these –we can’t just replace them with energy-efﬁcient new buildings.”

He and his Edinburgh-based practice are more interested in ‘EnerPHit’ – retroﬁtting

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The brief was pretty straightforward: “The house is cold and draughty, so we’d like it to be more comfortable,” the couple told Duncan. “We need a place where we can entertain and where

Duncan put some of these theories into practice at this Georgian farmhouse in Fife. It has stood on a gentle hill overlooking the fertile fields of Auchtermuchty for well over two centuries and should be around for at least a couple of hundred years more. It will certainly be more enjoyable to live in, now that the upgrading of the interiors is complete.

existing buildings with passivhaus components. Energy and CO2 savings of up to 90% can be achieved.“Where passivhaus only applies to new buildings, EnerPHit aims for similarly high levels of energy efﬁciency in a house that has already been built,” he explains. “You get a signiﬁcant improvement in the thermal performance and comfort of your home through upgrading the building fabric rather than by simply introducing renewables.”

Owners Nikki and Sandy Storrar farm the land here, raising livestock and crops. Sandy grew up in the farmhouse, as did his sister Gillian who’s now an architect working alongside Duncan. “She had a lot of inside information about the building and how it functioned,” he smiles. “That connection really helped when it came to having quite frank conversations with the clients and making suggestions about what could and couldn’t be done.”

[Above] The kitchen has been formed in what used to be the breakfast room – note the ceiling beam where the wall dividing it from the dining room once stood. The owners took Calum Duncan’s suggestions on board for the layout and palette of materials and went for a Bauformat kitchen supplied through MGM Timber. The island has a Dekton work surface, and the stools are from Cox & Cox. [Left] Meals are now eaten in broad daylight, after years in the gloomy breakfast room

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[Top left] Looking through the kitchen-diner from the farm side of the house. The Stovax woodburner was supplied and ﬁtted by Kingdom Stoves. [Above] These doors open from the sitting room to the westfacing patio. [Below] The Georgian farmhouse grew several times during the Victorian period – the singlestorey extension, the porch and the old dining room were all added then. [Opposite] The exemplary joinery work was carried out by the main contractor, MMR Construction. The new glazing was supplied by TJ Ross

Duncan’s proposal reorganised the plan around a kitchendiner. “They didn’t need any more space,” he recalls. “They just needed it to work for them and for it to have a better connection to the landscape and the sun.”

The wall between the dining room and the breakfast room was taken down, with a new kitchen formed in the latter portion. A utility has been created where the old kitchen was. The ofﬁce was moved too, to the old washroom, returning the sitting room to its original gracious proportions. These changes have created a much better sense of flow. The office, for instance, is now at the north-eastern corner and thus connected to the farm.

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 153 SECTION OF THE REVISED GROUND-FLOOR PLAN

we can just be together as a family – we spend a lot of time in the breakfast room off the kitchen, but it’s pretty dark and gloomy.”

“THEY DIDN’T NEED ANY MORE SPACE. THEY JUST NEEDED IT TO WORK FOR THEM AND TO HAVE A

The ground ﬂoor was spacious but the layout had never been properly thought out. Rather, it had emerged bit by bit over the years, such as when a large Victorian extension was added. The kitchen was too small to eat in so the family made use of the adjoining breakfast room for all their meals – a claustrophobic space in the middle of the house. This was despite there being a big, bright south-facing dining room next door; but, stuffed with heavy, formal furniture and with no direct access to the kitchen, it was hardly ever used. There were other problems too – a big washroom but no utility room, and an ofﬁce that could only be reached via the sitting room.

Rather, the budget was directed to things that really will improve the lives of the occupants. The existing windows were all upgraded and the new areas of glazing all have good thermal properties. The ground ﬂoor was properly insulated, underﬂoor heating was installed and there is much more solar gain. A woodburner was fitted too at the couple’s request. “They love it but they don’t use it as much as they thought they would because the interiors are now so toasty. But it’s a lovely focal point and it’s nice to have it on for special occasions.”

154 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM ARCHITECTURE

There must be so many farmhouses like this – and period homes in general – that would beneﬁt from a similar upgrade.

French doors from the newly enlarged sitting room now open to a sheltered west corner.“The owners have a lovely kitchen garden there and a little patio,” says Duncan.“It’s a great afternoon sitting area and evening barbecue spot.” Most importantly of all, the changes have allowed substantially more daylight into the heart of the house. A new opening was made in the side of the old dining room so the family can now go directly out to the ‘morning’ side of the building. “It has given them views across the ﬁelds to the Lomond hills,” says the architect.“And this is not on the ‘farm’ side of the building. You’re avoiding tractors. This is their private space.” He has been meticulous about distinguishing his interventions in the existing walls. “It’s just good conservation practice not to pretend that it’s all old,” he points out. This appealed to the local planners too; the farmhouse is a listed building and the architect worked closely with them to get the necessary permissions. “The new openings on the side didn’t interrupt the front elevation in any way or how you view it from a distance, and the materials were all appropriate for a listed building.”

[Left] “Very little work was needed to the exterior,” says Calum Duncan. “The masonry was rock solid and just about all of it was in pretty good condition.” [Above] The house now has a much better connection to its surroundings, looking out across a wide expanse of ﬁelds, hills and farmland

“It’s making the best use of a property in a way that maintains it and keeps it in good condition,” concludes the architect. “It doesn’t go out of its way to show off. It just wants to work well for the users and be delightful in a quiet way.”

The mullions of the new openings are deliberately deep. The idea is that as the sun comes around to the side, they’ll pick up the light. “That’s why we could get away with slightly darker timber there,” explains the architect. “It creates interest all day. We were never going to put in just one big pane of glass – the opening had to have the same proportions as the existing windows.”

He suggested how the materials could work in the kitchen, developing a concept for all the surface ﬁnishes, and the owners followed up with a kitchen supplier. “We always try to guide our clients with the palette of materials. It’s a question of money too –we have to be realistic. We don’t want people to spend thousands of pounds on stuff that is not actually needed.”

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 155 DYNAMIC SURFACE DESIGN www.EdinburghArtShop.co.uk OPEN 7 DAYS7 DISCOUNTS ALL YEAR FOR STUDENTS / ARTFOR STUDENTS ART GROUPS / CLASSES /GROUPS CLASSES STUDIO /YOUNG SCOTS SHOP ONLINE 24/7SHOP ONLINE

32 West High Street, Crieff, Perthshire, PH7 4DL l 01764 656100 l info@strathearn-gallery.com Works available to view online at www.strathearn-gallery.com Beth Robertson Fiddes Solo Exhibition Margins Opens 17th September to 16th October Meet the Artist 17th September Scan here for ourwebsiteexclusiveandtoregisterinterest

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 157 DESIGNIDEAS DECOR THAT’S OUT THERE 1 Sum pendant light, £325, Case 2 Circus pouf Duo, £600, Normann Copenhagen 3 Font sofa system, from £1,909, Offecct 4 Kiss slipper chair, £5,225, Pierre Frey 5 Terracotta vase, £35, Raj Tent Club 1 2 3 4 5

DESIGN IDEAS 158 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 1 Straight Murano tumbler, £22.50, Casa Celva 2 Florae Folium Regalis rug, £10,222, Tai Ping 3 JG sofa, approx £4,432, Fredericia 4 Luxury matches, £7.50, Winter’s Moon 5 Sterling silver tongs, £295, Hamilton & Inches 1 4 5 3 2

October 14th - October 22nd The Royal National Mod Art Exhibition Mark Youd - Solo Show September 10th - October 9th Beautiful contemporary portraiture We aim to present the very best of contemporary British ﬁne art, representing artists: Adrian Wiszniewski RSA, Fiona Haldane, Nael Hanna, Jonathan Shearer, Greer Ralston, Philip Braham RSA, Garry Harper, Karen Strang, Nichola Martin and Jonathan Mitchell. 20 Charlotte Street, Perth PH1 5LL www.ccart.co.uk tel: 01738 440888 YoudMarkoils,XLVII’,‘Fragment

The internationally acclaimed Gaelic festival of music and culture comes to Perth this year, and CCA will host the Mod's carefully curated art exhibition. With over 75 paintings and drawings entered from Scotland's top art societies and art clubs, all competing for awards, this show is not to be missed.

The sky’s the limit

Dreaming city Scots-born, Canada-based Blythe Scott says her starting point is always reality but her paintings usually end up as a combination of fact and ﬁction. See for yourself this autumn –her vibrant Edinburgh cityscapes feature in her ﬁrst solo show in the capital. From 3 to 18 September. morningsidegallery.co.uk

Trained in Dundee and now based mainly in Sydney, ceramic artist Stephen Bird comes to Edinburgh this autumn with a new show entitled Scratching the Surface. Working with clay and paint, his pieces are playful and quirky, o en turning traditional ceramic styles and methods on their head. 29 September to 29 October. scottish-gallery.co.uk

Dish it out

Painter Ian Darling has looked to the landscape to inspire his upcoming show at Edinburgh’s Marchmont Gallery. Taking on expansive coastal skies and Scotland’s ever-changing moody vistas, his works are quietly intriguing. 10 September to 8 October. marchmontgallery.com

Purl-fect

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 161 GALLERIES, ARTISTS AND UPCOMING SHOWS ARTNEWS

The sky’s the limit

As you pull out your winter woollies in preparation for the chilly season, pop into Edinburgh’s Dovecot Studios and catch its Chanel to Westwood exhibition celebrating the history of fashion through knitwear. It’s an eye-opening look at how art movements have inﬂuenced the tradition. From 15 October to 11 March. dovecotstudios.com

Fidra Fine Art invited 32 artists to create works inspired by their favourite pieces from the National Galleries of Scotland. The thought-provoking results – by Simon Laurie, Alice McMurrough and Dominique Cameron (above), among others – are now on show at the East Lothian gallery. 10 September to 30 October. fidrafineart.co.uk

The life of sculptor Dennis Westwood is celebrated in Glasgow this autumn. His bronze pieces are the main attraction at Gerber Fine Art’s retrospective, but don’t miss the opportunity to view some unseenpreviouslydrawings by the artist who was inspired by Hepworth and Brancusi. 22 October to 12 gerberfineart.co.ukNovember.

Graphic and technical illustrator Mark Youd has branched out into ﬁgurative and portrait drawing. The skilled draughtsman’s atmospheric and dynamic pieces can be seen at a solo show at Perth’s City Contemporary Art. 10 September to 9 October. ccart.co.uk

Pick’n’mix Fidra Fine Art invited 32 artists to create works inspired by their favourite pieces from the National Galleries of Scotland. The thought-provoking results – by Simon Laurie, Alice McMurrough and Dominique Cameron (above), among others – are now on show at the East Lothian gallery. 10 September to 30 October. fidrafineart.co.uk

Back to the drawing board

There’s a strong Scottish contingent at Chelsea Harbour’s Formed with Future Heritage show. See pieces by Edinburgh ceramic artist Frances Priest, as well as Fﬁon and Steven Blench, the duo behind Chalk Plaster, who create contemporary designs using traditional techniques. 10 to 14 October. dcch.co.uk

Organic forms

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Cra future

Back to the drawing board

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 163 W THE GALLERYWHITEHOUSE Please visit our website for full list of exhibitors The Whitehouse Gallery, 47 St Mary Street, Kirkcudbright DG6 4DU 01557 330223 info@whitehousegallery.co.uk www.whitehousegallery.co.uk GEORGIE GARDINER KATE BENTLEY SWAGOLDEN LIGHT 10th September - 29th October 2022 KATE BENTLEY SWA Margot Sandeman SSA1922-2009 Poetry & Harmony works on paper & oils This exhibition curated by Gerber Fine Art will be on show in the Tatha Gallery, Newport on Tay in October 2022 178 West Regent Street, Glasgow, G2 4RL 0141 221 3095 Tues-Frimail@gerberfineart.co.ukwww.gerberfineart.co.uk10-4,Sat11-4 Margot Sandeman SSA Vase of Flowers with Pears oil on canvas

164 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM Alan &RonnieJuneDickson,JosephThomson,GeorginaCowan,ArranJupitus,ColinStokes,JohnMichaelMatthewHenryDominiqueCarolyndaAlanNeilAliceGraemeSimonConnell,Laurie,Wilcox,McMurrough,Macdonald,Macdonald,Macdonald,Cameron,Jabbour,Draper,AnnDurning,Johnstone,JayneAndyHeald,Brown,PhillLesleyBanks,Ross,AnnSandraCollins,Bown,PeterJimTweedie,Davie,FeeChrisBrook,Carey,NealGreig,FultonAilsaMagnus.LookoutThe-WilcoxGraeme FIDRA FINE ART Opening Hours Tuesday to Saturday 11-4 Sunday 12-4, closed Monday. 7-8 Stanley Road, Gullane EH31 2AD | t: 01620 249389 e: alan@ dra neart.co.uk | www. dra neart.co.uk “Inspired” Contemporary artists inspired by work in the collection of National Galleries of Scotland 10 September to 30 October Tolquhon, Tarves Ellon,T:AberdeenshireAB417LP01651842343 E: art@tolquhon-gallery.co.uk www.tolquhon-gallery.co.uk TOLQUHON GALLERY lucy newton & peter foyle exhibition l 4 - 24 September Peter Foyle Lucy Newton 12th – 18th September 2022 Get into buildings! Full programme available www.glasgowdoorsopendays.org.ukat GLASGOW DOORSOPEN DAYS FESTIVAL @glasgowdodf

Star of the screen

ART NEWS HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 165

Star of the screen

Feline great Celebrating its 25th anniversary this autumn, Bridge of Allan’s Fotheringham Gallery has put together an exhibition of works by some of its most renowned artists. See pieces by Georgina McMaster (above), Gordon Wilson and Claire Harkness at this special brithday show. Until 9 October. fotheringhamgallery.co.uk

Face first Calum Stevenson is the youngest ever (and the first Scottish) winner of Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year competition. He has been busy since then on a new body of paintings that take his work in a different direction. See what he has been up to at his debut solo show, entitled Synthesis, hosted by Gallery Heinzel at Edinburgh’s Dundas Street Gallery. 5 to 9 October. calumstevenson.com of its best-l oved painters – including Jack pg,Morrocco, George Birrell and Michael Clark (above) – will be onshowg()atthisseason’sEdinburghArtFair. 17 to 20 November. ballatergallery.co.uk; artedinburgh.comrr Fun fair Ballater Gallery shows an impressive roster of artists at its Aberdeenshire base. Now, works by a dozen of its best-loved – Jack Morrocco, George Birrell and Michael Clark (above) – will be on show at this season’s Edinburgh Art Fair. 17 to 20 November. ballatergallery.co.uk; artedinburgh.com

If, like us at Homes & Interiors Scotland, you’re a big fan of Wilhemina Barns-Graham, you should hot-foot it to Glasgow Print Studio to see a series of screenprints she made during the 1990s and early 2000s in collaboration with Graal Press. The wide-ranging works on show are a chance to discover this dynamic and intoxicating aspect to her oeuvre. Until 1 Oct. glasgowprintstudio.co.uk

victoriawylie.co.uk, @VictoriaWylieHale WORDS

Fluid Boundaries, 122 x 76cm, £1,980

FIRST PERSON 166 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

VICTORIA WYLIE

My connection with, and respect for, the natural world is central to every mark I make. This connection is something I hope to share with others through my paintings.

My paintings are memories of these moments, and while each artwork is a reﬂection from a particular place, they encompass numerous experiences, with each painting lending a fragment of itself to the next.

This painting, Fluid Boundaries, is a reﬂection from a walk in Angus, where I live. Captured in one vista is the dramatic skyline of the Cairngorms extending to the coastline of Angus through to Fife. I explore places with knowledge of the geography of the landscape, a geekish interest in cloud formation, and a desire to breathe in the intoxicating wilderness air.

ART

My textile background is apparent in my work. My process of painting remains true to how I used to design and make woven tapestries. I like to capture energy through playful mark-making and enjoy the serendipity that occurs as a result.

M y paintings are a celebration of the natural world, exploring the wilderness of Scotland’s land and sea, and finding solitary moments surrounded by nature.Iﬁndgreat joy in walking, cycling and just sitting and listening – allowing myself to be immersed in the natural world and taking time to stop and breathe and be.

My making process involves observing my surrounding environment. I seek out unexpected pops of colour, shapes and patterns in landforms, ancient rock formations, plants and stones. The ever-changing light, the character of which is unique to certain parts of Scotland, is a constant source of inspiration.Horizon lines fascinate me. This comes from growing up close to the North Yorkshire Moors – the vast stretches of openness inform my work in many ways. My work is bold, striking and atmospheric. The paintings respond to the changing elements and the rhythm of the landscape as I explore the visual tensions that arise when sky meets sea meets land.

Victoria Wylie studied textile design at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee, where she also did a master’s in ﬁne art. Best known for her abstract landscape paintings, she has exhibited throughout the UK and has work in private collections across the world.

Annan Gallery, 164 Woodlands Rd, Glasgow, G3 6LL | 0141 332 0028 | gallery@annanart.com Gordon Wilson ‘Objective Perspective’ A Solo Exhibition of new paintings from 3rd to 25th September www.annanart.com Scan here for our exclusive website and to interestregister

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SQUARE UP

ForestGraemecreature,£84,DonnaWilsonPlay time My First Skittles by Janod, £42, Kidly Cubebot robot toy by£34,Areaware,Fy! William Morris baby gift set, from £28, That Girl in Green Scrunch bucket in Old Rose, £10.99, Scrunch

If you’ve spent ages creating a playful scheme for your child’s bedroom, finishing it off with a plain white lampshade would be criminal. Look instead to fun options like this rainbow paper shade from Habitat. And if you have neither the time nor the energy for decorating? The curved shape and traditional bright colours will effortlessly cheer the place up and bring a dash of joy to your little one’s room. £12. habitat.co.uk

Framed paper £190, My Papercut

Need ﬂexible storage solutions for all your kid’s kit? Try the Sona from Tikamoon. It’s a metal bookcase, made up of three modules that can be arranged as required. Stack them and ﬁx them to the wall to stash away books and art supplies, or line them up at a child-friendly height to encourage independent play. However you arrange them, these industrial cubes will stylishly solve some of your storage woes. £399. tikamoon.co.uk

garden sculpture,

HANGING BY ARED

The hot seat

Most youngsters love a trip to the great outdoors, so harness that adventurous spirit by inviting some of the fun of camping into their bedroom. This Tipi bed from Little Snoozes comes with a cool canopy, underneath storage, and even a chalkboard to further personalise the set-up. Which young explorer wouldn’t have sweet dreams here?

Kitten Kaboodle is one of the designs from OhPopsi’s ‘When I Grow Up’ collection of wallpapers. Shown here in a buttery yellow (Dandelion), the wild pattern depicts cats peeking out from vases, planters and teapots, while cacti and cherry-topped cakes add a splash of fun. You could spend a sleepy evening trying to spot as many feline friends as possible – it sure beats counting sheep… £39 per 50cm x 10m roll. ohpopsi.com

Brighten up a hideaway with this string of 20 cotton ball lights from Cuckooland. They’re handmade in Thailand and ﬁnished in a poppy combination of blues and yellow. They look good whether illuminated or not, which makes them ideal for stringing along a headboard or hanging inside a teepee £29.95. cuckooland.com

From £629. littlesnoozes.co.uk

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This ﬂuﬀy sheep stool gets its texture from Dedar’s bouclé wool. The legs and curved back are beech, and the feet are oak. It was designed by Takeshi Sawada, creator of the famous Bambi chair (with antlers as the back and a faux deer fur seat). This sculptural design is functional as well as playful: a good companion for a low, child-friendly table. Approx £320. eoplay.dk BALL PIT

CAT’S PYJAMAS

Happy campers

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DETAILS What A

Victoriantwo-bedroomconversion Where Edinburgh Interior design Ian Smith

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EXCEEDINGLY GOOD TASTE

Simple, elegant, balanced and reﬁned, yet somehow still full of personality: Ian Smith’s Edinburgh home shows oﬀ all its owner’s skills in interior design

Photography ZAC and ZAC Words Natasha Radmehr

on’t talk to Ian Smith about trends: they don’t excite him. “I don’t like fashion, I don’t like gimmicks, and I don’t like themes,” says the interior designer, who learned his craft in the 1990s under the tutelage of the late – and legendary – Jimmy Thomson, co-founder of what was then one of Scotland’s most illustrious interior design firms, AF Drysdale. “At Drysdale, everything was always designed to last for the next twenty years, which is something that has stayed with me. I like being able to walk into projects I worked on a couple of decades ago and find they are still relevant today.” His approach works. If you want evidence, you need only look at the home he has lived in for the last seven years. The Victorian conversion is close to the entrance of Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden, and its interiors are difficult to put a timestamp on. There are no grey crushedvelvet cushions to suggest a flirtation with Mrs Hinch in 2018, nor any of the pineapple-shaped bricà-brac many of us slavishly bought a few years ago. Instead, Smith’s elegantly appointed home is a homage to art and design that transcends both time and place.

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[Left] Smith’s spaniels, Louis and Jack, frolic at the front door. The interior designer took great joy in designing the outdoor space, trimming the topiary himself. [Previous page and this page] There’s art to be admired in every nook of the sitting room, including a specially commissioned Jacob Littlejohn piece above the sofa and an Alan Davie work to its right. The sofa, designed by Smith, was made by Charlotte James. The silk-velvet tiger-print covering the stools “caused a sensation” with AF Drysdale customers when used on a chair. On the previous page, more of Smith’s own designs can be seen: a wooden ball table (made by Laurence McIntosh), on top of which sits one of his sculptures. He also did the multicoloured square painting on the wall above

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[Below] Jason Miller, a close friend of Smith’s, painted the artwork above the dining table. Smith prefers a banquette to a collection of chairs. “It just works so well in a dual-function room; it doesn’t dominate or look like a dining table all the time,” he says. The wall-hung wooden heads were created by Scottish sculptor Doug Cocker. [Right] Mark Smith Glazing redid the glass doors in the sitting room, which open out to the garden and ﬂood the space with natural daylight. Oak herringbone ﬂooring meets Nero Marquina marble in the hallway

It was the location of the two-bedroom house that won him over when he viewed it in 2015.“I really liked that it’s right beside the Botanics – so close that the sitting room, a former billiard room which was built as an extension in the 1920s, was once the coffee shop for the gardens. It also has its own west-facing walled garden, which was a godsend during lockdown,” he says. “It’s a great residential area, and I love being so close to Stockbridge; it’s got a nice buzz and is very cosmopolitan, being on the edge of the New AlthoughTown.”it had been advertised as a refurbished property, the home was barely liveable when Smith moved in. A torrential

downpour on the first weekend led to water gushing down the inside of the windows, and some of the radiators weren’t even connected to the main heating system. “It was in a poor condition,” he remembers. “It had to be re-roofed, the heating and electrics needed redoing, and the ﬂoors had to be replaced. Once I’d got it wind- and weather-tight I could start thinking about what I actually wanted to do, interiors-wise.”

Whenever Smith begins working on a project, he focuses firstly on arrangement and layout. His own home was no different. “Jimmy always emphasised the importance of proportion. There were lots of things I learned in training that have stuck with me, such as how if you’re putting a rug in a room you should make it as big as possible, because if it’s too small it will make the whole room feel enclosed,” he explains. “So I started by using CAD to ﬁgure out where the furniture would go. Everything developed quite naturally from there.” Rather than bury his head in lurid paint charts, the interior designer allowed his impressive art and sculpture collection to guide the tastefully luxurious aesthetic of his home. Paintings by Picasso and Alan Davie, a bronze sculpture by Vincent Butler, and a Garouste & Bonetti table are among the pieces of note. A muted palette of textiles ensures they don’t get lost in

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[Above] The interior designer worked with Edinburgh specialists Craighead & Woolf on a clean, minimalist kitchen. [Right] The guest bedroom has Le Corbusier prints framing the bed, which is covered in a mustard Larsen wool. Smith designed the bedside table, made by Bentleys in Dundee. A sculpture once owned by Andy Warhol rests on top of it, beside a 1950s Italian lamp

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 177 “I WORK WITH COLOUR A LOT AND DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITH IT ALL DAY. IF YOU’VE GOT GOOD ART, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO EXIST IN A COLOURFUL SPACE”

surrounding noise. “Art and sculpture are very important to me; it’s what I feel comfortable surrounded by,” says Smith, himself a keen ﬁgurative sculptor. “People always say, ‘Oh, but there should be more colour’, but I work with colour a lot and don’t want to live with it all day. If you’ve got good art, it doesn’t have to exist in a colourful space. I like a neutral canvas, and don’t want a room to be overtaken by any one speciﬁc thing.” In the sitting room, for example, there isn’t one single design element that leaps out as the star of the show. Perhaps that’s because every item within it is a quiet statement piece, the interiors equivalent of an exquisitely designed camel coat, so as a collective they shine together (and there’s ample light from the glass sliding doors and skylight to appreciate every last detail). Smith designed most of the furniture and had it made by Scottish craftspeople: sleek sofas enveloped in an ivory Hermès weave; an angular brass and marble coffee table; a sheepskincovered cocktail chair; a plush geometric armchair upholstered in mohair velvet. A taupe banquette curves around a dining table that rests on a bronze base by Julian Chichester. Behind the

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[Far left] Looking towards the guest bedroom. Both it and the master bedroom have carpets designed by Smith and made by Wilton Carpets. [This image] Some favourite pieces live in the master bedroom, including the Garouste & Bonetti table at the window and the Alberto Morrocco ink drawings. [Right, top] The cloakroom, with its Porcelanosa column sink and Nero Marquina marble, has a high-end hotel vibe. “The ceiling is covered in black bamboo wallpaper,” says Smith. “If a space is dark, go dark. If it’s light, keep it light.” [Right, bottom] A brass sculpture made by Smith stretches out on top of a Julian Chichester chest of drawers

INTERIORSINTERIORS

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“I bought a sculpture of a standing man from the online auction house 1stDibs and I didn’t realise until the dealer later sent me information that it had come from Andy Warhol’s private collection,” he laughs.“After he died, a lot of his stuff went up for sale. I didn’t ever ﬁnd out who it’s by, though.”

It’s pieces like this that will travel with Smith from home to home. Recently, he sold this place to move to a bigger house along the road with more outdoor space for his beloved spaniels, Louis and Jack, to run around in. “I’m in the very early stages of planning; it’s completely run-down. It will be slightly different to this house, but many of the pieces within it will be the same.

Lots of people reserve art for communal spaces so as to dazzle their guests, but not Smith, whose bedrooms house some of his most treasured works. A landscape and two ink drawings by Alberto Morrocco grace the textured linen walls in the master bedroom, while the guest bedroom contains an object that once belonged to someone rather famous.

The fireplace was one of the few additions he made, alongside a T-shaped stud partition in the hallway which separates a stylish drinks area on one side from a cloakroom on the other. It’s clad in inky black Nero Marquina marble, contrasting with the glossy white Calacatta stone covering the walls and floor in the internal kitchen further down the hall. But for every pebble-smooth surface there are cosy rugs and carpets which add understated warmth. The grey and white Greek-key patterned carpet in the master bedroom was designed by Smith and woven to order by Wilton Carpets; a signature move of the designer, who recently did the same for the Peat Inn in Fife. “I’ve always designed carpets and had them made – it’s an opportunity to put a design on the floor that nobody else has, and it’s a reasonably inexpensive thing to do,” he says. “That bedroom is tall, so I wanted something to ground it, and overscaled geometrics always appeal to me.”

sofa hangs a bold abstract painting by Scottish visual artist Jacob Littlejohn, who created the piece speciﬁcally for the room.

“That’s a really strong work of art, but the room can take it because there’s a black marble ﬁreplace opposite that balances it out,” says Smith.“I like that my home feels calm and relaxing, but there’s always something for your eye to be interested in.”

A house is bricks and mortar, but it’s what’s in it, and who you share it with, that make it a home,” he smiles.“You should always be surrounded by the things that are important to you.”

SNOOZE STATE DECORATING ACHIEVE THE DESIGNER'S SENSE OF QUIET COOL BY OPTING FOR MONOCHROME GETTHELOOK ON ALL FLOORS DRAMA KING 182 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 1 Old Ochre wall paint, £55.95 for 2.5 litres, Annie Sloan 2 Deluxe Midnight marble-effect tiles, £49.95 per sq.m, Walls and Floors 3 perherringbone,Viennefrom£86.95sq.m,TedTodd 1 Geneva cylinder table lamp, £25, Iconic Lights 2 Frankie floor mirror, £4,950, Arteriors 3 Tonal wool throw, £140, Birdie Fortescue 4 Antique bronze cubist sculpture, £78, Beaumonde 5 Alma king-size bed, from £1,579, Pepper Sq 1 Abstract letter A print, from £23, Green Lili 2 Harper armchair in alpaca bouclé, £800, Sofa.com 3 Remy cushion cover, £8, Rhoom 4 Zebra stripe cushion, £130, Jan Constantine 5 Ella slim side table, £97.75, Rose & Grey 1 1 1 2 3 5 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 5

0131 466 0258 | edinburghwardrobes.com 84 Comiston Road Edinburgh EH10 5QJ Classic understated design, built in.

Fine

of fun ﬁll

Photography ZAC and ZAC Words Judy Diamond craftsmanship, clever ideas and surprising sense this beautifully revived Victorian apartment in Edinburgh

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COMINTERIORS185DETAILS What A townhousetwo-bedroomapartment Where Edinburgh Interior design Jeﬀreys Interiors

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“I went and took a look,” recalls the designer. “It was a ﬁrstﬂoor apartment in a classic townhouse that had been divided up over the years. It had a lot of positives, but the layout wasn’t right for modern living, and even though the interiors had barely been touched and everything was original, it didn’t seem to have a lot of the character you’d expect in a property of this period.” She recorded a video tour of the two bedrooms, bathroom, living room and very small kitchen and sent it, along with a few suggestions of how it could be improved, to America.

The clients, Cynthia Croatti and Alan Patrick, had been travelling to Edinburgh a lot in recent years to see their son and daughter-in-law and their two grandchildren, and the idea of having their own place in the city appealed. They’ve done quite a lot of building projects in the States (they have homes in [Opposite] Jim Thompson wallpaper and a Vaughan light fitting inject moody glamour to the master bedroom. The woodwork is painted in Zoffany’s subtle Olivine. [Previous pages, left] The en-suite has waterproof wallpaper by Wall & Deco and a bath by Albion Bath Co. The green onyx-effect tiles are by Mandarin Stone. The wallpaper in the foreground is a Zoffany design. [Middle] Brass detailing on the stove by La Cornue is echoed by the handy fold-out tap for filling pans. [Right] A Christopher Farr fabric was used to upholster the headboard, while the cushions are by Elitis and Jim Thompson. The rug is from Turnberry Rug Works

iguring out what your client wants, understanding their tastes and knowing how far they’d like to be pushed out of their comfort zone is an art that any successful interior designer has to master. It’s tough enough to do when you can spend time together, leafing through samples and paint charts and discussing every detail of a project. But what if the client is on the other side of the Atlantic during a pandemic and hasn’t even set foot in the property they’ve commissioned you to refurbish?

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That was the challenge facing Carley Kyle of Edinburgh’s Jeffreys Interiors as 2020 drew to a close. She got a call from a former client who lives in the city’s west end to say the ﬂat above his was up for sale and his parents in America were considering buying it. Would she be interested in checking it out with a view to knocking it into shape?

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Boston, Florida and Cape Cod), so the idea of working remotely on a large-scale refurbishment didn’t faze them. They knew the building and the street, and here was Carley Kyle saying she could make it look wonderful… “They took a leap of faith and bought it,” smiles Kyle. “They didn’t see the house in the flesh until travel restrictions were lifted, by which point we were six months in and about halfway through the renovation. The second time they saw it was at Christmas when it was complete. But they were on the ball and great to work with, and we conferred all the way through. ‘Do what you think is best – we trust you,’ they kept saying.” It helped that Alan and Cindy had supplied a strong brief for “something very traditional, very Scottish, earthy and cosy”, and told her they loved an Edinburgh townhouse Jeffreys Interiors had recently designed. In spite of all this, her starting point was not interior design but rather appointing an architect and hashing out floorplans. This is a listed building, so planning permission was needed to make changes such as adding a wall to create a utility room –essential if the kitchen was be moved to the front to form one big semi-open dining and living space. The main bedroom was given an en-suite, and there’s now a cloakroom too. “We had to fight our case but we got there in the end.” Next up was rewiring the electrics, installing a new central heating system and restoring the period details. “The existing cornicing and ceiling roses were really basic,” says Kyle. “We upgraded them and put in the kind of architectural detail you’d expect to find.” The Edinburgh cabinetmaking firm of Peden & Pringle was commissioned to make the kitchen, the built-in wardrobes, the big bookcase in the living area and the walk-in cupboard in the hall. The latter sits behind a secret door and is what you

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[Below] The guest room has a bed by Edinburgh cabinetmakers Charlotte James, a rug by Turnberry Rug Works, a Vaughan pendant and distinctive Lewis & Wood wallpaper. “There was very little the clients didn’t agree with,” says designer Carley Kyle. “This bold wallpaper was in the very ﬁrst design plan and they just loved it. They loved all the quirky little details.” Look closely and you’ll spot the leopard-print trim around the edge of the headboard and on a couple of cushions. [Opposite, left] Another view of the en-suite: the sink unit is a bespoke piece by Edinburgh Woodwork. [Right] The hall has a secret door – a beautifully made bookcase by Peden & Pringle that opens to a large storage cupboard. The pendants are by Heathﬁeld & Co and the console table is by Charlotte James

190 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM “A LARGE CHUNK OF THE BUDGET WENT ON THE KITCHEN. IT WAS A SERIOUS INVESTMENT. BUT THERE’S A LOT OF IT, AND IT’S A BIG ROOM WITH FOURMETRE-HIGH CEILINGS”

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[Previous pages] Bespoke cabinetry by Peden & Pringle and pendants by CTO lift the kitchen beyond the merely functional. The dark paint (Zoffany’s Bone Black, paired with soft pink Beauvais Lilac) doesn’t overwhelm, thanks to the airiness of the 4m-high ceilings. [Above] The repositioned kitchen is now part of the living space rather than isolated at the back of the flat. Carley Kyle worked with architect David Ralph at GLM to devise the new floorplan. [Right] Views across parkland is an added bonus. The main contractor was Bann Joinery. [Opposite] A Charlotte James sofa and woolly armchair by Fisk invite you to curl up in the living room

INTERIORSINTERIORS see directly in front of you as you enter the flat. A large chunk of the overall budget went into the kitchen and the cabinetry, acknowledges the designer. “It was a serious investment. But there’s a lot of it, and it’s a big kitchen with 4m-high ceilings, and a huge bookcase. We find in the majority of townhouses like this that we have to do bespoke cabinetry,” she adds. “Because of the scale of the rooms, nothing ready-made will fit.” There was pressure to come up with something “beautiful” for the kitchen since the room is open to the rest of the living area. Kyle and Peden & Pringle endeavoured to make the design feel less obviously ‘kitcheny’, suspending glamorous CTO pendants above the island, and inserting reeded-glass doors into the units to stop them feeling too blocky. The cabinetry has been spray-painted for an ultra-smooth finish, their doors opening to reveal solid oak interiors. One very special cupboard and drawer in the utility is devoted to Alan and Cindy’s dog, who always travels with them. “The dog’s bowl just sits on the floor in my house, so I know how useful that drawer is!” she smiles. It’s just one example of the dazzling, intricate detail, much of it unseen, that elevates this project to such a high level. Cindy and Alan loved all the quirky little touches and were tickled by Kyle’s ideas.“I love leopard print and so I try to bring a tiny bit of it into every project,” she says. “We always design for the clients and in any style, of course, but Alan and Cindy thought my love of

[Below and opposite] Dark walls (the same paint as the kitchen) ground the huge living room. It’s a sunny, space, so diﬀuser blinds were needed as well as curtains. A Julian Chichester sideboard and dining table and a pendant by Visual Comfort sit happily alongside the period details (ﬁreplace, cornice and plasterwork) that were added during the upgrade. “The secret of success is to put together the right team, who you can trust to get things done on time and on budget, while letting them exercise their talent and experience to create something unique and interesting,” says owner Alan Patrick

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“We were thrilled,” adds Cindy.“It was perfect.”

[Left] A special space was created for the owners’ dog in the utility room, complete with bowl drawer. [Above] Porta Romana lights, a modern roll-top by Albion Bath Co and marble ﬂoor tiles by Ca’ Pietra give the main bathroom a timeless quality

leopard print was really funny and were very encouraging. You can see it on the headboard and the cushion trim in the guest bedroom, but I also lined one of the drawers in the bookcase with it as a surprise for them. It’s nice to add a tiny bit of yourself even if no one will ever see it.”

Transatlantic trips to Edinburgh to see the family now are even more of a pleasure. “Having travelled a lot globally for many years, it’s so nice to know you are sleeping in your own bed,” say the couple.“We’re able to stay longer and enjoy the city more. We have our regular places to go, like the gym and the market. It feels like home.”

The palette of dark greys and sage greens captures the earthy, cosy vibe the owners wanted. It’s almost more difficult to pull off a muted scheme than a really bright and colourful one, Kyle believes.“You have to find a way to make it interesting. The trick is to use lots of different shades, because it would be too dark and dull if it was all the same. You can also create a feeling of warmth by layering colours.” The couple finally saw their new home in December, a year after buying it. The Jeffreys team had put up a Christmas tree for their arrival and decorated the flat with lights and presents.

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“We were anticipating a ﬁne end product,” says Alan. “Even so, we were a little nervous climbing the stairs for the first time. But that dissipated immediately on walking through the front door and seeing the quality of the design and the work that had been put into the project. It just felt right in terms of style, scope, ﬁnish, design and decor. We like stylish and cosy, liveable and practical, and this place certainly meets that. It just flows and gives off a relaxed and sophisticated ambience.”

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 197 THE ORIGINAL CHAIR COMPANY FINE UPHOLSTERY & INTERIOR DESIGN WWW.THEORIGINALCHAIRCOMPANY CO UK | Unit 62G | Perth Airport | PH2 6PL | 01738 551 600 Visit our ONLINE SHOP for ready to buy sofaschairsand We create expertly crafted made-to-measure soft furnishings here in the UK. With over 15 years as interior designers, we know how to make your house beautiful. Curtains | Blinds | Cushions 0121 389 hello@threadanddandy.co.uk9977 threadanddandy.co.uk

DECORATING UP THE DRAMA WITH DARK WALLS AND ATTENTION-GRABBING ACCESSORIES GETTHELOOK SOFT TOUCH JADE SHADES 198 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 1 1 Spruce Things Up paint, £49.99 for 2.5 litres, Dowsing & Reynolds 2 Home Grown paint, from £25 for 1 litre, Coat 3 Towel rail in brushed brass, £570, Crosswater 4 Kyoto console table, £930, Beaumonde 5 Abstract green marble No1, from £5.97, Poster Store 1 Luminous pink bloom cushion, £29.99, Claire Louise 2 Pink velvet cushion with fringe, £25, Idyll Home 3 Anya Flora lumbar cushion, £55, Hudson Home 1 Black feather mirror, £200, Sweetpea & Willow 2 Gaetano chandelier, £2,770, Arteriors x Jay Jeffers 3 Reuben sofa in bouclé wool, from £1,465, Sofa.com 4 Geneva metallic wallpaper, £12 per 3.5m roll, I Love Wallpaper 5 Bead-effect chandelier vase, £39, Rockett St George 6 Aria round coffee table, £249, Cult Furniture 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 3 5 6 1 2 3 4 LIGHT WORK

Created to combine a passion of craftsmanship with bespoke projects and high end cabinetry. Cabinet makers with a focus on quality construction www.edinburghwoodwork.co.uk

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This remodelled home in East Lothian blurs the boundary between inside and out with a glazed extension and pared-back decor

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With the original steading, summer house and breathtaking walled garden intact, a new house had been built on the site in the early 1950s by architect Lindsay Jamieson. It hadn’t been touched for years, but Richmond could see why her clients had fallen in love with the place. “They’d moved from an apartment in Edinburgh and bought the house with the idea of refurbishing it for their family, so the prospects were exciting.”

“The estate had been owned by the same family throughout its history, and while

Photography Martin Safro Words Catherine Coyle

achel Richmond’s clients knew their new home had a split personality when they invited her to have a look not long after they’d bought it. The interior designer and director at Edinburgh’s Hen & Crask had worked with the couple on previous projects but when they approached her for help with their latest acquisition, in East Lothian, she could see the problems they faced. “The original house here had been built in the early 19th century – an impressive stately home surrounded by acres of land,” says the award-winning designer. “Unfortunately, it was largely destroyed at the end of the Second World War by an RAF plane crash.”

Let there be light

Studio LBA Architects were also on board, ready to extend the property so it would better serve the needs of modern family living. “The house was purchased with aspirations of renovating and extending it to respond to the amazing grounds it sits in,” explains Gareth Jones, the lead architect on the project.

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[Previous page] The floor-to-ceiling glazing by Fineline Aluminium connects indoors and out. [Above] A woodburner adds to the warmth provided by the bespoke wooden panelling. [Right] Catalog Interiors supplied the striking pendant light that anchors the open-plan space. A Heal’s dining table and Ethnicraft dining chairs subtly complement the Scandi aesthetic – they are suitably stylish but don’t overpower the main attraction, namely the views to the calming surrounding woodlands it was a wonderful home, modern practices and materials mean that you can achieve much more now than when it was built in the 1950s.”Theowners wanted to create more of a connection to the incredible setting and for the layout to be more functional and efficient. Studio LBA set about reconfiguring the space to suit. “Although the house invited the landscape in through large window openings, there was still a sense of separation,” says the architect who, during this project, set up his own practice, Jones Robbins Architects, concluding on behalf of Studio LBA.

“The main house was renovated to form snug winter living areas with study zones and bedrooms. From there, when you enter the west extension, you are instantly transported into a very modern glazed section of the building that opens to the landscape.”RachelRichmond was just as conscious of the need to ﬁnd a way to unify the house with the extension. “I was working with existing pieces too,” she says, “in the sense that not only was the original building being updated, but my clients were bringing things from their previous home – I was designing around treasures they already owned, along with new furniture, art and accessories that we picked out to complement the modified surroundings. The challenge for me was how to make it feel organic and cohesive.” By marrying old and new in the interior design scheme, she has successfully blended the historic and modern aspects of the home. Capitalising on her clients’ love for texture and bold overlapping of periods, she has managed to make the interiors feel as though they have evolved over time. There’s nothing contrived or forced about her arrangements. “The trick is to build looks around key pieces, so additions don’t seem disjointed or messy,” she explains. “Don’t try to shoehorn pieces in. There’s always a bit of trial and error too.”

For architect Gareth Jones, the kitchen is the linchpin that holds today’s homes together. “Here, the kitchen and the family dining and sitting rooms have been relocated and are now associated with daytime living. We’ve arranged them so they take full advantage of the south- and west-facing natural light, with views out via the ﬂoor-to-ceiling glazing and doors. We’ve also made connections between the kitchen and the walled kitchen garden in the west of the grounds.”

The simple palette allows the interiors to breathe, reﬂecting the tranquillity of the natural setting outside. Richmond has tapped into a mid-century modern aesthetic in the living area using timeless pieces, such as the Fast chair by Vibieffe, to demonstrate style and functionality can co-exist here. Flooring by Strathearn Stone & Timber has been laid throughout, giving the space a ﬂuidity that allows the various zones to come together as one. The lighting is an integral part of the look

DETAILS What A modern glass extension Where East Lothian Interior design Hen & Crask Architect Jones Robbins for Studio LBA

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“Always listen to the unique character and setting of each project. Here, it was about reinstating a sense of splendour”

[Below] John Angus at Joseph French designed the kitchen, which was manufactured specifically for the clients in Scotland. The doors and drawers are an oak veneer, finished with an Osmo stain. The Amarula granite worktop has a vintage matt finish that is complemented by Dowsing & Reynolds handles

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INTERIORS206HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM and feel too, with statement pendants and task lights providing personality and practicality. Natural wooden furniture (the dining table is by Heal’s and the Bok chairs are by Ethnicraft) work in harmony with the timber panelling, benches, shelving and interventions created by Jones. Here, the architect had to be inventive, creating wall space for the art-loving owners that wouldn’t detract from the windows. A bespoke kitchen by Edinburgh-based specialists Joseph French brings the open-plan space together; the design by John Angus feels like a collection of freestanding pieces of furniture that complement the interior aesthetic, rather than a traditional ‘ﬁtted kitchen’. The lines between the various zones are further blurred with open shelving that give artworks and objets space to breathe. A trio of Foscarini’s Aplomb pendants in bold brick-red hang over the island like a sculptural art installation, and moody grey ceramic tiles underfoot (Prism Fog from Collinson’s Ceramics) offer a low-key yet sumptuous grounding for the whole scheme. The bathrooms are equally chic, with the same casual elegance as the rest of this beautiful home. Richmond opted for a simple palette of light, earthy colours and natural wood to ensure they wouldn’t date. A bespoke vanity by Joseph French, sanitaryware by Lusso Stone and quirky ﬂooring (Monochrome Decor porcelain by Mandarin Stone) keep these restful spaces gently“Youstylish.always need to listen to the unique character and setting of each project,” believes Jones. “I wouldn’t say that these are restrictions, but they do provide parameters to tune into and respond to. Here, it was about reinstating a sense of splendour.”

[Left] Ligne Roset Exclusif sofas help open up the living area, with timeless pieces including a Flos Arco ﬂoor lamp and Carl Hansen CH825 cabinet supplying chic accents.

[Above] Strathearn Stone & Timber ﬂooring throughout creates a sense of unity. The James-Morrow sound system is in a wood ﬁnish to chime with the rest of the scheme. [Below] Bathrooms can be warm and inviting spaces too; Rachel Richmond designed this one with a bespoke Joseph French vanity unit, Lusso Stone taps and bathtub and Graham & Green’s Mulberry Leaf chair

SOFT & BRIGHT 1 DECORATING LIGHT, BRIGHT AND AIRY – THIS HOME RELIES ON A NATURAL, UNDERSTATED PALETTE GETTHELOOK EXTRA TEXTURE STILL LIFE 208 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 1 1 Wickham wooden armchair, £289, Cult Furniture 2 Mondo floor lamp, £89, Dwell 3 Ferm Living Merge Kelim cushion, £69, Abode Living 4 Industrial coffee table, £159, Homescapes 5 Brower rug, £69.99, Wayfair 1 Harlequin tiles, £42 per sq.m, Porcelain Superstore 2 Acacia-lid glass jars, from £8, Marquis & Dawe 3 Still-life Impressionist print, £53, Abstract House 1 Grey plant pot, £25, Adrestia's Revolt 2 Sculpture of embracing couple, £73, Beaumonde 3 Mid-Century natural oak sideboard, £1,495, Rockett St George 4 Circular log store, from £325, Firepits UK 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 4 5 1 4

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 209 SALE NOW ON HUGE REDUCTIONS OFF ALL STOCK Mains of Murthly Farm, Aberfeldy PH15 2EA 01887 829 www.spirit-of-wood.com899

WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON OFFERING FIRST CLASS STOVE INSTALLATIONS ACROSS HIGHLAND & THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND. WOODBURNING & MULTI-FUEL STOVES AS WELL AS A FULL RANGE OF ELECTRIC FIRES. T: 01479 812 433 • E: info@highlandhomecentre.co.uk • @highlandhomecentre • @highlandhomecentrehome Highland Home Centre • Aviemore PH22 1ST Visit our showroom or call today to book a no obligation stove survey to receive a quote.

For some of us, ‘bringing the outside in’ is a pipe dream. It’s not cool to be a plant killer, but it’s the sad reality for many forgetful (or clueless) folk. Margaux Simms felt the same plant-based frustration and decided to do something about it. She worked out how to strip ﬁbre from leaves using an old rope-making technique and now creates beautiful sculptures with the dried leaves. They last for months, without any need for water, and can be gently reshaped as desired. From £21. leaflace.co.uk This mesmerising pendant is the Quartz light. It’s beautifully textured using a common by-product (frit) of the glassmaking process, with dimples and disruptions on the smooth surface. It’s shown here in Denim, a pretty blue colour, but the Quartz can be easily customised as each light is made by hand by a small team based in Hertford. £550. rothschildbickers.com

Soundproofing just got sustainable. Swedish brand Baux has created tiles from wood wool that act as acoustic protection. The new ceiling tiles, pictured, show off how different colours can be arranged to create functional art and embolden a space. The material is environmentally friendly and recyclable, as well as being fireproof, and heat- and moisture-regulating. £POA. baux.com

LEAF IT OUT First glass SOUND OF SILENCE

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On the lookout for a new coorie companion? This throw from Naturalmat should be on your radar. It’s made from 100% organic wool so you’re guaranteed a so embrace. Naturalmat buys directly from farmers in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset to ensure the quality of the wool used. The blankets are all hand-woven and ﬁnished with a blue border. £220for a 140 x 200cm throw. naturalmat.co.uk

Shear beauty

The Børge Mogensen Conscious chair was originally designed in 1958, but has been given an eco-friendly update for 2022. Now relaunched by Danish brand Mater, the new seat material is a combination of coﬀee or wood waste, and recycled ﬁbreglass. It’s part of Mater’s Circular Materials collection, available at Nest. £402. nest.co.uk

These funky wall hooks are part of the In Good Form project from Priormade and Lima Lima. Both design studios have an emphasis on sustainable materials, and these contemporary hooks are no exception. They’re made from recycled stainless steel and brass, with a durable powder coating. All components are ﬁnished in the UK, with plastic-free packaging to boot. £44.95 for a set of three. priormade.store

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The poppy R.U.M. chair, created by C.F. Møller Design, is crafted from weird and wonderful materials – in this case, marine waste such as old ﬁshing nets is melted into the dark plastic that creates the seats. Another version is made from old computers, printers and car equipment. It’s a durable and innovative design that supports a circular economy. £POA. innermost.net

WHAT A CATCH OFF THE HOOK

Flower power

Daughters of Gaea is an interiors brand with a focus on sustainability and female artisans. The brand produces luxury homewares in collaboration with traditional hand-workers all over the world. The India collection, pictured, features reversible silk and cotton cushions made in Bangalore’s Tharangini Studio. Cushions from £95. daughtersofgaea.com

WASTE NOT

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 213 GRASSED THE ARTIFICIAL GRASS COMPANY UVSTABILISED NATURAL LOOKPETFRIENDLY 4m & 5m rolls - free delivery Suppliers to trade & public artificial grass maintenance Info@grassedartificial.co.uk Call: 07833 288 402 jmlgardenrooms.co.uk

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[Below] This compact space feels bigger than it is, thanks to the use of different levels. Steps lead down to a fire pit, water feature and Torc bench planters. The copper accents merge with tropical planting to give a warm, holiday feel. Bamboo decking, concrete slabbing by Schellevis and pebbles have been used for the walkways. Everyone who worked on the project wrote their name on a pebble; these were displayed at the front of the garden when it opened to the public.

[Right] Kate Gould hard at work, prepping for show week

WHAT WHERE A gold-medal winning entry to the ‘Sanctuary Gardens’ category at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

AND

DIMENSIONS

Photography Helen Fickling Words Miriam Methuen-Jones

The garden is a safe haven for people to exercise and socialise in small groups and has been designed to revitalise both body and mind. 10x10m Kate Gould, kategouldgardens.com

CONCEPT

EXTERIORS

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The idea of the garden as a sanctuary has always been around, but it really came to the fore during Covid. Having your own private space where you could be outside yet safe at the same time had surely never felt more appealing. Sanctuary in the post-pandemic world was one of the themes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year, and garden designer Kate Gould rose to the challenge. She called her design Out of the Shadows and it was understandably a crowd-pleaser. “In my experience, people are making their homes and gardens as safe as they can, because who knows if there will be another lockdown,” she says.

The plot was the standard 10x10m, which Gould feels is quite a tricky size to work with. “That’s because it’s square,” she says. “It’s hard to get any depth into a garden that size.” Her solution was to alter the perspective: “We started with big plants at the front to provide buffering and to anchor the space. You walk down into the garden (down

SHADOWSTHE

CASE STUDY OUT OF

GARDEN DESIGNER

designer.Theplanting

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THE SQUARE PLOT, WITH THE SPA ON THE LEFT is always good – having different levels is ideal in a smaller space as it makes it more interesting) and are met by a water feature, a ﬁre pit and a seating area enveloped in tropical planting.” The scallop-shaped tiles on the long, low water feature match those on the outdoor shower. The latter is in the exercise corner where there’s a pull-up bar, space to do yoga and a 5x2m spa pool edged with decking. “We used bamboo decking all the way around the spa so you can’t see the mechanics of the pool. We wanted it to feel as if it was sunken into the garden,” says the is purposefully exotic, as Gould explains: “We’re living through a time of global climate change. We don’t know exactly what the weather is going to do, but we know it’s getting hotter. There are more restrictions on the plants you can import and export, and this, along with the rising heat, means the range of what we can grow in the UK is changing. It’s terrifying.” With this in mind, tree ferns, bamboo and a huge trochodendron feature heavily, all gently lit by Catellani & Smith’s globe and stick lights. Out of the Shadows works beautifully, thanks to the mix of textures, warm colours and big, bold elements. Gould recommends the same approach for even the most petite of gardens: “Don’t be afraid to go big. If you have a small space and you ﬁll it with lots of small things, it will look cluttered. You could create something amazing with one giant pot, one big plant and a light,” she says. “Plus, it makes cleaning easier as you don’t need to sweep between dozens of pots. Be brave. Go big or go home.” Is it any wonder the garden won gold?

[Top] The plants are exotic-looking but hardy. [Above] Lights from Catellani & Smith hide amid the greenery as another gold-medal winner, paralympian Jessica-Jane Applegate, tests out the jets in the sunken Jacuzzi Swim Spa

Contact us if you’re thinking of a new garden. www.james-hutchison.com • info@james-hutchison.com • 0131 667 0029 STYLISH ELEGANT, TIMELESS GARDENS

218 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM m: 07843 282270 www.jigsawgardendesign.com Bespoke design, planting & construction with Follow us on Instagram @jigsaw_garden_design Love and complete your garden or outdoor space with a bespoke, handmade mirror by MIXO, made to your size, colour and finish specification. Visit us at our shop in Gourock to see our range of mirrors or contact us to find out more. 50 Kempock St, Gourock, PA19 1ND T: 07734 212 308 E: mixogourock@gmail.com@mixogourockMIXO Garden Rooms Mozolowski & Murray To find out more call us on 0345 050 5440 or visit our design centre 57 Comiston Road Edinburgh EH10 6AG Open 6 days, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, with Saturday by appointment. www.mozmurray.co.uk Bespoke garden rooms designed to enhance your home and lifestyle

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COMEXTERIORS219CASE STUDY NO TREE? NO PROBLEM BRIEF To create a treehouse in a London garden with no trees of its own BIGGEST CHALLENGE Access and the logistics of carrying all the materials through the owners’ house ARCHITECT De Matos Ryan, dematosryan.co.uk DIMENSIONS 4.1m tall x 2.38m x 1.8m (at widest points)

Photography Hufton Words Miriam

& Crow

Methuen-Jones

“Simply put, the brief they gave us was to design a treehouse without a tree,” recalls the studio’s Angus Morrogh-Ryan. Without a trunk as a foundation, the structure could have taken almost any shape. The inspiration for the angular build in fact came from the kids’ favourite cartoon, Danger Mouse. “Ernest Penfold, Danger Mouse’s reluctant assistant and sidekick, is a timid, bespectacled hamster with the codename ‘Jigsaw’, because he falls apart at the first sign of danger,” smiles Morrogh-Ryan. “The playful new treehouse was going to be Penfold’s hideout. His codename gave us licence to develop a geometric frame that looks exactly like the way it wasDevon’sbuilt.”

The hideout is purposefully adult-proof, with the only way in being through a crawl space beneath the overhang.

Inside, there’s a lookout at the peak which is accessed by rope ladder (of course). There are reminders everywhere, though, that this is a step beyond the average rickety old treehouse. A sensor at the top of the structure closes the rooﬂight automatically as soon as rain begins to fall. LED tube lighting means Penfold is a haven no matter what the time of day. And there’s even WiFi. What? These are modern kids, after all.

A stainless-steel cable lattice also covers the outside to encourage plants to climb up it; this will eventually provide gentle camouﬂage and make it look more tree-like.

“All the elements had to be carried through a domestic front door, so the installation was pre-assembled in the workshop to make sure everything would ﬁt.”

The structure’s namesake might be timid, but this version of Penfold is anything but. It’s a bold and creative hideout sure to serve its wee owners for years to come.

“My favourite aspect is how it both surprises and delights in the context of the residential block,” Morrogh-Ryan says. “One neighbour calls it ‘the giraffe house’.”

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If you didn’t long for a treehouse when you were growing up, you were probably one of the lucky wee things who already had one. This family in leafy northwest London had two young children who were desperate for a hideout of their own. But with no suitable trees in the garden, there was nothing their parents could do –until, that is, they mentioned their plight to imaginative architecture practice De Matos Ryan.

Safari or secret lab, either way, this is a hub of fun that’s already sparking adventures.

Timber Workshop collaborated with De Matos Ryan to build a tapered structure using Douglas ﬁr studs, poplar Duraply, a Tyvek membrane and Siberian larch cladding. The narrow windows are a result of the space left between the Douglas ﬁr studs. “We arranged the openings so that they had most relevance to the children peeking from inside the structure,” explains the architect.

Fabrication took four months to complete, including the planning process, though on-site assembly was finished within a week. “Due to its unusual height and form for a rear garden, planning permission was achieved on condition that the structure would be disassembled and removed if the property was sold,” says Morrogh-Ryan.

[Centre] Looking for a door? There isn’t one. The kids requested no adults be allowed inside, so the structure is accessed by crawling beneath the overhang. [Left] The lookout level is up a rope ladder. Externalgrade LED tube lighting was used inside to extend playtime. [Below] The frame was preassembled in the workshop, to guarantee smooth sailing, and all the cladding panels were pre-cut before arriving on site.

PLANARCHITECTURALOFPENFOLD

TIMESCALE Erected in a week a er four mouths’ prep in the workshop

MATERIALS Douglas Fir studs, poplar Duraply, Tyvek membrane and Siberian larch cladding four-metre-tall truncated pyramid that is almost two and a half metres wide at the base

DETAILS

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CONSTRUCTION The structure was fabricated in sections so it could be carried through the front door to the rear garden and then reassembled quickly INTERIOR Lighting, windows for ventilation, a lookout, and WiFi connectivity make this a comfortable den for the owners’ kids quick-fire

SHAPE A

The Vlaze Adapt island (shown here in Ochre) will have friends and neighbours ﬂocking to your garden. The Adapt collection is modular, so you can design your outdoor kitchen to suit your space. Everything is hand-built to order on the Isle of Wight, and made from stainless steel with a vitreous glaze to ensure longevity. £5,500. vlaze.co

FUN IN THE SUN

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If you ever feel like you don’t have enough hands when gardening, Acre & Holt has the answer. Its Garden Wrap is designed to be protective (the tweed is thornproof) as well as being equipped with plenty of pockets for squirrelling away gloves and seeds. Each wrap has a quick-release velcro fastening, D-rings to hang tools from, and sturdy leather trims. This could make a lovely heirloom piece for a greenﬁngered family. £260. acreholt.co.uk 222

If you’re a true connoisseur, you’ll know that every season is picnic season – you just need to be prepared. Autumnal alfresco dining calls for apple cider, a ﬂask of soup and perhaps even a cheeky hot water bottle tucked down your jumper. Above all, a waterproof blanket is a must. This Bloom picnic blanket is a charming option: pretty in pink with a sturdy leather handle. And, at 140 x 140cm, there’s plenty of room to lay out a feast. £95. torimurphy.com

ON A ROLL Dig is a London-based garden design company aiming to take some of the guesswork out of planting. The new venture delivers ‘readymade ﬂower beds’ in a range of diﬀerent sizes so you can just plant and go. There are four main themes to choose from, or the option to go bespoke. Delivery only extends to London at the moment while Dig is growing, but keep your eyes peeled for new locations being announced. £POA. digclub.co.uk

WRAP IT UP Bed time

CUF Milano is known for its modern office furniture, but the Fusion collection is taking CUF’s designs outside. It’s a modular range, and highly adaptable. This configuration with a table, benches, a canopy and attached planters is particularly smart. Fill the planters with useful herbs or gently scented flowers for a dreamy lunch spot. £POA. cufmilano.com

DIGFORVICTORY

DANCE FLOOR Go potty FINE

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Fashion designer, blogger and all-round cool kid Henry Holland has branched out into earthenware. The green-and-white planters are a ﬁrm favourite, sure to make even the most bedraggled peace lily want to cling on just a little longer. Each swirly design is unique, and also available in blue and brown variations. From £65. henryhollandstudio.com

Step away from plain concrete in favour of something a little more interesting with the Arlington Multi porcelain tile from Tile Giant. This rustic pattern has copper tones and a variety of greys ﬂowing through it, so no two tiles are exactly the same. They’re hard-wearing but have a lived-in look that’s very appealing. £41.98per sq.m. tilegiant.co.uk

Ever wanted to grow your own veg but lacked the space?

AllotMe might have the solution. It’s a service that connects garden or allotment owners to people wanting to grow. The focus is on sustainability, encouraging urban gardening and reducing food waste. Most plots have a small rental fee, but some are free to use. AllotMe is still expanding, with gardens and plots desperately needed in Scotland. If you’ve got an unloved green space, list it and someone else could bring it to life. £POA. allotme.co.uk

DINING

Moody opulence mixes with decadent indulgence in this intimate Edinburgh hideaway Words Miriam Methuen-Jones

OFHOUSEGODS

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[Opposite] Oak panelling and lots of velvet suggest a touch of the Orient Express in the cosy bedrooms. The ‘window’ is actually a light fitting. [Left] The minibar is hidden in a bedside table. [Above] Thirsty? There are three bars to choose from, or order to your room

t’s uncharacteristically sunny in Edinburgh when my travel companion and I tumble through the doors of House of Gods in the Cowgate. We’re blinking in the half-light, wishing we’d been wearing our shades, when our vision adjusts to the gloom and we realise to our delight that we’re standing not at a clinical reception desk but at the hotel’s cosy in-house bar. We exchange a grin. This is going to be good. It’s an atmospheric space: dark wood panelling, pink leather booths and ornate screens are offset by Gucci wallpaper panels featuring giant white cranes and a disco ball dripping in pink paint. Heavy velvet curtains and fringed lampshades add to the moody feel. We discover later that even the bathrooms on this level are impressive, the walls covered in another Gucci paper, this time hot-pink, with snarling tigers. By that point, I’m plying my partner with cocktails in a bid to convince him we need this in our own bathroom. Before that, though, we ﬁnd the reception and are briefed on our stay. Numbers are exchanged (staff and butlers use WhatsApp to keep in touch with guests), breakfast orders are taken, and ﬁnally we’re led through a warren of decadently furnished hallways to our room for the night. Our guide leaves us at the door and reminds us he’s only a text away if we need anything.

The Casablanca Cocktail Club is a few steps from the hotel entrance (just past the newly opened Lilith’s Lounge – both bars are part of House of Gods). Up a flight of stairs is a similarly moody interior, decked out with fringed table lamps and plump armchairs. It’s Sunday night and a drag performance is in full swing. The quick-witted set and impressive dance moves soon have my partner turning to me and whispering, “I finally understand lip-syncing!” – high praise indeed from someone who can barely sit through a whole episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Time for more drinks: the cocktail menus look like glossy fashion magazines, with their cool photos and brief histories of the legends who inspired the drinks. The homage to Keith Moon, Exploding Drum, might be my favourite: a fitting mix of tequila, passionfruit and citrus notes. We bow out just before midnight (hey, we’re no spring

ESCAPE House of Gods is the place for indulgence and excess. We’ve booked the ‘Treat Me Like I’m Famous’ package, and it certainly delivers. Golden rose petals and balloons cover the four-poster. The bed is accented with patterned cushions and velvet curtains, with a cheeky strip of red LED running around the canopy. We embark on a hunt for other treats and soon hit gold. A mirror opens to reveal a slimline coffee machine and tea station. A minibar lurks in the bedside drawer. The mirrored panel at the foot of the bed becomes a television with just the click of a remote. It’s a compact room but everything you could need (and more) is packed in. We pop a bottle of House of Gods’ prosecco, recline on the pillows, and gorge on a selection of handmade chocolates while nodding approvingly at the decadence that surrounds us. Before we head out to dinner, a ‘star-tender’, with an appropriately rock’n’roll vibe and snappy leopard-print shoes, knocks on the door. He has a mobile bar in tow and chats us through the process of creating the zingy cocktail. It’s further proof that you’d barely need to leave your room to have a great stayThere’shere. no restaurant, but we’re right in the middle of the Old Town, so there’s no shortage of dining options. Once we’ve eaten, we head straight back to the Cowgate: the Treat Me Like I’m Famous package comes with a bar tab and we intend to abuse it diligently.

Location is everything, and at House of Gods you’re right in the heart of the capital. For on-theme eating, try the Devil’s Advocate, and enjoy a rare dram while you’re there. You don’t have to go far to find a drink, though. The House of Gods cocktail bar is great for a late-night nip, Casablanca Cocktail Club and its roster of talented queens will keep you entertained, or bow to the queen of the demons herself with a tarotthemed tipple at Lilith’s Lounge. Overindulged? A stomp around the city will clear your head. Make your way to the Fruitmarket gallery to soak up some culture (recent exhibitions include sculptor Daniel Silver and dance artist Laura Fisher). Pitt Street Food Market, meanwhile, is the place to go for a leisurely mooch while feeding your hangover. chickens) and make our way back to our room. The press of a button summons a tray of milk and warm cookies for us to enjoy in bed. The atmosphere is contagious; this is a sexy hotel that encourages you to indulge. And why not? Who among us can honestly say they don’t deserve a break?

Heavy curtains around the bed and an absence of natural light make for a deliciously long snooze. We wake feeling rested, with not even a twinge of guilt for our extravagant lie-in. Just as we’re contemplating getting up, a breakfast hamper laden with mimosas, bagels from Bross and ﬂasks of tea and coffee is delivered to the door. We stuff our faces while cosied up in bed, wondering how we can wangle another night… Cabins from £139, Classics from £189, suites from £299. Treat Me Like I’m Famous, from £99. House of Gods opens in Glasgow’s Merchant City early next year [Left] Punchy pieces from London-based artist Haris Nukem decorate the walls of the suite. [Above] A fourposter will have you feeling like royalty. Draw the curtains, flick on the mood lighting, and forget the real world exists, just for a night

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228 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM Visit our website for further information: T: 0141 892 6310 Unit 2, 28 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Hillington, Glasgow, G52 4NQ. www.mcmillanscleanandrest.co.uk McMillan’s - Scotland’s dedicated Rug Spa facility, o ering collection throughout Scotland or drop o at our Glasgow HQ. Services also include: Soft furnishing cleaning, carpets, upholstery, leather furnishings, curtains and indoor and outdoor tile cleaning services. RUGS|CARPETS|KILIMS|INTERIORS WWW.NOMADSTENT.CO.UK Lochwinnoch: 01505 800 100 Dunoon: 01369 Greenock/Gourock:79005701475 440078 Glasgow: 0141950 1423 Helensburgh: 01436 660062 Irvine: 01294 588088 Kilmarnock: 01563 897666 Ayr/Troon: 01292 340092 Perth: 01738 503 767 Stirling: 01786 820 130 www.powerdoors.co.uk FOR ALL YOUR GARAGENEEDSDOOR Our Services • Garage Doors • Spares • Remote Control Openers • Installation • Repairs usContactnowfor a FREE QUOTATION Could your home need rewired? Many of Scotland’s homes have outdated electrical wiring - and we are here to help. HomeRewire are Scotland’s specialists in the complete upgrading of your home’s electrics, and our highly experienced team can rewire most average homes in just one to two Rewiringdays.your home doesn’t need to be a long process –if you have concerns over your fuse box get in touch: Visit us at Homerewire.com Call us on 0141 212 6216 When you need to rewire…. Remember HomeRewire As seen on

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It has stylish rooms, a splendid setting and a laidback vibe, but it’s the food that really sets this Perthshire newcomer apart

KILLIECRANKIE HOUSE

Photography Alex Baxter Words Catherine Coyle

The pair, now married, are as big on adventures as they are on food and drink, so back in London they hosted fancy supper clubs, with Tom taking care of the menu (he’d retrained as a chef), and Matilda, who is Japanese-Scottish, as sommelier. Her father owns a vineyard in China, so she had a head start when it came to ﬁnding the right pairings for Tom’s dishes.

Fast-forward to 2020: the entrepreneurs relocated to Scotland to run a restaurant with rooms near Pitlochry in Perthshire. The place had operated as a hotel since the 1930s but their dream was to reinvent the ﬁve-bedroom venue as a foodie destination offering ﬁne dining with a difference.

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“We want to be the opposite of the stereotypical stuffy ﬁne-dining world of old,” says Matilda.

“We’re trying to create the sort of place we would love to come and eat – somewhere personal, relaxed, creative and delicious. This used to be called the Killiecrankie Hotel, but we purposely changed the name to Killiecrankie House, because we want people to feel like they’re coming to our home to eat; like they’ve come to an elaborate dinner party put on by me and Tom. By the end of the meal, guests from different tables have often made friends, and they go back to the lounge to have a nightcap and play some of the vinyl from our collection.”

t all started with a bagel. Matilda Rufﬂe and Tom Tsappis met when they were working in Tokyo, in advertising and ﬁnance respectively, and Tom especially was missing tastes of home. “I was craving a salt beef bagel but I couldn’t get it anywhere,” recalls the Londoner who has Cypriot family heritage. “Japanese cuisine is incredible but there are some things you just can’t get. So I decided to make it myself.”

ESCAPE [Previous page, left to right] Built in 1840, Killiecrankie House has been a hotel since 1939. It now has a glamorous Art Deco cocktail bar. [This page, far left] Plan your day after consulting the Bramwell Brown weather clock in reception. [Left] One of the beautifully presented, flavoursome dishes on the tasting menu. [Right] Every room has its own free-standing tub. [Below] Guests are encouraged to gather for pre-and post-dinner tipples in the moody, comfortable lounge

232 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM ESCAPE

All of the bedrooms have a super-king four-poster bed and Egyptian cotton sheets Spend the afternoon pottering around Dunkeld. Check out the Palmerston’s Jam shop; Moira sells limited-edition flavours, as well as her sweet and savoury favourites such as blueberry & lavender and whisky marmalade that you can sample before you buy. If a wee taster isn’t enough, head to Palmerston’s Coffee Shop for afternoon tea. Redwood Wines, a wine bar housed in the town’s old post office building, also does tastings, as well as seasonal plates to pair with your tipple. Round oﬀ the afternoon at The Taybank with a cocktail and some live music or an outdoor film screening, set on the riverbank. Perthshire’s pretty blissful.

I’mandmorningfreestandingfullGoudaasactofpastilles,flavours,served,”seethe“Thetheplace.bebutandbreastIthasbeennomeanfeat–factorinapandemicandacrackedchimneythatthreatenedtocaveinonthewholehouseduringrenovation,you’llappreciatetheeffortthispairhavemade.Theroomsarechic,it’sthefoodthat’stherealstaroftheshow.Thediningroomshouldrenamedthetheatrebecausethat’swheretheperformancetakesCoversarelimited(18maxforeveningservice)–andnowonder:tastingmenuisa12-dishextravaganzathatreadslikeafairytale.menuisexploratory,andweseateveryoneatthesametime,sowholediningroomexperienceseachdishtogether;younevergettowhat’scomingnextbypeekingatwhatyourneighbourshavebeensaysMatildaproudly.Thefoodisplayfulandsmartwithoutdescendingintokitsch;thetexturesandqualityofproducearetoogoodforthat.IrnBrublack-puddingmadeleinesanddeep-friedporridgearesomethenarrative-leddishesthatTomandMatildapresentlikethenextinastageshow.SomeoftheChinesewinepairingsandtreatssuchNorthRonaldsaySheepseaweedandmilkpudding,andConnagedonutswithapplepickle,meanthatit’scurtainsdownwithabellyforme.Butthat’snohardshipastheroomsarelavish.Afour-posterbedandtubarestandardinallfiverooms.Breakfastthefollowing(abeautifulspreadwithGreatGlencharcuterie,warmpastriesfreshlysqueezedjuices)feelssinfulbutasthefinalact,Ican’trefuse.hopingforanencore,tobehonest.

Prices from £450 for the Overnight Experience; the tasting menu by itself is £85pp

UnderUnderOneRoofScotlandunderoneroofscotlandUnderOneRoofScounderoneroofscotlandOneRoofScotland

Make sure to follow Under One Roof Scotland on social media for booking information, and sneak peeks of this year’s programme.

Under One Roof will be providing a dedicated hub in the city centre where the public can ﬁnd out more about the full Doors Open Days programme of buildings, events, and tours. They will also be hosting in-person panel discussions and talks, and oﬀering free information sessions for tenement owners looking for support with the management and maintenance of their building.

Explore over 70 buildings, spaces, and places in Edinburgh during this year’s Doors Open Day weekend, taking place on the 24th and 25th of September.

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AND DRINK Flavours to make your mouth water, new restaurants to try and all the ingredients you need for a feast: bon appétit! Words Natasha Radmehr SANSONEGIULIABYIMAGE

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PEOPLE MAKE IT

Pull on your wellies for new wilderness experiences at Gleneagles. The glamorous Perthshire estate has partnered with The Macallan to host two food-and-drink pursuits set in a pair of glass domes by a lochan in the grounds. The afternoon experience incorporates a luxe picnic and Macallan cocktails followed by a do-ityourself botany and birdwatching session aided by books and binoculars. More of a night owl? Self-guided stargazing, hot toddies and board games await in the ‘gloaming’ experience, along with charcuterie and cheese. The themes of the experiences will change seasonally. Each is for up to four guests and lasts two to three hours, with prices starting at £500. gleneagles.com

PLEASURE DOME

Sometimes, only a grazing board can hit the spot. You know the kind: hunks of artisanal cheese and thin slivers of cured meat with enough chutney, pickles and bread to gorge on ten sandwiches’ worth of food. Add a bottle of malbec into the mix and you’re indulging in one of life’s ﬁnest pleasures. Karly Zagorac, owner of the new Edinburgh wine and grazing bar A Wee Taste, agrees. A former teacher, she lived in Spain for six years and fell in love with the sociable eating culture there. “It ignited a different appreciation for food because it’s all about nibbling away at sharing plates,” she says. “I liked the idea of opening a place here serving sharing platters of produce from local suppliers.” Zagorac already had a hit list of indie companies, because in 2019 she’d set up A Wee Taste of Edinburgh, taking tourists on walking tours of the city’s best culinary spots.“I loved it, but I relied on international tourism,” she explains. “When Covid hit, I had to rethink my plans.” That re-evaluation resulted in a bricks-and-mortar space for A Wee Taste on Leven Street. There are ﬁve savoury platters (including vegan and brunch options) piled high with treats such as La Barantine sourdough, the Edinburgh Butter Co’s salted cultured butter, Aye Pickled slaw and I.J. Mellis cheeses. A dessert platter and expertly curated drinks list afford an extra layer of decadence. The post-meal siesta will be epic. aweetaste.co.uk

SANSONEGIULIABYIMAGE

Karly Zagorac

LA CHOZA, GLASGOW

For someone who understands that such meals are rarely planned, I dedicate an unfathomable amount of brain space to mulling over my final dinner on earth. It has evolved from one course to several (probably against the rules), which shift according to the season and whatever ingredient I’ve developed a fleeting obsession with. But there is one menu mainstay that is never swapped out; a duo so iconic it puts J Lo and Ben Affleck to shame. Tacos and cocktails.

The restaurant, part of David Davidson’s Yes To All hospitality group, has resisted the temptation to impose bright colours, gimmicky sombreros and mariachi music on its diners. Instead, we’re met with terracotta-tiled tables, giant plants and a DJ spinning ’90s R&B. Youthful, but not obnoxiously so.

As we sink our drinks and reach across the table to try a bit of everything, I realise that tacos and cocktails have only earned a place on my dream menu because of one other essential ingredient: my friends. You can take that cheese and sprinkle it on your nachos. vivalachoza.co.uk

236 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM FOOD & DRINK

Between us, we sample almost all of the hand-pressed corn tacos. There are veggie and meat options, so we’re all catered to.

STYLE& SUSTENANCE

A MasterChef: The Professionals winner is leading the menus at The Rabbit and The Seal, the restaurant and bar at the Marine Troon. Expect produce from local suppliers in the dishes devised by Derek Johnstone (a sample plate is pictured on the left), all served against the glorious green backdrop of the Royal Troon golf course. Over in Edinburgh, another finalist from the show, Dean Banks, has opened Dulse, a bar and restaurant serving seafood with no more than three ingredients per plate. Glasgow, meanwhile, is celebrating the arrival of Crabshakk Botanics (pictured, right), a sibling to the popular seafood restaurant in Finnieston. The food shines just as brightly – we are yet to ﬁnd better scallops – but the Scandi-inspired decor is a little moodier than its companion, making it an ideal date location. Look out for the neon artwork on the wall, based on a sketch by the late artist Rita McGurn.

La Choza, a Mexican street-food joint in Glasgow’s Merchant City, does a ﬁne line in both. With its small plates and lashings of tequila, it’s the kind of place you go before a night out for a bite, a booze and a blether, as my pals and I discover one Friday night.

The Baja fish with pico de gallo and adobo mayo is a particular highlight, especially paired with a hibiscus margarita. Unusually, every dish is gluten-free, so I waste no time in ordering the kind of picky bits normally off-limits for me (hello, deep-fried cauliflower florets and lime aioli).

NEW OPENINGS

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 237 1 Thistle-cut champagne coupe, £150, Hamilton & Inches 2 Paloma Ardmore, from £85, Goldfinch Whisky 3 Island Dark Rum, £35, Isle of Barra Distillers 4 Japanese Sake Yeast New Make Spirit, £34.99, Holyrood Distillery 5 Rhubarb and Ginger non-alcoholic spirit, £23, Atopia 6 Dolce & Gabbana Citrus Juicer, £499.95, Smeg

Drink up Rum is the new gin. Just ask Jacine Rutasikwa, co-founder of Livingston-based Matugga Distillers. “We’ve had the craft movement for beer and gin; rum has been waiting in the wings,” she says. “My family’s from Jamaica, and rum is at the centre of all our family occasions, whether it’s a rum cake or a rum serve. When I think of rum, I think of those good times. That’s what we bring to the business.”

Rutasikwa and her Ugandan-born husband Paul had the idea for Matugga in 2014. They’d noticed few rums were being made from scratch in the UK. “We wanted to do that, and create a brand with links to our African and Caribbean heritage. At the time, nobody on the scene looked like us.” In 2017, Paul got a place on Heriot-Watt University’s Brewing and Distilling programme, and the couple moved to Livingston. They opened a distillery in the town in 2018, and haven’t looked back. Two brands of rum are produced there, distilled from African sugar cane molasses: Matugga, a gourmet offering; and Liv, its fun younger sister. They’re sold online and at retailers including the Co-op. Rum-lovers can also tour the distillery and visit the brand’s pop-up Rum Shack at Livingston Designer Outlet. “Our whole mission is to open people’s minds to rum as a beautiful spirit,” smiles Rutasikwa.“There’s a rum for everyone!” matuggarum.com

Jacine Rutasikwa PEOPLE MAKE IT 1 5 6 2 3 4

TV presenter, George Clark, Star Wars and Harry Potter icon, Warwick Davies, and interior designer, Linda Barker, are among some of the leading names to be impressed by the firm’s products.

With a stunning showroom near Glasgow in East Kilbride, Express Bi-Folding Doors are now one of the country’s leading UK-based manufacturers of luxury products covering bi-folding and sliding doors through to skylights and windows.

Glass act - firm catches celebs’ eyes

New XP View system, which is the highest specification bi-fold door on the market

And following a record year in 2021, the firm – run by a father and son duo – has unveiled more cutting edge ways to improve homes in style.

A family-owned luxury door and window company is not only catching the public’s eye – but celebrities’ too – following the launch of some ground-breaking new products.

XP Glide sliding door with 20mm sightline (now displayed in all Express showrooms)

Visit one of our amazing showrooms in Leeds, Glasgow, Weybridge or Romford.

Linda Barker said: “This is where the market is – thin frames, a lot of super-efficient glass and a very modern approach to windows and doors. It is essential within the home as it sets the scene for the whole house.

“Add in our other new products, complimented by our existing lines, and we have what we feel is our strongest line-up of luxury doors and windows available on the market today.”

George Clarke took a tour of Express’ HQ in Leeds

expressbifolds.co.uk | 0800 121 4809 BI-FOLDS | SLIDING DOORS | GLASS ROOFS | ALUMINIUM WINDOWS

e XP View has been completely redesigned making it one of the highest specification bi-folding doors in the world featuring industry-leading ultra slim sightlines. It is joined by the XP 88 bi-folding door system, featuring even slimmer sightlines and at a lower price point. Warwick Davis said: “Their bi-folding doors are amazing. We’ve got them at the end of our kitchen diner so you open them up and that space becomes part of the “Thgarden.eyfoldright away out of sight and look absolutely fantastic. The other feature I really like is the integrated Venetian blinds - solar electric, they don’t get dusty and look fantastic. The quality of the product is second to none.”

e Express patio door range has also been widened and the XP Glide has been overhauled in 2022, featuring a reinforced, slimmer interlock reducing the sightline from 35mm to just 20mm. Completing the line-up is the new XP Slide 25, which bosses believe will be a market-leading entry level sliding door system boasting a sightline of just 25mm. People can see the products first-hand at the East Kilbride showroom, which is one of four across the UK alongside Leeds, Weybridge and Romford.

“I always recommend Express BiFolding Doors because I believe and trust in what they do and genuinely love the products.”

To find out more and see showroom locations see www.expressbifolds.co.uk

George Clarke said: “The Leeds showroom is absolutely fantastic and I’m genuinely blown away by it. Having had a tour, it gave me a sense of scale and the whole setup is incredibly “Thimpressive.ere’snothing better than coming to a showroom, it’s as simple as that.”

Steve Bromberg, Managing Director of Express Bi-Folding Doors, said: “Our popular XP View has been completely overhauled and modified to create what we believe will be the highest specification and most aesthetically pleasing bi-folding door system available in the world.

Authentic Antique Grand Parquet Oak flooring Russwood Ltd, Station Sawmill, Newtonmore, PH20 1AR T: 01540 673648 E: www.russwood.co.ukmail@russwood.co.uk

What the architects say you should have on your radar for the year ahead

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 241 ARCHITECTURE 22

As we strive towards building more sustainably, the reclamation of materials will become increasingly commonplace – but we must adhere to the ethos behind it. “It’s not just a style thing; you have to ask why you’re doing it,” Monteith points out. “We can’t keep taking from the planet. Repurposing materials can mitigate it to an extent, but you need to ﬁnd your materials locally. There’s no point in sourcing reclaimed bricks from, say, China, then shipping them over!”

TAKING SUSTAINABILITY TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH RECLAIMED MATERIALS

1 TRENDS

Around 90% of the steading’s material (the masonry, primarily) was fit for repurposing. The architects incorporated this into an L-shaped courtyard home, grounded by a characterful herringbone brick floor which even has underfloor heating.

EVERY SINGLE BRICK seen here was reclaimed and hand-cleaned. In fact, many of the materials used in Ceangal House, a new-build at the heart of a working farm in East Kilbride, were rescued from the dilapidated remains of the farm’s original 1800s steading. “We approached the project by assessing what was already there,” says Iain Monteith of Glasgow-based Loader Monteith Architects. “We won’t get rid of something if it can be used again.”

PHOTOGRAPHYDAPPLEBYIMAGE Ca’ Pietra Recycled Pavers Terracotta Parquet tiles, £140.96 per sq.m, Hyperion Tiles

“There’s also a nod to France there, as one of the clients is half-French,” adds Storrie. “A lot of the references we looked at had that elegant French aesthetic.”

MID-CENTURY TEAK FINDS

EXPOSED BEAMS ARE A REAL ROOF-RAISER WANT TO MAKE A ROOM FEEL TALLER?

Exposing the ceiling structure can achieve just that. “We’ve done it a few times where we’ve continued the beams across the rooflights, so you get this interesting graded light filtering through when it crosses the structure,” says Kieran Gaffney, architect and director of Konishi Gaffney, who points to the Nordic Pavilion in Venice as a famous example of this type of design feature. “I don’t necessarily think it’s a stylistic influence driving its popularity here, though,” he adds. “I think architects are looking at the space where the roof structure is and thinking, ‘Why let that space go to waste when we could use it as part of the room?’”

It’s easier to do in some properties than others. New-builds are preferable, as are flat roofs. “You also need to be careful with the type of wood you use,” tips Gaffney. “Most timber from a yard will be stamped with its grade, so you have to try to get it before it has been stamped, or else sand it off.”

Oak and Douglas ﬁr are his favoured timbers, both for their aesthetic appeal and resilience. White-painted pine was used in the example below, which pairs well with the discreet track lighting tucked between the rafters.

2 3

SPRINGERNANNEBYIMAGE

Umage Clava Dine Reynolds£478,lampshade,Dowsing&

Circa handle in walnut and solid brass, from £18, Meraki

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A HOME IN THE KITCHEN

MID-CENTURY FURNITURE has been inescapable these past few years, but the fingerprints of this style – in particular the rich, teak wood that characterises it – have been noticeably absent from one room in our homes: the kitchen. Until now, that is. “In two of our recent projects, the clients went for a timber kitchen,” says Sarah Jane Storrie of Studio SJM Architects. “One of them particularly liked mid-century furniture, so they wanted their kitchen to tie in with that. Teak is not sustainable so we used oak, and Archispek, the kitchen manufacturer, stained it to give the appearance of teak.” It took a few goes to get the colour just right (Storrie says one drawback of using timber anywhere in the home is that the sample won’t always perfectly reflect what arrives), but the clients, who live in Bridge of Allan, are delighted with the final result. They balanced out the chocolate-toned wood with a blush-pink Aga and marble-effect splashback for a look that feels modern while reflecting the retro style they love.

THE ERA OF MODEST LIVING

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EXTRAVAGANT HOMES FEEL INCONGRUOUS within the context of the current socioeconomic climate. “People aren’t coming to us looking for big, showy houses,” says architect Mary Arnold-Forster. “They’ve spent the pandemic asking themselves ‘Why do I have so much stuﬀ?’, noticing the bits of furniture they don’t need and the rooms in their homes they don’t use. They realise now that they don’t need an enormous house with a £50,000 kitchen to be happy, and are instead seeking modesty, sensitivity to their surroundings, and more outdoor space.” That modesty extends to the materials used in the build. “It’s not just about the list of rooms, but about how the home relates to the landscape and the environment,” adds Arnold-Forster, who designed Fungarth (pictured), a clutch of small buildings near Dunkeld, using larch, birch-faced ply, and aggregate from a local quarry. “We’ve done a few homes in which the ﬂoors were made from quarry aggregate. We used a quarry in Mull for a home on Iona, and there’s one near me in Blairgowrie. They aren’t particularly cheap, but they are local, and that’s what people want; local materials, and a rural solution.”

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Matching this new understanding is a move towards a richer palette of materials, with whites and greys being replaced by deeper colours and natural tones, and British timbers such as larch and Douglas ﬁr often being selected. “This is perhaps in part because people are being guided by a desire to use locally sourced materials and a new awareness of where products come from, but it could also be down to us having a stronger connection with nature,” says Gareth Jones, fellow architect and co-founder of the practice.

This, says the architect, has led to an increase in the number of clients incorporating built-in cabinetry into the design of their homes. The project on the left, for example, shows an oak storage wall with a built-in pantry, drinks cupboard and display shelves. “People are thinking beyond ﬂat-pack furniture, and whatever is fashionable at the time, and are actually building joinery into a project,” he explains. “It’s all about creating a home for the next generation, thinking about the lifespan of the building, and considering how they will be using the home during that time.”

WE’VE HAD A LOT OF TIME for introspection in recent years, and it hasn’t gone to waste. “People have a richer understanding of their homes since the pandemic,” says Daryl Robbins, architect and co-founder of Jones Robbins. “People know which space captures the best light, for instance, which has the best social arrangement, which bits of the garden they want to sit in; we have a greater insight into how we would like to live.”

GETTING RICHER (IN KNOWLEDGE AND PALETTE)

TRENDS KENNELS RECEIVE THE DESIGNER TREATMENT BEHOLD BONEHENGE, the brainchild of Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects. It was the winning design at this year’s Barkitecture competition at Goodwoof, an annual dog event in West Sussex, and it wasn’t just a hit with the human judges.

“I think our kennel was the only one dogs actually entered,” laughs architect and co-director of the ﬁrm Michael Russum. Perhaps that’s because it was inspired by Illy, the beloved cocker spaniel of co-director Richard Portchmouth. Noticing her tendency to circle a spot before laying down on it, the team began sketching an elliptical form with a dog rotating inside. A colonnade of bones transformed it into a three-dimensional object, and the name Bonehenge naturally followed suit. The design was made by craftsman Karl Lewin using Accoya wood, and was praised by judge Kevin McCloud for its ability to multi-function as a coﬀee table. “You can also lift the acrylic lid and feed the dog beneath,” adds Russum. The practice may in future make a limited run of the kennels. Watch this space.

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BREATHABLE FABRICS THAT SUPPORT OUR WELLBEING WE HAVE PERHAPS NEVER BEEN SO conscious of protecting our wellbeing, which could explain why Colin Baillie, director of Glasgow-based Baillie Baillie Architects, has noted a rising demand for natural materials that promote a healthy living environment. “Volume house-builders often build with polyurethane insulation and plastic membranes,” he says. “There’s often lots of synthetic materials contained within the walls, which can create quite a hermetically sealed internal environment. These homes may be reasonably well insulated and air-tight, but there are increasingly questions as to what the air quality is like inside the building, and what that does to our health and wellbeing long-term.” Baillie says there is a growing movement towards the use of clay plaster, which is more breathable. “In a couple of our projects we are using clay blocks, which have no synthetic materials in them at all and allow moisture to pass through the wall and out of the building,” he explains. “It’s a ‘breathing’ building fabric, basically.” Natural materials can also have a positive impact on our mental health. “Consider a warm, timber-lined room and how it feels like a very calming space,” adds Baillie, whose projects often incorporate sustainable materials such as stone, natural slate and timber. “Buildings can make us feel relaxed and improve our quality of life, and the materials used within them are integral to that.”

“Originally, there were only a few of us in Scotland working in passivhaus, and as a community we were very keen to help others upskill so as to make meaningful change at scale,” says Maguire. “That’s now coming into play, which is great to see. We’re part of a team delivering training across the board to consultants, designers and contractors. And, in our own projects, we help to build the expertise of the contractors we’re working with; so, for example, a contractor we worked with recently has decided to pivot their entire business to move into low-energy passivhaus builds, because it combines high quality with environmental responsibility.” A holistic, fabric-ﬁrst approach is taken when creating a passivhaus home. Good insulation and excellent detailing contribute to their success as low-energy buildings, of course, but these are not the only tools in the kit. “We look at how the building sits on the site, optimising the glazing levels so that you get the right amount of sunlight into the building without overheating. We use mechanical ventilation heat-recovery systems that provide great indoor air quality throughout the year, so that you have fresh air in your home whether you open the windows or not, and we employ renewables for hot water; in recent projects we’ve used air-source heat pumps,” continues Maguire.

In previous decades, eco living was associated with asceticism; a hippie ﬁnding warmth in a hair shirt. But the reality of living in a passivhaus build couldn’t be further from this outdated stereotype. “These homes oﬀer a way to have your cake and eat it, because you’re getting quality design and architecture alongside real comfort,” says Maguire. “A warm, low-energy house with plenty of fresh air – who could say no to that?”

COMBINING ENERGY EFFICIENCY WITH COMFORT WHO HASN’T GOT ENERGY on their mind right now? As we contend with a climate emergency while our gas bills continue to soar, more of us are acquainting ourselves with passivhaus design (which you can read more about on page 249), a construction concept that seeks to minimise energy consumption. Excitingly, Dundee-based architect Kirsty Maguire says the construction industry is upskilling at pace to meet an increased demand for energy-eﬃcient homes.

“These homes offer quality design and architecture alongside real comfort”

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9 Kai accent chair, £375, Next Muuto toolbox,Sketch£42,Kin Temuka table lamp, £79, Cult Furniture GPO 741 two-tone green telephone, £99, Antique£512,tableSentrumTelephonessidebyWoud,NestFILL YOUR NOOKS

NOOK SMART: WEE BREAKOUT SPACES

“We’re finding that a lot of our clients are incorporating little nooks, or breakout areas, into their homes,” says Robert Willis of Edinburgh-based Crichton Lang, Willis + Galloway Architects, who notes that this trend began in large-scale offices before migrating into residential properties. “Some couples, for example, might share a home office and need a space they can retreat to when they have to take a call – or just somewhere to sit and read a book. These nooks offer a place to catch some respite, and they can double up as a mini home office.” They can also provide families with a way to spend time together even when working on separate activities. One of the kids could be doing their homework while a parent is cooking, without either of them feeling as though their space is being invaded. In the Garden House (pictured right as a sketch), the nook is nestled within a feature unit that divides the living room from the hall and kitchen. Part-seat, part-desk, it’s beside a tall bookcase, and there’s a media wall on the opposite side. “I think it shows how these kinds of areas can be introduced even where space is limited,” adds Willis. Hallways and landings, typically not the most hardworking areas in a home, are ripe for a nooking. “They’re so often treated just as places that afford passage from one place to another – but why not incorporate a seat with storage?” asks Willis. “Then it becomes a place to pause and relax, and it maximises the space into the bargain.”

WE MAY NOT BE LOCKED DOWN any longer – and thank goodness for that – but an increase in hybrid working has changed the way many of us utilise our living spaces.

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 249 FOREVER HOME Building a brand-new eco house on a tight budget? It sounds impossible, but this project is proof of what can be achieved Photography David Barbour Words Caroline Ednie DETAILS What A new two-bed house Where Dumfries and Galloway Architect Kirsty Maguire Architects Ltd Structural engineer David Narro Associates ARCHITECTURE22 | ECO

ALL IN THE DETAILS THE BUILD Work commenced in the middle of September 2020 and lasted for 16 weeks – exactly as the contractor had predicted. The plot extends to a third of an acre and the house occupies 107sq.m of space. The total build cost was £260,500.

Z oe Roberts met Tony Francis six years ago on the Isle of Mull, where Tony had a hotel. “We were both ready to move on,” recalls Zoe, “and we realised we were looking for the same thing – our absolute dream was to build a new house with environmentally considerate credentials.” They subsequently relocated to Dumfries and Galloway, and it was here while renting that they found a rural plot up for sale. “It was down a little lane and had stunning views,” says Zoe. “There were neighbours reasonably close by and the nearest town was within walking distance, but it still felt idyllically remote. It was covered in nettles, dock leaves and rosebay willowherb up to our shoulders, but we both looked at it and agreed it was a no-brainer.”Oncethey’d bought it, Tony’s daughter recommended speaking to Dundee-based architect Kirsty Maguire, who is a specialist in passivhaus design. “Kirsty was on the same wavelength as us,” says Zoe. “I’ve seldom known anyone with such attention to detail, and she really listened to what we were saying. Our brief at the early stage was just a top ten list – number one was a mud room! We have three Labradors, and managing them on a wet winter’s day had to be easy.” They also wanted a big open-plan kitchen, dining and living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The architect came up with ideas for an eco-friendly, lowcarbon house, built on a modest budget and reﬂecting the local vernacular such as the metal roofs of the neighbouring farm buildings, in particular a beautifully weathered barn with a rustred roof in an adjacent ﬁeld. “We looked at a few design options, but one stood out,” says Kirsty Maguire. “The shape of the building creates courtyards within the garden which relates to the light at different times of day – it works like a sundial.” The courtyard garden to the east, opening from the kitchen and dining area, is perfect for morning coffee. As the sun moves around the house, it hits the south side with the pond and vegetable garden, bathing the outdoor dining table in sunlight from late morning until evening. “The design comes from the clients’ love of the outdoors and being in the garden,” explains the architect. “The design is about the site itself, as well as the house.” It has a generous living space with an open ‘cathedral’ ARCHITECTURE22 | ECO 250 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

The house has two ‘wings’ with an entrance link in red as a nod to the surrounding farm buildings. The courtyard provides sheltered outdoor areas

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 251 EXTERIOR SPEC • The contractor was Broatch Construction, Lockerbie • Triple-glazed windows: Green Building Store • Steel roof and cladding: SSAB Greencoat INTERIOR SPEC • Kitchen: Hi-line Kitchens, Dumfries • Flooring: Howdens • Tiles: Solway Tiles, Dumfries • Bathrooms: Grahams, Dumfries • Windowsills, and the shelving in the kitchen-dining room: Philip Wilson of Tools and Timber, Thornhill, Dumfries • Styling: Yvonne Forsyth, Dumfries ECO FEATURES • Guidance on underﬂoor heating, radiators, domestic hot water and renewables: Luths Services • MVHR (Ventilation): Paul Heat Recovery Scotland

ceiling in the main barn-like form. The bedroom wing is similar but more private and set back, and there’s a welcoming entrance space linking the two. The planners were onside, insisting on one tweak only: a steel standing-seam roof was chosen over the couple’s original request for red roofs. “The silver relates to the traditional agricultural roofs and the more dramatic grey skies,” says Maguire, “but a splash of red was kept for the link building.”

Various materials were considered, all with their environmental impact in mind, as well as performance and costeffectiveness within the modest budget. The low-energy house that emerged meets the AECB building standard, which uses passivhaus methodology as a basis. The timber-frame structure is clad in untreated larch. It has triple-glazed windows, high levels of woodﬁbre insulation and is airtight; a mechanical ventilation system extracts stale air and supplies warm fresh air. Infrared space heaters provide what little extra warmth is needed, with hot water produced via an air-source heat pump. “We made sure opposite]

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Two views of the kitchen-dining-sittingopen-planroom that occupies the ‘living’ wing of the house. The double-height space is comfortably furnished, with all eyes drawn to the beautifully framed garden views

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there were no thermal bridges so the building doesn’t leak much energy,” says Maguire. “There are no cold spots or draughts so it’s very comfortable, with a constant trickle of warm fresh air all year round.”The build went on site in September 2020, with the couple renting down the road. “We didn’t have wriggle room on the budget,” says Tony. “But the contractors gave us a timetable and they stuck to it completely. Everything went like clockwork. We respected the fact that they were on a tight schedule and that the site was their place of work. Us turning up too often would be irritating, so instead we always came on a Monday bearing cake –that worked for them and for us!” Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic – particularly the challenges of procuring materials and the late delivery of the windows – Zoe and Tony moved in exactly when the contractors had promised they would, and they were also within budget. The couple have named their new house after the site’s mature beech trees, with as many of them as possible being retained. One that had to be felled has been made into windowsills and shelving by local craftsman Philip Wilson. “There isn’t a stick of new furniture in the house – it’s all things we’ve had for years,” says Zoe, who chose the green on the kitchen wall to complement the seasonal colours of the beech trees that are visible from the window. “Kirsty designed

around our dining table and we managed to position all the furniture before we moved in.” The kitchen came from another local supplier, Hi-Line in Dumfries.

And what of the famous mud room? “It’s the most highfunctioning room of the whole house and it’s only two metres square!” smiles Zoe. “It’s got the freezer, the washing machine and our food store in it as well as the air-source heat pump and the ventilation system. It’s lovely and cosy for the dogs too – they sleep under the worktops. It’s a great design.” Both she and Tony are delighted. “I think that has to do with the proportions and the air quality, and the fact that we can see outside all the time and it’s very light even in winter. It doesn’t feel too big for two people, but nor does it feel too tight with visitors,” she adds. “The important thing is that this is just a house for an everyday retired couple – it could be for everybody,” concludes Tony. “It is not a mega-spend house, and I think that’s the joy of it. It makes us part of the natural world.”

WHAT PASSIVHAUS?IS

The resulting house will not only cost very little to heat, but will be draught-free with excellent indoor air quality

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[Left] The onceplotagriculturalandinspiredstreamlinedsimple,formwasbytheshapesmaterialsofthelocalbuildings.Thethehousesitsinwasfarmland

Air-tightness and insulation have a massive impact on the energy eﬃciency of a building. So does a clever design which optimises solar gain (and minimises overheating) by carefully choosing the orientation and the window sizes in certain elevations. Eﬃcient ventilation is crucial, as is avoiding heat loss through thermal bridging.

Passivhaus is not a brand or product, but a design and building methodology that can be adapted to any style of house, to blocks of ﬂats and even to commercial premises. The aim is to build sustainable, healthy, comfortable and easy-to-heat buildings with lasting quality and performance. Since it emerged in Germany in the 1980s, the concept has been tested in more than 30,000 builds around the world. Parameters have been set to ensure certain criteria are met – minimal energy use and costs, high thermal comfort, a healthy indoor climate, and so on.

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What is now a diverse team of ten (hailing from Norway, Italy, Spain, Chile and, of course, Scotland) started out in 2011 when Potter left his job as an associate and hand-built an office for his new practice. It wasn’t a thankless task; the office won an award, and, as he worked, Potter came up with a flexible passivhaus design that was easily adaptable to a variety of sites and situations. Architeco’s recently launched sister company Caber House serves as a home for these once-theoretical designs: “The prototype design for a ‘standard house’ eventually became a range of zero-carbon dwellings for clients who like to choose designs off-plan.” For entirely bespoke work, though, Architeco has it covered.

DESPITE THE CURRENT STATE of the world, ‘sustainability’ is often little more than a buzzword thrown around by companies trying to look the part. For Dunoon-based Architeco, however, it’s in the name, and at the very heart of the practice. An eco-friendly and sustainable approach is always the team’s focus when it comes to creating new designs. “Zero carbon is the future of housing –there is no alternative. That’s now our baseline rather than a goal,” explains founder Colin Potter. “We aim to improve the environment, not just lower impact, so our designs today sequester more carbon than they release during construction.”

If you’re thinking about a self-build, it’s vital to ﬁnd a team you have a rapport with. “Building your home is an incredibly exciting and rewarding adventure, but there will be challenges. Ensure the architect is qualiﬁed (check with the ARB) and is someone you can build a relationship with. As a practice, we are accustomed to dealing with bumps on the road – these are par for the course and almost always solvable with communication and persistence.”

LIGHTHOUSE COTTAGE, COWAL and 1920s cottage has been extended with a substantial sun room to the front, a suite, to the side

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and

master

extension A

Retrofit

CABER HOUSE MODEL B, SOMERSET Energy-efficient five-bed home drive to reduce our cement use in construction led to our first ground-floor Caber House.”

utility and garage

ARCHITECTURE22 | ADVERTORIAL 256 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 43ARCHITECOArgyllStreet, Dunoon, Argyll and Bute PA23 7HG Tel: 01369 701988 Email: contact@architeco.co.uk www.architeco.co.uk ARCHITECO

The award-winning practice specialises in contemporary ecoarchitecture and holistic residential designs. Simplicity, balance and the natural environment serve as inspiration, as does the client’s vision and the arrangement of the site. Its builds are dotted across Scotland and the UK, sleek exteriors hiding thoughtful, green interiors. “Sustainable buildings need to be designed fabric-ﬁrst, rather than as a list of add-on tech that many people associate with sustainability,” says Potter. “So right from the start, we are considering how best to orient and design a house to take advantage of the conditions. While solar panels, heat pumps and triple glazing are all important components to help improve eﬃciency, these need to be considered as part of a building’s overall performance and in interaction with each other. A building should be designed holistically, with sustainability to the fore.”

Potter also oﬀers up this invaluable advice: “Bigger isn’t necessarily better! Good design can achieve the same generous feel with a smaller footprint. Focusing on design, not size, produces the best solution.”

“Our

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buildings“Sustainableneed to be designed fabric-” directly HOUSE B, house The site for this house has the views to the north so energy modelling was carried out to ensure the losses from the large glazed picture windows were compensated for.

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in Machrihanish.

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ARCHITECTS

ARCHITECTURE22 | ADVERTORIAL 258 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM EÒLAS ABERFELDYARCHITECTSAberfeldyBusiness Park, Dunkeld Road, PH15 2AQ Tel: 01887 820 098 GLASGOW Unit 1, 55 Ruthven Lane, G12 9BG Tel: 07791 564278 www.eolasarchitects.com EÒLAS

Nature and setting are at the heart of this practice’s creativity; based in Perthshire and Glasgow, the team are well placed to work across the country, using the hills, glens and seascapes as inspiration. Creating eco-friendly solutions is a core value and is borne out in their ‘recycle, reuse, rather than replace’ methodology. “We’ve managed to improve the everyday lives of many people by creating beautiful spaces and buildings in which to live, work and enjoy.”

IF YOUR GAELIC IS UP TO SCRATCH, you’ll know that ‘eòlas’ (pronounced ee-oh-lis) means ‘knowledge guided by the experience of practice’, which is fortuitous because that’s how this dynamic studio has built up such an impressive portfolio. Take a cursory glance at Eòlas Architects’ back catalogue of completed projects and you’ll be treated to a masterclass in adapting to the diverse Scottish terrain. Lochside cabins, lodges immersed in deep forests, stilted holiday homes: this award-winning practice is well versed in the kind of projects that draw gasps of admiration. “The first question we ask prospective clients is where is your home, because we believe that architecture should be responsive to its surroundings and inspire a sense of place,” explains founder and managing director RobEòlasMacpherson.alsohas experience in agricultural buildings, hotels, community spaces, energy provision, healthcare and education. “The variety of our work encompasses individual new houses, holiday homes, house group developments, estates and agricultural works, as well as large- and small-scale refurbishments, extensions and the remodelling of historic, listed and protected buildings.” The team of eight (if you include office pup, Ava) have some exciting projects in the pipeline over the coming months. They use 3D computer modelling and real-time virtual-reality visualisation software to help clients see their project developing. With 35 years’ experience in Highland Perthshire, their ethos is to adopt an ‘inside-out’ and ‘people first’ approach, where they assess the needs of the homeowner and what they want to create for them, before formulating a solution around them. “When we are presented with problems, we like to view them as opportunities,” says Macpherson, “flipping them positively and coming up with considered, creative solutions that are focused on the needs of the client.” At Garth Wood House in Aberfeldy, completed in 2018, the challenge was to find a way of housing the client’s 10,000 books. The solution was to flip the levels, creating an upside-down pavilion-style home. With the bedrooms downstairs, the upper level has been designed around a central stairwell and inner hall that houses the library. It’s discreet, responsive and an attractive use of what can often be wasted space – and ensures the living areas have the best views of the river and the enveloping mountains.

VICTORIAN TENEMENT FLAT, DOWANHILL Remodelling, refurbishment and working with the existing building’s fabric in Glasgow’s West End.

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HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 259 COACH HOUSE, PERTHSHIRE Refurbishment and extension A historic coach house that was being used as a restaurant is to be converted into six en-suite bedrooms for holiday accommodation.

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“We’ve improved the everyday lives of many people by creating beautiful spaces and buildings in which to live, work and enjoy” [Above] DUN ALUINN LODGE, ABERFELDY The former Doran bungalow was

refurbished inside and out, extended with canopies, a new roof and the exterior insulated and clad with cedar. [Below] TATHA VIEW, KENMORE Remodel and extension Spacious new living quarters were created by entirely reorganising the internal and external layout.

HELEN LUCAS ARCHITECTS

Helen notes that architects face challenges in the wake of Brexit and Covid, but says her team have ambitions to be part of a positive change within Scotland’s construction industry. The practice is always seeking environmental solutions to building problems, taking the time to understand the current marketplace and the availability of materials in the UK. They organise desktop studies in the early stages of each project to ascertain options that will allow them to move away from fossil fuels for heating, and examine what kind of impact these alternatives may have.

“Like fast fashion, we need to stop putting up buildings with limited life materials and plastics destined for landﬁll,” explains the architect. “Homes need to be easily repaired and maintained, and adaptable for future changes in social behaviours.”

The kitchen ceiling was removed to allow more light and space. [Below] VICTORIAN HOUSE, EDINBURGH Remodelling and extension Extensive alterations were made to this detached home in Merchiston BREMNERANGUSBYIMAGES

Innovative structural solutions are always presented, with a view to reducing the use of steel and concrete as far as possible.

HELEN LUCAS ARCHITECTS LTD 31-35 Marchmont Road, Edinburgh EH9 1HU Tel: 0131 478 8880 Email: mail@helenlucas.co.uk www.helenlucas.co.uk

[Above] GEORGIAN VILLA, LEITH Full-scale renovation project

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Finding inspiration in historic buildings, landscapes and travel – as well as in the humans and animals who occupy the buildings the practice designs – Helen and her 15-strong team specialise in providing bespoke solutions for domestic and commercial properties. They are as accustomed to working on listed historic buildings as they are to designing beautiful new-builds from the ground up. Alongside the creation of homes, they have particular expertise in designing art galleries and art studios.

LIGHT. AIR. BREATHING SPACE. Take a look at the portfolio of Edinburgh-based practice Helen Lucas Architects and you’ll notice a thread connecting each project. “Our approach is always to maximise the use of natural light, to capture any available sunlight that will optimise solar gain, as well as take advantage of the spiritual beneﬁts of sunny, sheltered external spaces,” explains Helen, who founded her practice in 2001. “We like to provide garden views; safe, supervised play areas for children; and generous cooking and eating spaces that reﬂect the preferences of modern-day families.”

The practice likes to “listen, learn, understand, explore and communicate” when working with a client, and the architect says it’s a two-way conversation. “Building work takes more time than you imagine, so be patient and set realistic objectives,” she advises. “Hire an architect you like, and enjoy the process!”

“We aim to create a tailor-made solution for each project, endeavouring to fully understand not only the client’s requirements but that of the existing building and site,” says Helen. “Our goal is to reduce the impact each project makes on the earth and to produce healthy, breathable buildings for the occupants.”

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NEW-BUILD, ROSHVEN Timber house in the Highlands The house was built almost entirely from timber, using green oak with a Douglas fir frame. It has an air-source heat pump, a borehole water supply and a zinc roof

[Above] A-LISTED TOWNHOUSE, EDINBURGH Complete refurbishment Cornicing, plasterwork, panelling and fireplaces were all repaired. [Below] SHEPHERD’S COTTAGE, CAIRNGORMS A five-bed extension to a but’n’ben Built using low-carbon, locally sourced materials. Highly energy efficient RIGDENNIGELBYIMAGE

One very challenging project saw them replacing a dilapidated house in Braemar’s conservation area with a super-insulated, eco-conscious split-level home that took its design cues in part from the original house but added a spectacular triple-height glazed façade to capture the mountain views. “We were lucky to have a client who was prepared to take some calculated risks!” she says. “We’re open-minded, friendly and quick-thinking, and we aim to create beautiful, practical and stylish homes for our clients, with the perfect amount of space in exactly the right place,” says the architect. “We want our clients to experience delight not just when our work is complete, but for decades to come.”

Potential clients, she warns, should be aware that the budgets quoted on TV home-building shows more often than not don’t include VAT or professional fees. “There’s also a perception that bigger spaces are better than smaller ones – this is often not true,” she adds. “What you need is to ﬁnd a way to release the potential of the small space. We can help you do that.”

Together with partner John Wingate, she runs JAMstudio, a successful practice with oﬃces in Inverurie and Aberdeen, specialising in high-end residential alterations (including works to listed buildings), renovations and one-oﬀ new-build homes.

MARIE-LOUISE DUNK knew she wanted to be an architect when she was ten years old. “I kid myself that I’ll retire at some point but, in all honesty, I suspect I’ll be doodling till the day I die! Being an architect is a really fundamental part of who I am,” she says.

PROSPECT HOUSE, CLUNY Refurb and extension This extension incorporates a bar and lounge area to a listed manse, to complement the entertaining spaces on the ground floor [Below]

ABERDEENSHIRE Listed manse

As part of the refurbishment of this 18th-century factor’s house, JAMstudio designed an extension made of glass, oak and zinc, sensitively juxtaposing the old and new parts of the building and breathing new life into it

The studio’s portfolio includes holiday cottages, Georgian farmhouses, modern oﬃces and much more, but every project follows the same mantra: “Right space, right location, perfect lighting and carefully considered materials”. Clients appreciate the way the practice has embraced new technology: “We have incorporated the use of 3D models for all our projects and now have an additional piece of software that allows us to ‘walk around’ the fully rendered realistic virtual model of the building in real time,” says Dunk. “It’s proving hugely useful as it helps our clients get a really good feel for the size of the spaces, where the light falls, what it’s going be like at night, what you can see when you stand in diﬀerent parts of the house – it’s really thrilling both for them and for us.”

CountryJAMSTUDIOoﬃce: Moss Side Steading, Fetternear, Inverurie AB51 5JX City oﬃce: 5 Golden Square, Aberdeen AB10 1RD Tel: 01224 646450 www.jamstudio.uk.com

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“We want our clients to experience delight not just when our work is complete, but for decades to come”

JAM STUDIO

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EAST CROFT, CLUNY New-build eco house This energy-efficient house far exceeds current building regulations, thanks to its insulation, orientation and the specification of local, easy-to-maintain and long-lasting materials. The result is a building that’s warm and extremely cost-effective to run [Below] NETHERLEY, ABERDEENSHIRE Modern extension This project provided the clients with a large open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, as well as storage and a terrace from the first-floor master bedroom

COUNTESSWELLS, ABERDEEN

Singlestorey extension This contemporary extension (incorporating the utility, kitchen, dining and living spaces) will be built onto a detached home in Countesswells with a Juliet-style balcony window for the master bedroom

THERE’S NO DOUBT that the way we live our lives has changed over the last couple of years. Flexibility, new routines and a reassessment of where our priorities lie have come out on top. You’ll have noticed this at home more than anywhere, with redesigns and changing layouts allowing us to use our space in new ways. The kitchen is still king but it’s being made to work harder than ever – it’s a food prep zone, dining and entertaining area, oﬃce space and school work corner all rolled into one. Kitchens International has almost three decades’ worth of experience in the business, and the award-winning company’s six showrooms around the country will get your kitchen working in your favour. The advice is simple: if you are planning a renovation or extension, the earlier you can involve a kitchen designer, the better. “A kitchen is a multifunctional space now,” says the ﬁrm’s Ross Craig. “It’s no longer just an area dedicated to cooking. The kitchen of the future embraces all facets of life – it is a space to cook, learn, work, communicate, relax, celebrate, laugh and love.”

Requests for the inclusion of living-room furniture or the incorporation of glass-fronted and illuminated display furniture have soared in recent years as clients opt to extend or combine the kitchen with other rooms. “In larger spaces, we are seeing more bars and seating areas as people request multifunctional space for entertaining, dining and home working. There has been an increase in investment, too, in high-spec premium appliances from brands such as Gaggenau and Sub-Zero & Wolf.”

Acknowledge the positives and the negatives, as this will help to give the brief Comfortableclarity.inboth residential and commercial settings, the design studio is well versed in collaborative working and recognises that architects and interior designers are crucial for a smooth-running project. Working in conjunction with these key partners, and seeing how clients’ style requests have evolved, has kept the studio on top of new kitchen trends. But a solid understanding of each customer’s lifestyle always underpins every project, as Craig explains: “Our designers listen to what you want, building up a picture of your life and family so the kitchen will reﬂect your needs perfectly.”

HIGH-QUALITY GERMAN DESIGN Kitchens International is a supplier of Designer German kitchens from premium manufacturers, Leicht and Poggenpohl. Known for their ultra-modern looks, smooth finishes and timeless modernity, these brands offer innovative solutions for every style.

ARCHITECTURE22 | ADVERTORIAL 264 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM KITCHENS INTERNATIONAL Showrooms in: ABERDEEN, BROXBURN, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW and TILLICOULTRY Tel: 0845 074 0022 www.kitchensinternational.co.uk KITCHENS

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Among the Kitchens International team are designers, project managers, installers, logistics managers, technicians and aftercare specialists, all of whom are trained to guide customers through every part of the process. “It’s never too early to appoint a supplier,” says Craig. “The sooner the team are in place, the easier it is to form a plan, meaning less stress all round.” His advice is to think about how your kitchen functions for everyday living, and not just for big occasions like Christmas.

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[Below and bottom right] KI’s Stoneham and Callerton ranges offer timeless looks and practicality, combined with good old British craftmanship. Bespoke dining areas, such as the one shown here, are among the many design features available at Kitchens International.

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Looking ahead, Paterson Gordon is excited to continue designing beautiful homes across Scotland and to start providing true turnkey developments where the practice would source plots, then design and work with local builders to create site-speciﬁc, contemporary homes.

PATERSON ARCHITECTUREGORDON and below] FIRKIN

“We designed and built an extension to our listed cottage almost entirely without the use of professional trades – it’s a true self-build,” says practice founder Elaine Paterson Gordon. “It allowed us to act as client, architect and builder, so we completely understood the process from start to ﬁnish. Since we’ve experienced the challenges and triumphs of designing and building our own home, we are able to lead our clients through what can appear to be a daunting process.”

“We aim to create homes that meets every aspiration the client might have (and some they perhaps didn’t know they had!) and to complement and enrich the existing context,” says Paterson Gordon. “If it’s an extension or remodelling, we try to understand how the client lives in the house, what their relationship is with it and what their lifestyle is like. This helps us to develop the brief and elevate it beyond the bare essentials of a list of spaces.”

“We’re also embarking on a personal project to renovate and extend our new home in Helensburgh,” she smiles. “It used to belong to pop star Marti Pellow from Wet Wet Wet!”

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ARCHITECTURE22 | ADVERTORIAL 266 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM PATERSON GORDON ARCHITECTURE 4A East Abercromby Street, Helensburgh G84 7SP Tel: 01436 701246 / 07876021469 Email: elaine@patersongordonarchitecture.co.uk www.patersongordonarchitecture.co.uk

Every project is also evaluated for its compatibility with environmental solutions, ranging from a fabric-ﬁrst passive approach to the utilisation of ground- or air-source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. Lately, the practice has been working on projects using SIPS technology (structural insulated panel systems), which can lead to quicker build times and better-quality construction.

Paterson Gordon has a keen interest in sustainability, and in making use of rural sites and older buildings, and specialises in bespoke extensions, conversions and one-oﬀ, new-build homes. The studio relishes a challenge, too, having taken on projects in remote locations with no infrastructure. Its designs are always informed by the surrounding context, whether that’s the existing dwelling, the views, the site’s history or its topography. The latest developments in architecture and design, as well as ideas seen in other cultures, have proven to be rich sources of inspiration too.

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STEADING, TARBET Conversion of a traditional steading The existing stone building was upgraded before a large glazed extension was added

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY is the wish of every savvy shopper, but it is not particularly easy to achieve when you’re in the market for an architect – unless, that is, you hire Paterson Gordon Architecture. The award-winning practice allows potential clients to rent its self-built home at Loch Lomond as a holiday let to experience at ﬁrst-hand the double-height living space, mezzanine, biomass heating and glass-toglass corner windows that characterise many of its projects.

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Renovated and extended home The project took a small, dark one-bed cottage on the shores of Loch Lomond and turned it into a spacious, light-filled, four-bed family home

[Top right, below and right] COTTAGE, LUSS

ROSELEA

“Energy efficiency is at the heart of everything we do,” says Dickson. “It’s in our design, construction, building materials, the delivery of our houses and right through to our staff offices and fleet vehicles. Everything is considered in our drive to be as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible.” The studio’s mantra is to be realistic and pragmatic, understanding that the unexpected can sometimes happen. At the moment, challenges include procuring materials, but the team are already adapting to these obstacles by increasing their storage facilities and pre-ordering materials and components to soften the impact of shortages. “How to build a house in ten words? Sit back, relax and enjoy the experience. We’ll handle it!’”

ARCHITECTURE22 | ADVERTORIAL 268 HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 6aR.HOUSEDrynoch, Crossal, Carbost, Isle of Skye IV47 8SP Tel: 01478 612899 Email: sales@ruralhouse.co.uk www.ruralhouse.co.uk R.HOUSE

MODEL RF3, AIRD, ISLE OF SKYE Three-bed house with an open-plan kitchen/living area This energy-efficient singlestorey build has high levels of insulation and air tightness

ADMIT IT: swapping the city for a new life in the country has crossed your mind more than once these past couple of years. But even before the pandemic, the idea of having a rural abode either as a main home or as a holiday getaway – to be closer to nature, with easy access to outdoor pursuits and a slower, healthier pace of life – was an enticing prospect for many of us. All you need is an experienced architect to help you turn those dreams into reality. Enter R.House. The studio is a collaboration between James MacQueen Builders and award-winning architecture practice Rural Design. Based on the Isle of Skye, R.House specialises in prefabricated design and sustainability, with the aim of creating “beautiful buildings in beautiful landscapes”. “We offer a genuine turnkey service, and have expertise in every part of the process, from design to handing over a completed home,” says architect Alan Dickson. “This allows us to deliver buildings efficiently, with honest, upfront costs. Our location and understanding of the rural context, the culture and the severe weather means our projects are really quite different. We’ve put our strength in design and construction literally under oneThereroof.”are over a dozen designs to choose from that go all the way from a basic ‘bothy’ model to an expansive five-bedroom, three-bathroom two-storey option. It’s worth pointing out that although these standard designs are offered, no two R.Houses are the same, since so much customisation is possible. Of course, if you can’t find the model that best suits your needs, or you simply want something that is totally unique, the team can create a bespoke design just for you. If you’d prefer to experience what it’s like to live in an R.House before you commit to buying, you can book a short stay at The Eyrie in the north of Skye.

MODEL R3E, WESTER ROSS This spacious house has been customised on the exterior with old stone found on site. It has a stunning position overlooking the bay, with floorto-ceiling glazing maximising the panoramic outlook. The R3E model has three bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen-dining-living room and a large porch.

[Above and below] BESPOKE BUILD, LOCH DUICH Two bedrooms and three reception rooms R.House won the Best Green Building System at last year’s Green Home Awards. All houses have exceptional thermal efficiency, and are designed to maximise solar gain from the positioning of glazing.

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1 BIT ON THE SIDE

Two new showhomes are now open at Cala Homes’ Cammo Meadows development on the western edge of Edinburgh. Their rooms have been carefully kitted out by BLOCC Interiors to show off their generous proportions to their fullest potential. The Capital duplex home (pictured) spans two floors and has two double bedrooms plus a flexible third room, as well as its own private terrace. £355,000. cala.co.uk 2 3

If you’re looking to diversify your income stream, have a chat with Oakwrights. Its buildings are designed to suit modern lifestyles, with oak-framed annexes and outbuildings often used to create more living space for hobbies, home-working or hosting. This two-bedroom lodge on an Ayrshire country estate generates welcome cash for the owners and has an open-plan living-dining area, decking and a hot tub with river views. £POA. oakwrights.co.uk 3 REACH UP HIGH Holmwood Heights, on the banks of the River Cart in Glasgow’s Southside, is a new development from FM Group. Each of the 59 luxury apartments and penthouses has a German kitchen, Porcelanosa tiling in the bathrooms and at least two double bedrooms. The Cathcart development has easy access to the city centre, is close to some of Glasgow’s best parks, and is ideally positioned to make the most of all the Southside has to offer. From £273,000. holmwoodheights.com 1

PROPERTYNEWS

2 CAPITAL INVESTMENT

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM 273 Beautiful Stoves Designed to suit your space using beautiful sustainable Scottish Larch and Oak RainRoomScotland rainroom.ltd T: 07999 478578 / 0141 440 2459 • E: hello@rainroom.scot www.rainroom.scot Your house is not just a home, it's a reflection of your personality and all the things that matter to you. We will help you design & create a space that you love being in, a space that makes you feel proud of your interior decisions for many years to come. We work from a large exclusive library of sample books to give you the very best choice of companies, fabrics, wallpapers, trimmings, paint colours, furniture, lighting and flooring. Call 07449 814 www.twoscompanyinteriors.co.uk667 TwosCompany Interiors @twoscompanyinteriors We are now also proud stockists of Little Greene Paint, a wonderful eco-friendly, family run business that catalogues 300 years of paint and wall paper based in the UK. Elliot House, Elliot, By Arbroath DD11 2PE

Words Miriam Methuen-Jones £26,000

Jonathan Adler’s Venom rug offers a similar theme for a fraction of the cost. It comes in various sizes and is washable.

I usually find that our Avarice picks fall squarely into the ‘unnecessarily extravagant’ category, but there’s something about this incredible rug from Fornasetti that has me temporarily dismissing all thought of student debt and wondering if it might in fact be the perfect finishing touch for my flat.

UNNECESSARILY

SNAKE CHARMER

EXTRAVAGANT OR THAT PERFECT FINISHING TOUCH? AVARICE

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SPLURGE STEAL £279 Jonathan Adler Venom, Ruggable

Thank you for buying Homes & Interiors Scotland. The next issue will be on sale on 21 October

Peccato Originale, a design that has been in Fornasetti’s arsenal since the 1950s, has been revived here as a rug woven from silk and New Zealand wool. It’s a decent size (200x300cm), and, as the whopping price tag would suggest, it is all hand-tufted. A gilded serpent winds its way up a backdrop of leaves, tempting us with a juicy scarlet apple. If the imagery isn’t blatant enough, peccato originale is Italian for ‘original sin’. And you might have some serious repenting to do if your partner catches you blowing the house deposit on this.

Homehgh

Articles inside

ARCHITECTURE ’22 Top tips for self-builders

KIDS NEWS Cool kit for juniors

COMPETITION Win a bespoke ANTA rug

BATHROOM NEWS Tiles, towels and taps

HOMESANDINTERIORSSCOTLAND.COM

HOUSE OF GODS If decadence is your bag, this is the Edinburgh getaway for you

INTERIORS NEWS The latest inside stories

BRANCH OUT Want a tree house but don’t have a tree? We’ve found an inventive solution

ART NEWS This autumn’s unmissable exhibitions