Needing to increase the lodge’s footprint by 30 per cent but not wanting to impinge on the land, architecture firm Gras turned existing dwellings into the smart Ferryman’s and Keeper’s Cottages. The “back-to-front” of house, the Clachan, where the estate’s offices, kitchen and staff quarters are based, as well as the guest check-in, gym and treatment rooms, was a former shepherd’s home. An Cala, a two-bedroom cabin offset from the seven-bedroom main house, and more Scandinavian in feel, is an elevated take on a utilitarian farmer’s home, with plenty of raw materials, deep sinks and a wooden bathtub.
Throughout, Cécile & Boyd – also behind the design of landmark African safari brand Singita – has created something akin to a Scottish safari lodge, treading lightly on the land and directing guests’ attention outwards wherever possible. All the windows on one side gaze upon forests of Caledonian pine, purplish hills and glassy lochs. These textures and colours sweep inside to create features that are gloriously tactile and nest-like, yet unfussy: a hand-stitched linen wall, a light fitting made of heather, a basket-woven headboard. Antique furniture and detailing – locks, light switches, skirting – mix with contemporary elements, such as buttery leather folding chairs reminiscent of expedition furniture. Scottish makers were favoured – handmade mattresses by Glencraft, duvet inners made from Johnstons of Elgin cashmere – and the sprawling library, curated by London-based John Sandoe, is firmly rooted in place, with vintage AA road maps and tales of Robert the Bruce. “We wanted something timeless and not fashionable, not self-conscious and not clever,” says van den Berg.