the project
This delightful project is for a new five-bedroom house on the shores of a Highlands loch. It’s an exceptional site overlooking the water, and the owners are keen to make the most of the views and access to the outdoors in this beautiful part of the world.
The design has a little of the New England look, yet is also rooted in the vernacular style of the area, with use of Scottish stone, slate roofing, multiple pitched roof sections, and broad dormer style upper-level windows.
A key part of this house is its large-scale balcony and veranda. This is to meet the client’s brief of bringing the outside in, allowing outdoor living while still having shelter, and offering the opportunity to spend time looking at the view, while still connected to the house.
How we worked
The house site is sloped, and as with many of our projects, we have worked the design into the contours of the landscape. This helps it not appear too large, and doesn’t disrupt the lay of the land. However, some houses built like this can feel disconnected from the outside as they are often built higher than ground level at the back (garden side, looking to the loch, here), but we have ensured that our clients can walk straight out onto the lawn from their living-area veranda and down to the loch with ease, without any sense of disconnection.
The graded landscape has offered us a chance for drama, too, with the house almost stepping up the slope. The balconies accentuate these levels and visually connect the house to the view.
Inside there is drama too, with a double volume area bringing light flooding into the centre of the house. The main living areas dominate the lower floor, with views out to the loch. A free-flowing kitchen, living and dining area is the highlight, with a fireplace as the other key focus, apart from the view. The large master suite sits in the centre of the middle floor, again with prominent views framing the loch. Extra bedrooms will be on this floor and the uppermost floor.
Success of the project
This project is currently at the planning stage. However, we envisage a highly successful home, with low-energy credentials, light-filled flowing spaces, and full immersive connection with its stunning Highlands setting.