The new country house for a private estate client was built on the West Coast of Scotland. The style of the house has been characterised as a Refined Freestyle Scots Revivalism. The style of the new house was chosen as appropriate to an estate house. It is one component of the estate, along with landscape and garden design, land use, rewilding and estate management. The house will be experienced by people who visit, as part of the example of the whole estate. It is hoped that they would engage with the use of the estate and consider it to be a model for current and future estate management. Along with the house we were also involved with the conversion of the barn, up the hill, and designed the service yard / hydro scheme building to the west of the house. 

The design of the house is intended to be the most appropriate to fit in with this estate. It is not intended that the house should dominate the surroundings. The architecture is intended to be both confident and modest. The house has a traditional country villa plan. The main rooms on the ground floor face south towards a spectacular loch view which is one of the finest elements of this beautiful estate. The main rooms are served by a corridor from the main entrance at its east end and the main stair at its mid length.  

Everything in the design of the house has been sourced from Scottish precedents although there is no historic house in Scotland that looks the same as this house. Influences were drawn from a variety of Scottish buildings that represent what is considered to be a high point of Scottish design spanning from the mid-18th century, through the Regency period to the early 19th century. There are also references to the Scottish Arts & Crafts Movement. The style is refined because it is a selection of the most elegant elements of historic Scottish architecture.

The integration of this architecture with its surrounding landscape context is essential to its success as architecture. The landscape and garden design is not just a pleasant addition to the house design, it is possibly the most important design element that helps the house look appropriate and beautiful within the landscape. It controls, frames and decorates views both towards the house and from its windows.