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Caption: MODERN | CKD Galbraith |
Caption: Last month I shared a story here about a guest blog post I'd written for the Scottish property consultancy CKD Galbraith on the subject of Georgian properties.
This time round, in my latest guest post, the subject was contemporary architecture.
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: In terms of aesthetics these two subjects couldn't be more different, right? But for me, there's a link. Great architecture is timeless, whether that’s a Georgian townhouse or a beautiful piece of midcentury design, or a contemporary house with environmental credentials and a thoughtful use of materials.
Picture of KY15 7UT
Caption: THE DUNCAN HOUSE Which brings me to The Duncan House, the first of this selection of three contemporary homes. This house is currently on the market with joint selling agents @CKDGalbraith and The Modern House.
To me, this is one of the most exciting properties to have come on the market in Scotland - indeed in the UK - so far this year.
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: Light-filled and pristine, with full-height glazing that creates a seamless indoors-outdoors flow and a long and lean profile, this striking house was designed by the award winning Scottish architect Gareth Hoskins OBE.
Tucked away in the former walled fruit garden of Kinloch House at Ladybank near Cupar in Fife, the brief was for a ‘glass house’ that would merge within the formal geometry of the original walled garden (which extends to around an acre). The result is a building of beautiful contrasts.
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: The Garden House is believed to have been inspired by the Barcelona Pavilion, which was designed in 1929 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and you can see the references to this 20th century classic in the refined use of materials and the blurring of internal/external boundaries, not to mention the graphic slice of ‘floating’ roof.
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: The house is constructed of a steel frame, and the plan is defined by two white rendered masonry walls that contrast with the grey whinstone of the historic garden walls, highlighting the juxtaposition of old with new.
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: The full height windows are separated by hinged oak panels, and these form doors to the garden. The cantilevered roof extends dramatically, providing shade, and high-level windows help create the impression that the roof is floating lightly over the spaces. Wherever you are in this house, your focus is drawn back outside to the garden that envelops it.
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: The quality of the detailing is evident. Those hinged oak panels were designed by furniture maker Max McCance, who also made the door handles and other timber features throughout the interior.
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: The sleek angularity of the main section of the house – which forms the open plan living-dining area and kitchen – is contrasted by the circular drum room with its glass skylight, which was designed to create a perfect acoustic environment.
Picture of KY15 7UT
KY15 7UT
Caption: The bedroom accommodation – with three bedrooms including a master suite, and a family shower room – is arranged along an elongated ‘wing’ to the side of the living zone with views out to a line of mature fruit trees that remind you of this garden’s past life. The design of The Duncan House is both dynamic yet beautifully restrained.
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
Picture of KY15 7UT
Caption: Photography by Exposure
Picture of KY15 7UT
Caption: The Duncan House is on the market with joint agents CKD Galbraith and The Modern House
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Caption: EDEN The second property, Eden, was designed by its owners working with the late architect Bob Watt. One of the owners is a saturation diver who worked on the design while living underwater for weeks at a time in a pressurized chamber.
Why is this detail relevant? Quite simply, because this house is the antithesis of that vision of cramped, restricted and claustrophobic living. Instead, Eden is vast and light-filled, with extensive sections of glazing pulling in the surrounding landscape and views.
Picture of Woodside
Picture of Woodside
Picture of Woodside
Woodside
Caption: Located in the hamlet of Woodside to the north of Largo Law in Fife, when this half-acre plot came onto the market the owners grabbed the chance to build the house of their dreams.
The floor plan is arranged around a galleried central atrium with a cathedral ceiling, and the vast living space is punctuated by a giant woodburner that defines the seating and dining areas.
A bespoke curved glass staircase also defines the plan as its glass wall separates this main living zone from the kitchen and family room, which doubles as a home cinema.
Picture of Woodside
Picture of Woodside
Woodside
Caption: The master suite is on the ground level, along with a study, and there are four bedrooms upstairs (two en-suite), all of which open on to balconies. There’s also a library within the galleried area, and again this opens onto a balcony at the front of the house.
Picture of Woodside
Caption: Photography by Exposure
photographyandfloorplans.co.uk
Picture of Woodside
Woodside
Caption: There’s so much drama to this house, but Eden was also designed with a focus on eco features, including PV panelling and two air source heat pumps with underfloor heating flowing throughout the ground level. Again, this is a unique home.
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Caption: Eden is on the market with CKD Galbraith
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Caption: ESSICH LODGE Finally, Essich Lodge first caught my eye in late 2013 when I had opportunity to interview the owner. This house is located on the southern fringes of Inverness, and has around 4.6 acres of land.
Having previously built a very traditional house, when the opportunity arose to build again in 2008, the owner decided to embrace a contemporary aesthetic that would still reflect traditional building techniques and materials.
Picture of IV2 6AH
Picture of IV2 6AH
IV2 6AH
Caption: The result is this striking looking property designed by McKenzie Strickland Architects. Externally, Essich Lodge features materials that sit well within the Scottish landscape including Caithness slate and larch wood, while internally this five bedroom house is all about volume and light.
Picture of IV2 6AH
IV2 6AH
Caption: The style of this interior is set from the entrance where the double height vestibule opens into a dining-hall with a floor-to-ceiling window that connects you to the landscape. The drawing room is also double height, and again floor-to-ceiling glazing pulls in the views with doors opening onto a raised slate terrace and verandah.
Picture of IV2 6AH
IV2 6AH
Caption: There’s also a galleried living room – this house was designed to create fantastic entertaining and social spaces – while the kitchen features walnut cabinetry by Smallbone of Devizes with an oil-fired Aga and with slate flooring from Mandarin Stone. As with Eden and The Duncan House, the quality is evident in the materials used here.
Picture of IV2 6AH
Picture of IV2 6AH
Caption: Photography from @CKDGalbraith
IV2 6AH
Caption: Essich Lodge was also designed with energy efficiency in mind. Along with two woodburning stoves, a geothermal ground source heat pump provides the heating, including underfloor heating throughout the ground level, and the highly-insulated house features Scandinavian double-glazed windows. Easy comfort meets timeless style.
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Caption: Essich Lodge is on the market with CKD Galbraith
IV2 6AH
Caption: See my guest blog post on @CKDGalbraith
