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From a 15th-century thatched house in England to a ski cabin in Canada, our latest lookbook collects eight cottages with panoramic windows that offer views of their dramatic surroundings. More
Hospitality company Wildland and Swiss designer Ruth Kramer have converted a former manse in the Scottish Highlands into a holiday cottage featuring a mix of classic Scandinavian furniture and traditional Caledonian details.
Tigh Na Coille, which is Gaelic for “house in the forest”, is a four-bedroom property on a wooded hill overlooking Loch Ness in the Cairngorms National Park.
Tigh Na Coille is a holiday home in a former manseThe 19th-century stone building was carefully restored and refurbished with help from Kramer, who has worked with Wildland on several of its historic properties.
Kramer coined the term “Scandi-Scot” to describe the way these buildings seek to combine Scandinavian simplicity with a playful take on Scottish heritage.
A Papa Bear armchair by Hans J. Wegner stands in the lounge”Scandi-Scot is about creating a clean and modern aesthetic that weaves in elements of Scottish craftsmanship,” she told Dezeen. “Everything is calm and natural, the colours don’t scream at you and the furniture is comfortable like you’re at home.”
Tigh Na Coille was once a manse – a dwelling created for the Christian minister of a now-ruined church that stands on the grounds. The heritage-listed building was modernised by a previous owner and had lost much of its original character.
Several fireplaces were uncovered during the renovationKramer preserved the layout of the rooms but the interiors were stripped back and redecorated, with original features reintroduced to bring an authentic feeling to the spaces.
The house is located on the Aldourie Castle estate, which Wildland renovated at the same time.
The interior scheme combines Scandinavian and Caledonian referencesThe refurbishment merges the Scandi-Scot aesthetic with nods to the castle’s more traditional decor. Modern carpets and softwood flooring were replaced with oak floorboards salvaged from the castle, which add warmth and tactility to the spaces.
Several of the beds were also sourced from the castle and were refurbished by local joiners, who created new parts for the four-poster frames.
Kyle House is a remote Scottish holiday home with a “monastically simple” interior
All of the bathrooms were completely remodelled and the kitchen was brought up to modern standards, with a new island unit providing an additional worktop in the centre of the room.
Fireplaces uncovered during the renovation were carefully restored along with the property’s existing doors and windows, which were redressed to preserve their original appearance.
The bedrooms feature dramatic four-poster bedsOver the years, various sections of the cornicing and architraves around the rooms had been replaced, so new parts were produced using mouldings taken from the original plasterwork.
According to Kramer, roughly half of the furniture was sourced second-hand and given a new life through bespoke joinery or reupholstery. The majority of the remaining pieces are vintage designs that add to the timeless feel.
“The ambition is that people walking into the house shouldn’t be able to tell what is new versus what is original,” she added. “We’re going for an ageless look that will also become better over time rather than being fashion-led.”
Many of the furnishings were salvaged from the nearby castleThe centrepiece of the dining room is a vintage wooden table surrounded by midcentury chairs that were sourced at an auction and reupholstered using linen fabric and leather for the armrests.
Every Wildland property features one of Kramer’s favourite furniture designs, the Papa Bear armchair created in 1951 by Hans J. Wegner and produced by PP Møbler.
At Tigh Na Coille, the chair sits in a corner of the living room where it has a view of the fireplace. A wall-mounted lamp provides gentle illumination for reading.
The cottage is set on a wooded hill overlooking Loch NessKramer collaborated closely on the project with Wildland co-owner Anne Holch Povlsen, the wife of Danish businessman Anders Holch Povlsen who made his fortune in the fashion industry with brands such as Bestseller.
Wildland owns three large estates in Scotland on which it operates hotels and self-catering accommodation as part of its 200-year vision to preserve the landscape and contribute to local communities.
The group’s other properties include a formerly derelict cottage that was transformed into a pared-back holiday home by Edinburgh-based GRAS architects, and another converted manse that was converted into an art-filled guesthouse.
The photography is by Fran Mart.
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A renovated dwelling in rural China and a converted stable in Ibiza feature in our latest lookbook, which collects 10 cottage interiors that promise rest and relaxation.
Cottages are small dwellings that are traditionally characterised by a sense of comfort and cosiness. However, interior designers are increasingly pushing the boundaries of how to dress the insides of these homes, as seen in these innovative examples.
As the weather cools down in the northern hemisphere, here are 10 calming interior spaces in cottages by architects and interior designers from across the globe.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring neutral living rooms, homes in converted warehouses and Bauhaus-informed interiors.
Photo is by courtesy of Sun Min and Christian TaeubertHai Zhen cottage, China, by Sun Min and Christian Taeubert
Located in Hai Zhen, a village just outside of Beijing, this previously neglected cottage was renovated by fashion designer Sun Min and architect Christian Taeubert.
A large, open-plan lounge area displays a mixture of rustic features such as the original roof and timber beams, which are presented alongside more contemporary elements including stainless steel and spindly, wireframe lighting.
Find out more about this Hai Zhen cottage ›
Photo is by Timothy KayeBarwon Heads House, Australia, by Adam Kane Architects
Barwon Heads House is a renovated cottage by Melbourne-based studio Adam Kane Architects with a barn-style extension defined by an open-plan living area.
Shortlisted for the 2022 house interior of the year Dezeen Award, the cottage interior features a monochrome interior palette and statement geometric furniture, such as a pair of Kangaroo Lounge Chairs by designer Pierre Jeanneret.
Find out more about Barwon Heads House ›
Photo is by Jim StephensonEnglish cottage, UK, by Invisible Studio
Architecture practice Invisible Studio added a double-pitched extension to this cottage that is located on the borders of Hampshire and Surrey in England.
Exposed concrete accents contrast with rectilinear sliding glass doors in the living space, which cantilevers over the sliding patio doors below with the support of a concrete chimney.
“All the materials are fair-faced so had to be perfectly made,” explained studio founder Piers Taylor. “Nothing is covered up and everything exposed.”
Find out more about this English cottage ›
Photo is by Youri ClaesensCasa Campo, Ibiza, by Standard Studio
Casa Campo is a cottage in Ibiza that Standard Studio converted from a 200-year-old stable to an off-grid showroom and home for the owners of an interior design shop.
Original beams crafted from Ibiza’s native Sabina pine trees are paired with contemporary low-slung furniture in the double-height living space that is illuminated by bright white walls.
Find out more about Casa Campo ›
Photo is by Jim StephensonMade of Sand, UK, by Studio Weave
Architecture office Studio Weave designed a wooden extension to a stone cottage in Devon’s Blackdown Hills in the English countryside, which was created as a creative workspace for its owners and visiting artists.
Called Made of Sand, the extension’s interior is defined by built-in timber window seats and wall storage that is framed by large glass windows.
“The contrast between materials, old and new, in and out, are foregrounded to create a distinct sense of rest and relaxation in the new spaces,” said studio director Je Ahn.
Find out more about Made of Sand ›
Photo is by Ronan MézièreLa Brèche, Canada, by Naturehumaine
Two volumes connected by a walkway make up La Brèche, a ski cottage in Quebec by Montreal studio Naturehumaine that features facades informed by the area’s vernacular architecture.
Floor-to-ceiling corner windows illuminate the living space, which is characterised by a polished concrete floor and minimal accents of colour and texture.
Find out more about La Brèche ›
Photo is by Joel EspositoMuskoka Cottage, Canada, by Studio Paolo Ferrari
Named after its location in Canada’s Muskoka region, this cottage interior features exposed finishes informed by the surrounding natural forests and the area’s geological details.
These include sandy-hued, Douglas fir exposed ceilings and large slabs of granite that make up various statement islands throughout the home, as well as a large fireplace in the living space.
“The granite is coarse-grained and hard,” noted Studio Paolo Ferrari. “It references the minerality of the site and imbues the interiors with a sense of ruggedness.”
Find out more about Muskoka Cottage ›
Photo is by Paul Crosby PhotographyThe Marlboro Music Cottages, USA, by HGA Architects and Engineers
The Marlboro Music Cottages are a series of cabin-style dwellings by HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA) for musicians staying in New England over the summer during the Marlboro Music School and Festival, an annual event.
HGA took cues from the single-storey boxy dwellings with gabled roofs that populate Cape Cod for the cottages’ architecture. Cedar plank cladding and pitched roofs were used to embrace the homes’ natural setting.
Inside, the cottage interior features exposed timber ceilings, pine-sheathed walls and slate flooring, adding to this pared-back approach.
Find out more about The Marlboro Music Cottages ›
Photo is by Michael MoranHamptons cottage, USA, by Birdseye Design
A double-height living space offers views of the surrounding Hamptons at this cottage by architecture studio Birdseye Design, which is wrapped in thin wooden slats that nod to local traditional buildings.
Eclectic geometric furniture makes up dining and living areas that anchor the west side of the property and open out onto an outdoor dining space.
“Operable glass walls open to a large stone terrace off the living room and the kitchen opens to a wood-slatted, pergola-covered porch,” said Birdseye.
Find out more about this Hamptons cottage ›
Photo is by Trevor MeinCaptain Kelly’s Cottage, Tasmania, John Wardle Architects
Australian studio John Wardle Architects has repaired this weatherboard cottage in Tasmania, which originally belonged to its architect, harbourmaster Captain Kelly, in the 1840s.
Furniture created from materials left over at the end of the project’s renovation feature in its updated design, while a focus on wooden interiors maintains a sense of the dwelling’s history.
“Over 175 years there had been many unsympathetic alterations to the small cottage,” said the studio. “Part of our work involved the removal of these non-original works, to respectfully return the cottage to its original form.”
Find out more about Captain Kelly’s Cottage ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring neutral living rooms, homes in converted warehouses and Bauhaus-informed interiors.
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Australian studio Adam Kane Architects has renovated a cottage on a quiet coastal street in Barwon Heads and connected it to a barn-like extension by a glazed link.
Named Barwon Heads House, the project was designed by Melbourne studio Adam Kane Architects as a contemporary dwelling that embodied a “relaxed, coastal lifestyle”.
Adam Kane Architects extended and renovated a cottage in Barwon HeadsPrior to Adam Kane Architects’ renovation and extension, the neglected weatherboarded cottage was known locally as “the dump”.
Its transformation led it to be shortlisted house interior of the year in the Dezeen Awards 2022 and win the public vote for the same category.
Barwon Heads House is clad in woodAdopting a minimal palette of monochrome contrasts, the studio painted the existing cottage’s exterior entirely black, pairing it with a lighter extension clad in silvery-grey weathered wooden planks.
Beneath steeply pitched black metal roofs, this play of contrasts continues to the interiors, creating a spatial journey of “compression and release” that begins in the more compartmentalised cottage containing three bedrooms and a bathroom.
Contrasting colours and materials feature throughoutMoving through the existing cottage into the small glazed link and a dark corridor, Barwon Heads House’s extension opens up into a large living and dining space, overlooked by the main bedroom on a mezzanine above.
Full-height windows look out to Barwon Heads House’s garden to the north, while a narrow clerestory-level window opposite draws in light above its kitchen.
Adam Kane Architects completes minimalist bridal boutique in Melbourne
“Access to the extension is via an enclosed corridor, lined with black mottled joinery panels on walls and ceilings, and is used to conceal doorways into the rumpus, laundry and storage areas,” said Adam Kane Architects.
“The ‘journey’ through this dark corridor with a lower ceiling creates a sense of compression before a sense of release when walking towards the living room, where the gable opens up into the main space,” it continued.
The extension has a deliberately simple finishExisting features were retained in the cottage, while the extension has a deliberately simple interior finished with oak panelling and exposed concrete. Slabs of travertine marble are used as countertops, coffee tables and a large dining table.
“Heritage features are maintained through the use of the original lining board ceilings, as well as period skirting and architraves, which fit perfectly with the renewed tones,” said the studio.
“The timber lining helps blur the threshold between inside and out, delineating zones, making spaces feel more generous and contributing to the relaxed feel of the home.”
It is designed as a spatial journey of “compression and release”Adam Kane Architects was founded in 2015, and its previous projects include a bridal boutique in Melbourne with minimal finishes of concrete and marble.
Alongside Barwon Heads House, other projects shortlisted in the house interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022 include a home in Melbourne with a palette of “organic” materials by Brave New Eco and the renovation of a 120-year-old townhouse in Kyoto by Td-Atelier and Endo Shojiro Design.
The photography is by Timothy Kaye.
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Exposed finishes that draw cues from the forests and geology of Canada come together in this remote holiday home by Toronto-based architect Studio Paolo Ferrari.
Named after the Muskoka region where the project is located, the retreat overlooks Lake Rosseau, an area that is known as one of Canada’s most sought-after vacation destinations.
The retreat overlooks Canada’s Lake RosseauThe area sits roughly two hours north of Toronto, and is known for its natural setting. It inspired a collective of painters, known as the Group of Seven, who produced some of the most iconic Canadian imagery of the early 20th century.
“We wanted to create a place of respite from the intensity of city life and also to build as sensitively as we could, complementing, but never overwhelming, the surrounding environment,” said Studio Paolo Ferrari.
Granite and Douglas fir define the interior designTwo primary materials were used for the two-storey building: granite, which forms many of the islands in the area, and Douglas fir, which the architects used in the exposed roofs found throughout the home, as well as in cabinetry and on certain walls.
“The granite is coarse-grained and hard,” said the studio. “It references the minerality of the site and imbues the interiors with a sense of ruggedness.”
“The Douglas fir offers tactility and warmth, and it connects the house with vernacular building traditions,” the studio added, noting that some of the materials used came from the site itself.
Studio Paolo Ferrari placed the communal areas on the upper floorStudio Paolo Ferrari designed an inverted layout for the two-bedroom home, placing the communal areas on the upper floor to give them the best views of Lake Rosseau.
The open-concept kitchen, living, and dining room is anchored by a granite kitchen counter that appears to be made of a rough block of stone. Its edges cantilever out, creating a place to sit for a casual meal.
Two bedrooms feature on the ground floor”The kitchen island – a large, unfinished block of granite – evokes the boulders and outcroppings one sees across the Canadian Shield, an expanse of bedrock that extends from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Coast,” said Studio Paolo Ferrari.
“With its size and monumentality, the island offsets the expertly crafted cabinetry that surrounds it.”
A granite island takes centre stage in the kitchenThe living room is fronted by tall, sliding glass doors that open onto a terrace that offers sweeping views of the lake below.
Most of the surfaces are covered in a light-coloured wood, which helps the space feel airy and bright.
Ali Budd Interiors transforms Muskoka log cabin into art-filled cottage
The bedrooms were located on the ground floor. The primary suite faces out onto the lake, while a guest bedroom is located at the back of the home. Its windows open out onto rocky outcroppings and thick trees, lending the space a sense of privacy.
“Windows frame views in all directions, not only outward to the lake but also inward to the granite escarpment, which is every bit as exquisite as the dappled water,” added the studio.
Furnishings were kept simple throughout the homeThe home’s bathrooms were finished in dark granite, creating a sense of contrast from the bright open spaces in the bedrooms and communal areas.
Throughout the home, the furnishings were kept as simple as possible.
“Our guiding ethos was warm minimalism,” Studio Paolo Ferrari explained. “The interiors derive their elegance from a lack of visual clutter.”
The lake house includes a gabled roofOther natural retreats in Canada include a dramatic, cantilevered structure overlooking a lake, and a ski cottage that appears to have been split in two, by Montreal-based firm Naturehumaine.
The photography is by Joel Esposito.
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