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Acclaimed for its nature and tartans, Scotland is a beautiful source of inspiration for the home. With a coat of paint, some wood elements, plaid and sheepskin, you can easily create a Bohemian lodge atmosphere.
Adream: hiking the rugged Scottish Highlands. But not without having a home away from home, a lodge where you can rest and relax after partaking in outdoor activities. Team Summum found such a welcoming hunting lodge, offering the most beautiful views of the Highlands.
And what are the fixed ingredients of a Scottish hunting lodge, you ask? Wood, warm colours, an open floor plan with a communal living room and kitchen. And traditional tartans as decoration. The lodges where these elements have been applied sparingly are the most beautiful. Light walls, inviting corner benches in natural colours, a mix of new and vintage. Wooden floors. Painted cobblestone walls. Here and there a tartan plaid and sheepskin. Not too fancy – the place is meant to be lived in, after all. A piece of the outdoors for city dwellers, as aptly put by the Soho Farm House members’ club.
Are you more of a maximalist? Luxurious lodges often adhere to the more is more approach. There they fuse traditional Scottish elements with various styles – Victorian, Art Nouveau, modernism – and textures for an eclectic interior feel. Velvet, wool, decorative wallpaper and stucco, wood panelling in a matte colour that brings in the sun – it can all be combined. Something similar to Condé Nast favourite Gleneagles Townhouse, where you can expect to receive the warmest of welcomes in the Scottish Highlands.
CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH
Art Nouveau is another element in Scottish style. Scottish architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was an important driving force behind this style. His architectural style and design ethos was a mix of the traditional Scottish influences from his youth, the sublime simplicity of Japanese designs and European modernism. He was big on simple, geometric shapes, plus Art Nouveau decorative elements: stylised organic patterns and plant and flower prints, such as Mackintosh’s famous rosebud and egg shape. You can find a lot of his work and sense of taste in tearooms, buildings and furniture, especially in cities in the Lowlands. Whoever visits Scotland should most definitely go to Glasgow and take an audio tour through the city, for example through the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society (crmsociety.com), where you will find numerous interesting things to do with regard to this iconic figure. The Huntarian museum also features The Mackintosh House, the recreated house of Mackintosh and his wife Margaret MacDonald.
Art Nouveau still has a lot of influence on modern Scottish architecture, evident from Aberdeen to Glasgow and on the picturesque offshore islands. The organic shapes, the emphasis on light and the harmony between design and nature has influenced architects in both philosophical and aesthetic terms.
HIGHLANDS AT HOME
For those who wish to add a touch of hunting lodge to their own homes, the easiest way to start is with a pair of royal pillows with wool tartan pillowcases, such as those made from traditional Scottish Harris Tweed (available at harristweedshop.com). Choose a colour that matches or just the opposite, one that clashes. Harris Tweed is woven by hand on special looms – as regulated by law. Do you want more than a pair of pillows? The fabrics can also be purchased per linear metre, for all sorts of applications. It must be said, however, that balance is everything here.
If you want to go all out, you get to busy yourself with paint and wallpaper as well. Paint company Farrow & Ball has the nicest colours. Certainly if you are looking for a chic matte colour, such as the dark blue Titmouse Blue or Minster Green, a very dark olive green with a lived-in feel. Or opt for the Grand Thistle Wallpaper – featuring Scotland’s national flower the thistle – by Timorous Beasties, an internationally renowned design studio from Glasgow. Here too the motto is: don’t overdo it. A wall, wood panel or ceiling in a strong colour or wallpaper is sufficient. Do you want an Art Nouveau lamp, print or even a design by Charles Rennie Mackintosh? Then be sure to scour 1stdibs, which has various items for sale that will imbue even the most modern of interiors with a bit of Scottish hunting lodge coolness.