Isle of Skye House
Client Brief
A London-based novelist requires a second home: a retreat for writing, reflection, and escape from city life. The space must foster a contemplative way of living, shaped by openness, light, and a strong sense of stillness, while accommodating only essential needs, including a single bedroom. The interior should follow a philosophy of restraint, with materials and furniture selected for authenticity, tactility, and sensory richness. Key requirements include:
Define clear zones for living, working, and resting
Create openness while maintaining privacy where needed
Frame key views and integrate the surrounding landscape into the spatial experience
Location
Year
Software
Isle of Skye, Scotland
2023
Revit
AutoCAD
SketchUp
Enscape
Adobe Suite
Design Concept
Guided by the philosophy of slow living and the landscape of the Isle of Skye, the design evolves from spatial experience. Form, proportion, and material presence are carefully controlled to foster openness, reflection, and connection to place. High ceilings, clean lines, and tactile materials create a rhythm that feels both expansive and intimate, grounded by weathered timber, pale stone, and soft plaster.
The concept draws from the abstract model Wadba Wadba, whose angular forms echo regional architecture. Interpreted with restraint, the design conveys quiet strength—sculptural yet rooted.
Wadba Wadba model designed by Robert Tuckwell. (Tuckwell, n.d.)
Isle of Syke, Scotland
Design Development
Concept development derived from base model
Preliminary sketch - exterior articulation
Spatial planning
Schematic representation
White model renders – exterior form
Light studies - sunrise
Light studies - midday
Light studies - late afternoon
Draft render - material and form development
Draft render - material palette
Final Floorplan
Material Board
Scottish-grown Larch, untreated for natural silvering by Russwood – Scotlarch®
Charcoal pigmented in-situ cast concrete by Graycrete Flooring
European Oak, lightly oiled, quarter-sawn by Timber Source UK
Beige lime-clay plaster, hand-applied, matte finish by Cornish Lime
Honest vein-cut travertine (honed) by Stone Market
Light honed limestone tiles, rectangular format by Stone Floors of St Andrews
Light grey polished concrete screed (trowel-finished) by Graycrete Flooring
Organic white lime-clay plaster, hand-applied, matte finish by Cornish Lime
Black powder-coated mild steel by Crittal Windows
The central glass corridor offers spatial clarity and pause - a moment of transition between volumes, light, and landscape.
The main living and dining area flows beneath a sculpted roofline, with clerestory glazing drawing in shifting daylight throughout.
The kitchen pairs robust surfaces with pared-back detailing. A stone island anchors the room, facing views across the valley.
Soft materials and custom furniture anchor the main living space, where warmth and openness are shaped by clean lines and soaring ceilings.
A flexible second lounge accommodates work and rest, with full-height shelving and soft northern light animating the space throughout the day.
Defined by rhythm and restraint, the space pairs sculptural volumes with a warm, grounded palette of woven textures and oak lining.
Framed by warm timber and natural light, the bedroom offers a calm, private retreat connected to the ensuite beyond.
Raw stone, soft plaster, and natural light elevate daily rituals, with a freestanding tub oriented toward the view for quiet reflection.