A remote Scottish farmhouse perfectly rooted in its dramatic landscape

Few landscapes can be as peaceful and yet subject to constant motion and change as the west coast of Scotland. Perched above a tidal pool on a remote Hebridean island, this traditional old farmhouse, recently restored by the model and writer turned interior designer Saffron Aldridge and her business partner Scarlett Supple, embodies this contradiction perfectly. From its huge windows, the sky can alternate between rain storms and sunshine in a matter of minutes, the sea grows rougher and calmer by turns, and distant hills blur and reappear again over the course of the day. Yet the interior is a place of deep calm and comfort, the ideal place to retreat to from the commotion of everyday life.

A winding trail wends its way down to the farmhouse which has views over the sea towards the mainland and mountains

When Saffron acquired the house three years ago, it coincided with the establishment of her interior design studio, Aldridge & Supple, with Scarlett. Having met her years earlier on a different project (Scarlett was previously an interior designer for Soho House), Saffron had been impressed by her talent; they stayed in touch and, when Scarlett decided to set up on her own in 2020, they joined forces. Saffron’s creative eye, honed by her background in fashion and art, as well as her extensive travels, alongside Scarlett’s experience and interior design credentials, make for a formidable combination. The farmhouse would be a testing ground for many of their ideas as well as a showcase for all the things they do best.

Built around 1905, the stone house was a ruin when Saffron came across it. The pair began with the architectural work, extending the footprint of the house and building back into the rockface behind it, adding a grass roof so the structure feels embedded in its surroundings. ‘The landscape here is so breathtaking,’ says Scarlett. ‘We wanted to make sure that there was the right balance in the proportions of the building, so we did a lot of research into Scottish houses of this period. We also worked with a team of incredibly skilled local carpenters and contractors who understand the local materials and traditional building methods.’

This doubleheight space with exposed Caledonian sandstone walls is furnished with a relaxed mix of antiques such as a...

The resulting house is pleasingly balanced between enveloping comfort and a liberating sense of space. One side contains the expansive sitting room, open to the roof and designed around the view over the sea to the mainland and the mountains beyond, with huge steel-framed french windows that lead onto a terrace. This room opens directly into the kitchen and the other, two-storey side of the house, where smaller spaces – a snug and boot room, flower room and bedroom – occupy the rest of the ground floor, and a generous bedroom and bathroom take up the entire first floor. ‘I love that you enter the house through a small, cosy boot room,’ says Saffron. ‘Then come out into this big, open space where you can breathe and feel free.’

The captivating outside world takes centre stage in the interiors. The view is one aspect of that and the outside can be brought into the sitting room by opening the beautiful, hand-crafted doors to the terrace. But Scarlett and Saffron also took great pains to find the right organic materials to set the interior in its environment. Wood and stone predominate: on some walls, the stone has been left in its natural state; on others it is evened out by lime render. Timber from fish farms, aged over time by seawater, has been used for the ceiling beams and wonderfully textured kitchen cabinets, while Norfolk pamment tiles, loved by Saffron since her childhood, lend further rusticity.

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