Brown & Brown designs Cairngorms house blending raw minimalism and nature
Spyon Cop by Brown & Brown is a contemporary home in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park
Scottish architects Brown & Brown have crafted a raw and minimalist home within Scotland’s idyllic Cairngorms National Park; welcome to Spyon Cop, a new three-bedroom family house framing long, green views across the region's valleys and the nearby River Don. This peaceful natural context was key right from the start in the Aberdeenshire- and Inverness-based studio's design, led by practice co-founders Kate and Andrew Brown.
Brown & Brown designs Spyon Cop
'From the outset, we wanted to design a building that sat delicately in the landscape and didn’t disrupt the horizon line. The result for Spyon Cop is a simple design, whereby everything springs from the same finish and is deliberately limited, allowing the views to take precedence,' Kate Brown explains. 'The challenge with building in these conditions is designing something that fits harmoniously with the rugged landscape. Spyon Cop marries the contemporary retreat our clients wanted, with a home that seems to have grown from the hillside.’
While Spyon Cop occupies the footprint of an old stone cottage which was demolished by the time the current owners bought their plot, the architects were keen for the new home to remain discreet and not compete with its verdant context. Creating a simple, low structure using the clean lines of a minimalist architecture approach felt like a no brainer for the team. A sod roof planted with grass tussocks cut from the hillside tops the structure, embedding it in its surroundings.
Inside, a refreshingly pared down and straightforward approach to the internal arrangement mirrors the exterior's simplicity. An open plan kitchen and living room sit at the heart of the design, flanked to the east by the main bedroom and ensuite; and to the west by a family bathroom, utility room, and two bedrooms.
The materials feel tactile and the relatively restricted palette of concrete, wood (the exterior, for example, is black-painted larch) and microcement places the emphasis on the vistas - which wrap the living experience through large openings across all sides of the house. Meanwhile Brown & Brown's use of low carbon principles for the project means that the house both breathes and displays efficient thermal retention – adding sustainable architecture to its list of credentials.
'Being perched on the hilltop at Spyon Cop is like nothing else; my favourite experience of the house is sitting in my Ercol chair or – in nice weather – out on the deck, coffee in hand, watching the sun rise over the valley,' says the client, Siobhan Turner. 'We were very conscious when building that this was to be our holiday home, and were determined not to take housing stock out of the local area. Working with a local architecture firm, with local builders and as far as possible local suppliers and craftspeople, we have been able to realise our dream, to build a house that makes the best use of the land and views, and does so gently, and quietly, offering a place we are at peace in.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed
77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
Stephen Friedman Gallery by David Kohn is infused with subtly playful elegance
Stephen Friedman Gallery gets a new home by David Kohn in London, filled with elegant details and colourful accents
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Henry Wood House’s postmodernist bones are refreshed by Nice Projects in London
Nice Projects breathes new life into the Henry Wood House in London, offering ample flexible office spaces for modern workers
By Daven Wu Published
-
‘Bio-spaces’ exhibition at Roca London Gallery celebrates biophilic design
‘Bio-Spaces: regenerative, resilient futures’ opens at the Roca London Gallery as ‘a call to action to stop designing nature out’
By Clare Dowdy Published
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2024: London’s bold, bright and boutique home renovations
Don’t Move, Improve 2024 reveals its shortlist, with 16 home designs competing for the top spot, to be announced in May
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Timber-framed Wimbledon house is a minimalist, low-energy affair
A new timber-framed Wimbledon house is designed to blend into its traditional surroundings with a neat brick façade, careful massing and pared back interiors
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
London Science Museum’s Energy Revolution gallery champions sustainable exhibition design
The Energy Revolution gallery opens at London’s Science Museum, exploring decarbonisation through sustainable exhibition design by Unknown Works
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This South Downs house stands as a testament to the value of quiet refinement
At one with the landscape, a South Downs house uses elements of quintessential country villas and midcentury gems with modern technologies
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Ash Tree House offers a contextual approach to a north London site
Ash Tree House by Edgley Design is a modern family home in a north London conservation area's backyard site
By Ellie Stathaki Published