Colourful Inheritance

An austere Scottish farmhouse has been transformed into a welcoming and stylish home thanks to the imagination and originality of its owners

- JANET GLEESON

Surrounded by carefully tended and now well-established gardens, the Dalrymples' house was once a modest farm dwelling in the middle of fields.

The marble top of an 18th-century parquetry secretaire, from Hew's family, is used for a display of Chinese porcelain. A small group portrait after Reynolds hangs above.

In the elegant dining room-cum-entrance hall, family portraits and a display of blue and white porcelain contrast with warm coral walls. Draped over the table, an antique suzani from Robert Kime adds to the rich textures of the room. An Italian carved wood putto flutters in front of a decorative niche, filled with Chinese blue and white porcelain bought at local auctions. Against the far wall, a sculpture of a female figure made from repurposed shards of ceramic by Cleo Mussi stands in front of an 18th-century family portrait.

Wandering through rooms of vibrant colour and seeing the whimsical mix of antique furniture, vintage textiles, modern paintings and inherited family portraits that fill them, it's hard to imagine the featureless building Janey Dalrymple and her husband Hew moved into 30 years ago. The couple were newly married with a young family when they left London to settle near North Berwick in 1992. Their farmhouse had belonged to Hew's family, who lived half a mile away in the home where he grew up.