LAND, SEA, SKYE

THIS ISLAND HOUSE IS INTIMATELY CONNECTED TO ITS SURROUNDINGS, AND ALL THE BETTER FOR IT

- Caroline Ednie

Catch a glimpse of Ian and Marcella Grant’s new house in eastern Skye, and the inspiration behind it is clear: it has the same elongated, low-profile outline as the traditional Highland longhouses that are such a feature of Scotland’s islands. View it from the other side, though, from the waters of Loch Harport, and it’s abundantly obvious that this was no exercise in nostalgia. A series of cantilevered angled windows, clad in narrow horizontal larch slats, reveal it to be a house that is very much about looking ahead.

In fact, flexibility and future-proofing were at the forefront of the design, as Grant, a partner in Skype-based architectural practice Kindelan Grant, explains: “If an alternative source of income is required, one end of it can become a self-catering apartment. Future developments could also see it become two separate dwellings, either for sale or as long-term lets for local workers.”

Built within the boundary of the Carbost settlement on the southern shores of the loch, the house sits on (and cuts into) a steeply sloping site between the road and the water’s edge, on what was previously a potato field cultivated by a nearby croft house.

The white harling, corrugated-iron roof and low eaves line of the front of the house fits comfortably with the local vernacular, its simple façade interrupted only by the glazed entrance doors. On the sea-facing side, though, are those much more contemporary windows, orientated towards the mountain views while at the same time preserving the privacy of both the owners and their closest neighbours.