This Life

A talent for upcycling combined with a good eye for a vintage fi nd have helped the cashmere entrepreneur to create a wonderfully unique home in the Highlands

- Catherine Coyle

Before the exhortation ‘Make Do and Mend’ was commandeered by clever designers who emblazoned it on everything from tea towels to T-shirts, it was the motto of necessity to those who lived through the war effort. The concept of rationing, of saving odds and ends for reuse, repurposing them and giving them new jobs, were all skills crucial to minimising the impact of the Second World War on everyday life in Britain – and they’ve proved to be lessons that many still hold dear today. ‘Upcycling’ might be 21st-century terminology for an Insta-friendly generation, but the art of taking something old and giving it new life is an enduring concept.

Jeanetta Rowan Hamilton has always had a knack for it. And having those skills was what really swung it for her when it came to deciding whether or not to keep the tin-roofed fishing lodge that has been in her family for generations. It was in poor condition; harsh Highland weather had long battered the quaint abode, and decades of benign neglect meant there had been little internal upgrading over the years. It would have been quite understandable if Jeanetta had decided to sell it on, convinced that the restoration job was just too big for her to tackle single-handedly.