PEACEFUL SPIRIT

School cook Liz Hallam has built a house with outstanding views of the Sound of Mull, decorated with tranquil coastal colours that fit its dreamlike setting

- JANE CRITTENDEN

The benefit of building your own home in a coastal location is being able to take advantage of the best views. Liz Hallam did just that, capturing widespread vistas of the Sound of Mull-and the Isle of Mull beyond-in a length of floor-to-ceiling windows, creating peaceful room schemes that complement rather than compete with the views.

Liz bought the plot eight years ago with her now ex-husband, intending to build two holiday houses to supplement their retirement on the Isle of Mull.

But by 2018 the pair had parted ways, leaving Liz to reconsider her options. She decided to build one of the houses for herself. This part of Scotland is wild, remote and very beautiful, but there's also a community and the ferry to Mullis only a five-minute drive. I chose which house I wanted to build and sold the other plot to my builder.'

Although not a trained designer, Liz has built a house before and completed 15 renovations. She had already drawn the barn-style designs for both planned properties and had started moodboarding the interiors.

Back then, my instinct had been to keep both houses modern and pared back, with a Scandinavian look, as that would be best for guests,' she says. Once I knew I would be living in one of the houses, I decided to keep the Scandi vibe, but make it work with my antique and vintage furniture'