This Scottish Holiday Home Is Topped With Grass From the Surrounding Hillside

"The tussocks camouflage the house, melting it into the landscape," says architect Kate Brown.

Nestled into a hilltop in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park, this holiday home could be easily overlooked—but it’s well worth a second glance. Brown & Brown designed the retreat with a restrained palette, a low profile, and a green roof that almost completely disappears into the landscape when viewed from above.

The home, named Spyon Cop, is located in the Cairngorms, a large national park renowned for its natural beauty and access to outdoor activities like hillwalking, mountain biking, and climbing. The house is located on a hilltop where the River Don bends, and it overlooks beautiful views down two valleys. "Our clients wanted the house to feel like it belonged, so Spyon Cop is quite modest in its size and form, but also in its presence," explains architect Kate Brown. "It sits gently on the land." 

Photo by Dapple Photography

The firm created the modest dwelling for Siobhan and Rory, a couple from the area who now live in London, to allow them to spend more time with nearby family. They wanted the home to be a simple and understated retreat where they could escape the pressures of the everyday—and it was essential that the project supported local industries.

One of the biggest challenges was building on a hillside and access to the remote location. "We found that some delivery trucks weren’t able to travel the long, unmarked, and bumpy track to the house," recalls architect Kate Brown. "Luckily, we were on good terms with the neighboring farmer, whose tractor came in handy for transporting materials to the building site!" 

Photo by Dapple Photography

"From the outset, we wanted to design a building that sat delicately in the landscape and didn’t disrupt the horizon line," says Kate Brown, architect and cofounder of Brown & Brown. "The result is a simple design, whereby everything springs from the same finish and is deliberately limited, allowing the views to take precedence."

A Firemaker stove is suspended from the ceiling in the open plan living space, to be enjoyed alongside the expansive views from the clients’ vintage Ercol chairs and plush green sofa.  

Photo by Dapple Photography

See the full story on Dwell.com: This Scottish Holiday Home Is Topped With Grass From the Surrounding Hillside
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