Interiors: The Lothians’ perfect house didn’t exist... so they built it themselves

WHEN Stephanie and Ryan Lothian built their first house together in 2006, they were jumping in at the deep end. Situated in the village of West Linton, the house had more than 2,800 sq/ft of living space and took four years to get planning permission to build.

Anyone who waits four years to realise their dream of building their own home clearly has vision and determination in equal measure, so it’s little surprise that Stephanie and Ryan followed up that first project with a second new build in the village.

Melrose House sits on a large plot on Linton Bank Drive, a quiet residential cul-de-sac within walking distance of the centre of West Linton. The couple bought the plot, with fantastic south-facing views towards the Cloich Hills, in November 2008. Although the plot was sold with detailed planning permission for a house, the Lothians had their own ideas and set about the redesign process with the Falkirk-based Greenfields Design.

The internal spaces were opened up to create a sense of flow and volume, and larger windows were added to bathe the spaces in light. Stephanie says: “There were none of the cathedral windows or dormers or Veluxes in the original design.” The vestibule was redesigned with a vaulted ceiling and glazed doors leading into the hall, while what had been a garage on the initial plans became a TV/family room off the hall.

The split-level layout was a response to the sloping site and has created a wonderful flow between the hallway, the spacious dining-kitchen and the sitting room. The bay window in the latter soaks in the view to the hills. With these split levels, there was no need for internal doors to define the zones. The interior is also connected to the garden thanks to the decking that wraps around the rear of the house.

The couple gained planning permission for the revised design in under a year and work began on site in May 2009, by which point their lives had also evolved with the arrival of their son, Lewis, now three. Lewis was just ten weeks old when the foundations were laid for the five-bedroom house, and Stephanie project managed the build while on maternity leave. “We were here in the morning and afternoon, and in between we’d be at builders’ merchants sourcing and supplying the materials,” she recalls. “It was a bit crazy, looking back.”

Project managing a new build might sound like a nightmare with a baby in tow but, as Stephanie says: “It was easier doing this with a newborn than it would have been with a three-year-old.” Rob Roy Homes supplied the timber kit, and the couple sub-contracted all the work themselves. “Having tackled the previous house gave us more confidence,” Stephanie acknowledges. “This build was a lot easier as we had trades that we knew we could rely on.”

Every night, Ryan and Stephanie would sit down and discuss progress. “We’d look at what we’d done that day, and what needed to be done tomorrow,” she says. “As soon as that list was written, we could relax.”

Relax, up to a point. “It’s not an easy option, that’s for sure,” Ryan says of the build process. “What I enjoyed was driving here at night, as at the end of each day, or week, you could see that progression.” One highlight was when the scaffolding was constructed and the couple were able to appreciate the view they would have from their bedroom, which faces south, echoing the vista of the sitting room below.

There were so many decisions to be made throughout the process. “You’ve just laid the foundations, but then you have to choose your kitchen and bathrooms, and all you have is a one-dimensional paper plan,” Stephanie says. While the couple had a vision for their home, they also visited developers’ showhomes looking for new ideas and inspiration on finishes. After admiring a cream-and-walnut-finish kitchen, they consulted designer Carol Cameron of Kitchens International, who added distinctive touches such as the curved walnut breakfast bar on the island.

Stephanie chose the striking “Celestial” Elica extractor after seeing it featured on Grand Designs. “That’s our one bit of bling,” she admits, while Ryan’s must-have was the integrated Sonos music system.

The kitchen design illustrates the couple’s commitment to a contemporary aesthetic and to the quality of the finished product. As Ryan says: “You can get carried away with the building, but if you don’t get the internal finish right it doesn’t work. We were conscious of cost, but we had to get the product right and the quality right.” This approach is evident in the selection of fittings and finishes throughout, from the Duravit bathroom fittings (most of the bathroom fittings came from Victor Paris) to the contemporary Scan stove in the sitting room, which they sourced from the Scottish Stove Centre after spotting the design in a magazine.

When it came to choosing colours, a Farrow & Ball consultant visited when the house was still a work in progress. “Because the spaces were flowing into each other, we knew we needed to get it right,” Ryab says, and the palette of shades, from the dining-kitchen’s Green Ground walls to the family room’s Cord walls, to the Light Gray and Shaded White of the sitting room, accentuates that flow. This palette also provides a beautiful backdrop for the furniture, most of which was bought for this house, from the Dwell walnut dining suite that complements the kitchen, to the family room sofa made-to-measure by Choice in Glasgow.

In the master bedroom, the wall behind the bed was built out to accommodate wardrobe space behind, and was scaled to fit the couple’s bed. This space is one of the highlights, from the vaulted ceiling and the cathedral-style window formation, to the grey-on-grey palette that was achieved using Pavilion Gray and Charleston Gray shades. The build was completed in nine months, and the family moved into Melrose House in February 2010. Asked what has exceeded their expectations Stephanie credits their bedroom because of its light and scale, as well as the overall sense of volume. Also, there’s no wasted space. “The interesting thing for me is that, even though there are only three of us, we use the whole house,” says Ryan. “I think that’s a real achievement.”

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