Homes & Interiors Scotland May - June 2021

Enforced stasis over the past year hasn’t stifled creativity – if anything, it has made us think outside the box about absolutely everything. This edition celebrates this exhilarating energy with a focus on inventive designers whose clever concepts are pushing the boundaries. One interior designer who’s causing a stir is Sam Buckley. A devotee to doing things differently, he is the genius behind the Edinburgh living room that features on our front cover. Turn to page 178 to see more of how he uses paint and geometric graphics to generate maximum impact. With creative combinations and super-saturated shades lifting the lockdown gloom, this is a good time to ignite your own passion for pigment. The best of blue, yellow and red is showcased on page 54 to get you started. Remaining firmly on…

Perhaps best known for her range of quirky knitted creatures, Donna Wilson has turned her attention to furniture, producing a typically idiosyncratic collection for SCP. Experimentation is at the root of the award-winning designer’s practice and here, she says, she simply laid out a blank sheet of paper, picked up her paintbrush, and allowed her usual influences – the natural world and her native Aberdeenshire – to inspire her. The resulting collection, Abstract Assembly, is delightfully playful and irreverent, the arresting shapes hand-painted in fresh colour, and all beautifully put together using traditional woodworking techniques. IMAGE BY: KAI BASTARD, BAD STAR STUDIO…

The designer, entrepreneur, humanitarian, writer and legendary hostess lives with her family on a small island in the Bahamas. She recently published her fourth book focusing on design and lifestyle HOW HAS YOUR STYLE EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS? I don’t think it really has evolved — I’m still a traditionalist at heart, although my style has possibly become a little more eccentric. My partner David Flint Wood and I collect and fail to edit, so there’s layer upon layer in our house. I panic occasionally that we’ve become hoarders, until guests remind me that every object, painting and book tells its own story of the life we have created together with our five children. DESCRIBE YOUR DREAM HOME My dream home is actually the house I live in here in the Bahamas. It’s called…

Perhaps it’s down to her training as a forensic scientist, but Kate Spiers seems to apply acute precision to her everyday life. There’s no lab coat or safety goggles involved (she’s more likely to be in a midi dress and classic sneakers), but her carefully considered approach has proved to be invaluable in her job as a digital content creator and as one third of the presenting team on the BBC’s BAFTA-nominated Scotland’s Home of the Year show. In the background, meanwhile, over the last decade, she has been honing her craft as an influencer. Her knack for renovating period properties has seen her social media profile soar as a go-to for DIY-ers and homemaking millennials in search of interiors inspiration. “When I first started out, I was doing mostly beauty…

I’m making the planet greener by shopping more sustainably, buying less fast fashion and making an effort to recycle more. A message to my younger self Worry less. You have plenty of time for things to fall into place. A message to my older self Wear your SPF! When I blow out the candles I wish for A good year ahead. Right now I’m looking at My laptop, as always. Best bit of life just now The weekends! I’m living for them. Happiness is Lazy Sundays in bed with a coffee, a book and my cats. Tell us a secret I laugh at everything! If money were no object I’d buy a house in Morocco. And maybe one in Mallorca too. My fridge is always stocked with Oat milk. Best recent gift A big box of calming incense. A book I…

BED OF ROSES The Nicholas headboard from KDLoves works well as part of a bright, bohemian bedroom. Pictured here in the Small Oak Leaves pattern, its cool curves and deep raspberry colour are a match made in heaven. Pair with bold bedding for a very inviting spot to snooze. £750. kdloves.com CURL UP Wovenology has a stellar selection of cheerful baskets, and this striped dog bed is our favourite. They’re all woven by hand in a wide range of colours and patterns, meaning no two are the same. Give Fido such a chic place to rest his head, and he might – might – just stay off the sofa. £110 for a small dog basket. wovenologybaskets.com Tequila sunrise Planning a summer soiree? Get in the mood with these sunny Collier tumblers from Soho Home. The…