Homes & Interiors Scotland November - December 2021

As 2021 draws to a close (and what a year it has been), we’re taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the place that has been a constant, kept us safe and provided sanctuary over the last twelve months: home. Some have spent more time indoors than ever before, working, convalescing, planning; others have been changing up their spaces, seeing their four walls through new eyes. With a transition in season upon us, perhaps now is the best time to recognise the ways we can make our homes different – celebratory, in fact. Take our latest edition as a sourcebook heading into the new year. Our annual Art Guide 21 is a masterclass in the practicalities of how to buy art, where to find it and what to choose. If you’re…

What makes a place of worship special? Elaborate adornment? The sense of something divine at play as you cross the sacred threshold? Or the ease with which it combines the spiritual and the practical needs of its congregation? Marks Barfield Architects designed Cambridge Central Mosque to do just that and the building is now shortlisted for the 2021 RIBA Stirling Prize. It’s Europe’s first eco-mosque; a building that incorporates the Islamic ‘Breath of the Compassionate’ eight-point star pattern to its internal tree structure, referencing humanity’s role as responsible custodians of nature. It is as functional as it is beautiful and worthy of worship in every form. Cambridge Central Mosque, architecture.com…

Pam Gruhn Pam Gruhn founded chalk paint brand Frenchic from her kitchen table back in 2014. It is now sold around the world and the business has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation HOW HAS YOUR STYLE EVOLVED? I feel it has naturally evolved with the places I’ve travelled to and the experiences I’ve had. I’d describe my style as rustic chic. I like a mix of traditional furniture pieces with a colourful modern twist. I have always loved interiors, and for a long time was a passionate upcycler – which led to the creation of Frenchic Paint. I could see where chalk paint needed to improve, so I put everything I had into creating a new offering, ensuring it was fully sustainable along the way. WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCES YOU?…

Jess Elliott Dennison is laughing. She’s recalling the story her mum always tells about the time the Hovis truck drove down their street and a bag of flour fell off the back. “She claims that bag of flour lasted forever – she cobbled together so much from it!” It’s a family tale but it also represents the ‘make do and mend’ spirit, together with a fearless entrepreneurial edge, that Jess grew up around. Her parents were not from a creative background (in fact, they worked in software development in 1980s London, where the only thing more prominent than the shoulder pads was the stress levels), but they always encouraged risk-tasking and living life without regrets. And their daughter has made that philosophy her own, opening Elliott’s general store and café-kitchen…

I’m making the planet greener By eating very little meat and flying a lot less than I did in my 20s. A message to my younger self Ask your grand-parents more questions and spend more time with them – one day they won’t be here. When I blow out the candles I wish for Another year of health for my family. Right now I’m looking at An empty Rebecca Proctor bowl (it was full of brown-sugar custard!). Best bit of life right now The anticipation of becoming a mum. One thing you might not know about me Before we moved to Scotland, I was a teenage Essex girl – fake tan included! If money was no object We’re packing our bags and travelling the world. A view I never tire of That little house on the cliff…

COLOUR WASH…