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 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.

“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.”

In keeping with this approach, the floor plan of the house is characterized by its practicality. The firm opted to minimize circulation space and maximize room sizes to make the most of the budget.

A Cor-Ten steel alcove shelters the front door, which leads to the open-plan kitchen and living room—complete with spectacular views. This informal space opens out to a patio that extends the width of the home and overlooks the river and valley below. When weather permits, the living area can be extended outside, fully immersing the residents in the landscape.

Two guest bedrooms are situated on the western side of the home, while the eastern wing is dedicated to the main suite. Like the living areas, the bedrooms feature large windows oriented toward the views.

The glazing does more than bring the landscape inside, however. It also informs the architectural massing. “The landscape contains varying undulating slopes, and the massing of the building was conceived as a simple play on these forms,” explains Brown.

The color palette and dark timber cladding allow the home to blend into the hillside—particularly in winter months when there is less foliage around the site.

The restrained palette continues inside, where enduring materials such as pale timber, microcement, and board-formed concrete let the views over the valley take center stage.

One of the home’s defining architectural elements is its sod roof, which is planted with grass tussocks cut directly from the hillside. The design makes use of a hyperlocal, readily available, free material—and it also assists with drainage, provides a layer of insulation, and preserved grasses cut away during construction to reduce the loss of biodiversity.

“We were very conscious that this was to be our holiday home, and we were determined not to take housing stock out of the local area,” says Siobhan. “Working with a local architecture firm, with local builders, and as far as possible local suppliers and craftspeople, we have been able to realize our dream—to build a house that makes the best use of the land and views, and does so gently, and quietly. It’s a place we are at peace in.”

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Project Credits:

Architect: Brown & Brown / @brown_and_brown_architects

Builder: Crombie Ltd.

Structural Engineer: Design Engineering Workshop

Cabinetry: Crombie Ltd.

Larch Cladding: Russwood

Sanitaryware: Lusso Stone

Stove: Firemaker

Photographer: Dapple Photography