The home designed by Baillie Baillie Architects houses a day area, consisting of a kitchen, living room, and dining room, and a sleeping area with a bedroom and bathroom. The interior is designed to celebrate craftsmanship and simplicity, with restrained and simple furnishings, adapted to the needs of holiday periods.
The project's main material is Scottish Douglas fir, used for both structural elements and cladding, and, with the remaining material, for the doors and kitchen cabinets. The walls were made from monolithic clay blocks, finished with clay plaster and plastered with lime.
Iorram by Baillie Baillie Architects. Photograph by Murray Orr.
Project description by Baillie Baillie Architects
Iorram is a contemporary take on a traditional cottage in the Scottish Highlands, by Baillie Baillie Architects. Celebrating the use of local timber, as well as local tradition, Colin & Megan Baillie designed and built the house for themselves, creating a compact holiday let that allows them to share the virtues of sustainable design and craftsmanship.
The self-build project took a low-tech, natural materials-led approach, using monolithic clay block walls – a material which is simple to construct, durable, and completely plastic free. The deep blockwork is finished in natural clay plaster and traditional lime harling.
Scottish Douglas Fir, sustainably felled and milled in the Highlands, was used for all timber structural elements, wall linings, and details. Baillie Baillie took an innovative approach to minimise waste material - with timber offcuts used to make mortised doors and kitchen cabinets. Using a restrained palette, the house is a celebration of craftsmanship and simplicity.
Despite a compact internal area of 38 sqm, Colin and Megan wanted to show that they could create a feeling of generosity, which is achieved through varied qualities of light and volume, as well as the use of warm, tactile materials. Apertures are configured sparingly with a single large east-facing window angled to take in the landscape with long views across the bay and low-morning sun.
