Achi news desk-
The first to be scored on the basis of architectural merit, distinctive design and personal style is Casa Barra, described by owners Maria and Craig as a romance between North East Scotland and Latin America.
Craig’s family have been farming on the spot near Inverurie since 1928. He met Maria who he met in Colombia when he was travelling. A first date led to the couple spending four months on the road together.
“I convinced her with my grand dance moves,” said Craig. “A farmer from the North East trying to put on some amazing salsa on the dance floor. There was no turning back after that.”
The home was built to make the most of the stunning views, with Bennachie to the west and Barra Castle to the right.
Next on the judges’ viewing schedule is Quiney Cottage in Banchory. The property was covered in mold and damp and had no insulation when owner Rachel bought it three years ago, but it was very much love at first sight for the 38-year-old, who lived in London before and yearned for the open space. from her hometown.
“The earliest we have been able to find it on the map is the 1860s and I know before me that it was owned by the estate and would have been a farmhouse for a long time,” he said.
“It was rented by the estate and had been empty for a couple of years.
“I spent the first year discovering what I was going to do, with the architect and the carpenters.”
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With a sledgehammer he stripped the property back to brick, restoring every room at a cost of around £100,000. The two bedroom house embodies her love of clashing patterns, textiles and colours.
“I’ve always wanted to live in a cottage and I was really looking for a project. I know everyone says this but it was a real labor of love.
“I was in a small cramped flat in London with a small bit of garden. Even to have that in London is very lucky.
“I wanted to live somewhere where no one was around and the true cottage aesthetic is perfect for me.
“It’s symmetrical and cute and traditional.”
Most of the interiors came from second-hand and vintage stores or antique markets.
“It’s better for the environment to reuse things and they give your house more character,” he said.
The producers of ‘SHOTY’ contacted the 38-year-old woman when the house was in its early days of renovation and she said it had spurred her on to finish the restoration work.
The final home is an old listed farmhouse in South Aberdeenshire which is home to Gemma, Paul and their two children. The couple looked at many properties, but for Gemma the 1840s farmhouse felt like home straight away.
It also needed a lot of work, most of which Gemma tackled with the help of YouTube videos. First he learned how to paint and decorate, then he took on tiling, plumbing, lighting and even painting murals.
The construction involved some blood (she broke her finger while papering), sweat and tears apart.
“When you quit your job, have your babies, you lose your identity as a woman,” says Gemma. “Then this new thing opened up for me and it became my passion, but something I really enjoy and look forward to. I’m always thinking, what can I do next?”
Glasgow architect Danny Campbell joins judges Anna Campbell Jones and Banjo Beale for the new series.
Campbell says: “What I look for in a home is an inventive use of space with a deep connection to its site, presented with such originality that I can’t help but feel inspired.”
Interior designer Anna Campbell Jones, who has been with SHOTY from the start, says she looks for “uniqueness, imagination and integrity, and of course that most important ingredient – ​​love.”
Banjo Beale became a SHOTY judge after winning a Masters of Interior Design with Alan Carr. The interior designer from Mull is drawn to homes that are “full of character and personality”
The winners of the six regional heats will go through to the final, which will be held at House for an Art Lover in Glasgow.
The Old Train House in Edinburgh was crowned Scottish Home of the Year 2023.
Scottish Home of the Year, BBC One Scotland, Monday night, 8.30pm, and on iPlayer.
