A Perthshire cottage has allowed two designers to find creative freedom
When Alison Vance moved to Scotland eight years ago, she knew that for all she was gaining, she was also sacrificing several important aspects of her life. Originally from the outskirts of Belfast, she had become accustomed to opening her curtains each morning to be greeted by rolling Irish hills and chirping birds. When she moved to Edinburgh to live and work with her partner Jeff Laing, her new surroundings were urban and busy – a million miles from the converted steading she’d been living in.
It wasn’t all bad: the couple’s stylish garden apartment was in the middle of Edinburgh, in the trendy, boutiquey, Stockbridge area, and as well as being at the heart of the capital’s hustle and bustle it was also close to their business, Jeffreys Interiors. As design directors of the interior design company, their home was a smart retreat to which they could escape at the end of a busy day.
Nevertheless, Alison missed the countryside, and they began looking for a place where they could get away from the city and leave their hectic working week behind. “We fell in love with Perthshire when we were working for some clients in Pitlochry,” says Alison, “so we decided to look for a bolt-hole there where we could spend weekends and holidays.”
Initially, the pair rented a cottage in Perthshire, where they quickly adapted to village life, enjoying the community feel and revelling in the local wildlife. “Jeff had only ever lived in the city so it made sense to rent first, to see if he could cope! But we were very lucky,”
This is just a taster, you can browse the full article with more stunning photography on pages 188-200, issue 105.
DETAILS
Photography Neale Smith
Words Catherine Coyle
Art direction Gillian Welsh
Garden shots Zac and Zac
What A three-bedroom cottage
Where Perthshire
