A high-stakes blend of tradition and modernity has paid off for the owners of this Victorian home in Stirlingshire
David Johnson likes clients who are willing to take a risk. So the fact that the couple who bought the magnificent Drummond Lodge in Callander did so from 10,000 miles away was probably a good sign that they and the architect were meant for one another.
It wasn’t just their willingness to take a chance from the other side of the world that suggested they were a perfect match, though; their attitude to design was another big tick. “They’re really into it. They appreciate it,” says David, managing director at architecture studio GLM Architects and Building Surveyors and a specialist in conservation. “They had some pretty strong ideas about what they liked and what they didn’t like, so we were able to engage in good, robust discussions.”
The couple, expats who’d been in Australia for years before deciding to retire back in Scotland, had bought the large detached Victorian house with a view to remodelling the interior and adding an extension. For David, it was their openness to having a more modern design for the extension that appealed.
“When it comes to period property, people often play it safe, certainly from the external appearance of the building at least. They generally like it nice and modern inside, but want the outside to look Victorian or Georgian or whatever.
“So, to get clients who were prepared to be a little bit daring was refreshing, and we embraced what they wanted,” he recalls.
“They wanted a lot of Crittall-style glazing. We did some initial sketches and aligned on a preferred option, and it sailed through planning. Contrary to what you might imagine, planners actually like a modern intervention – they like that it shows how the house has evolved. They don’t like things being a copy of what’s already there; they’d prefer it to be distinct, of its time.”
While the clients were still in Australia, and before the extension was built and part of the ground floor was remodelled to create a better flow and a more modern style of living, David’s first task was to create a striking en-suite bathroom off the main bedroom. This was to be no cramped shower room in a glorified cupboard. “There wasn’t an en-suite at all, so we transformed an adjacent bedroom into a bathroom. We knocked through and created double doors, sorted out the drainage and the ventilation and the tiling. It was a complete fit-out,” explains the architect.
“The brief was to create something with a luxurious feel. And why not? They’d obviously been pretty successful in life and were taking early retirement and wanted to kick back and enjoy life. Why not spoil yourself?”
The bathroom conversion certainly does that, with the star of the show being a sumptuous freestanding copper bath under a large sash-and-case window. The new owners returned from Australia to enjoy the fruits of GLM’s labour, but it wasn’t long before they had to move out again to allow work to begin on phase two – the extension and groundfloor redesign. Once again, David was happy that his clients had firm design ideas. “You find with people who are so into their design that they’re very exacting. Attention to detail is key, which is great. It challenges us and means we need to be on top of our game, making sure everything is aligned perfectly.
This is an excerpt from issue 162 of Homes & Interiors Scotland. Want to read more about this Victorian home? Buy your issue here.
The flow in this bright two-storey home makes absolute sense for its owner’s lifestyle.
The flow in this bright two-storey home makes absolute sense for its owner’s lifestyle
