Why “Scandi-Scot” Style Should Be Your 2024 Interior Design Inspiration

When thinking of Scottish design, minimalism is probably not the first word that springs to mind. Compared to Scotland’s better-known luxury hotels that lean into tartan and thistles—like the Hauser & Wirth-owned The Fife Arms, or the velvet-and-tassels-adorned Gleneagles—the stone-clad walls and sleek furniture at Lundies House and Killiehuntly Farmhouse might feel a little unexpected. These guest houses are part of the properties owned by Wildland that dot the Scottish Highlands across three estates, all with simple and distinctly natural interiors. They’re so pared-back that, at first glance, one might wonder if they truly belong somewhere on the other side of the North Sea.

While the style has been coined “Scandi-Scot,” it’s about more than just placing Scandinavian furniture in Scotland. Rooted in the shared history and design principles between both cultures, these properties have conservation, beauty, and sustainability at the forefront—and the origins of this movement are just as much Scottish as they are Scandinavian.

A bathroom at Kyle House in northern Scotland.Photo: Fran Mart

Scottish-born architect Gunnar Groves-Raines, director of the architecture and design studio GRAS and founder of the Custom Lane creative hub in Edinburgh, has worked closely with Wildland on many of their projects. “It was very deliberately a combination of Scottish traditions and materials, combined with Danish oak and Danish craftsmanship,” he says of the style. “It’s a lovely combination of something which is international, but also very much of its place.”

Take, for example, Lundies House: a 19th-century clergy-house-turned-hotel in the northwesternmost tip of Scotland, that joined Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List of best hotels in the world this year. The property is thoughtfully curated with antique and custom-made furniture by Wildland’s head of design, Ruth Kramer, who works closely with Wildland’s owners, Anne and Anders Holch Povlsen. (If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Anders is the largest shareholder in ASOS.) “Anne is very good at finding vintage pieces, so we have lived-in things merged with new things, which gives a homey feeling,” Kramer says. 

In one such instance of new work, she commissioned Scottish and Swedish furniture designer Nick Ross. He worked with Edinburgh-based carpenter Colin Parker to transform a fallen oak tree from the Scottish borders into a contemporary table and set of chairs. “We wanted to create a microcosm where you’re in the middle of the empty country, but you feel at home,” she adds. “You can see the beauty and sense it in everything, so that it makes you totally relax in a second.”