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INTERIORS

enduring and solid. Yet the overall impression is of light and acknowledges Siobhan. “People just don’t know where to get
elegance, with sofas upholstered in shimmering silk velvets. furniture that won’t be dwarfed by the proportions, or how to
Like most of the furnishings in the public rooms, these position it.” And it’s not just a problem at floor level – there
sofas were made to measure. “Going down the bespoke is the whole volume of the room to consider as well, and one
route is not some unnecessary extravagance,” says Siobhan. ceiling pendant is never going to be sufficient. “It’s important
“It really is the only way to furnish rooms of this scale.” This that you don’t end up with lots of empty space,” she says.
is particularly apparent here in the drawing room, which “Something as simple as a standard lamp will draw the eye to
measures a colossal 10m x 9m. “If you were to put normal- different heights.”
sized furniture in here, it would just disappear,” she points This attention to detail is evident everywhere: the drawing-
out. “That sofa there,” she says, indicating the pale-blue couch, room curtains, with their dizzying 4m drop, have a stripe that
“is 2.5m long. That’s enormous. Yet, because it is in this vast aligns perfectly with the dado rail; the stair carpet, by Stark,
room, it looks exactly the right size.” was chosen for its diamond pattern, since this was the only
Getting the scale right has been the key to the success design that would work with a staircase that has four turns per
of this project. “It’s often why interior designers are hired,” floor plus tricky half-landings branching off; one bathroom

HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND