Category: Residential- Single Home

On the west coast of Skye, the crofting township of Torrin rests on a gently sloping hillside, offering a striking view over Loch Slapin towards the unmistakable peak of Blà Bheinn. The site is nestled within the settlement, surrounded by a mixture of traditional and modern houses, interspersed with fields, stone dykes, rocky outcrops, and clusters of trees. The brief was broken up to create a series of volumes arranged to sit both quietly within this landscape, and to create […]

Rock Cove is a dramatic new-build home designed by Glasgow based Cameron Webster Architects that cantilevers over the sea on a rocky promontory on the Rosneath Peninsula, creating the feeling of being suspended in the air. The client brief was to create a high-quality contemporary house taking advantage of its wild coastal setting. The aim was to maximise what could be achieved in terms of flexible and accessible accommodation Located on a narrow strip of decommissioned MOD land, formerly a […]

Taigh na Coille is a new sustainable cabin on Sutherland’s wild Atlantic coastline by WT Architecture, an award-winning Scottish architecture studio. Taigh na Coille – House of the Woods – is an 111m2 two-bedroom house offering shelter and protection from the breathtaking coastal landscape and elements of north west Sutherland in Scotland. The project exemplifies sustainable, contemporary architecture that works harmoniously with its wild environment. Taking advantage of the topography, the house is carefully nestled into the landscape; sitting against […]

Barnton Avenue, a category C listed red brick dwelling built in the Queen Anne Style, is an oddity within the sandstone dominated context of Edinburgh. Over time, the house had lost clarity due to piecemeal interventions—rooms (and the original property) were subdivided, and ad-hoc changes disrupted its flow and functionality. Spaces essential for modern family life, were either absent or insufficient. The client challenge to Somner Macdonald was clear: how do you take a listed home and respect its original […]

The Seed sits in a woodland garden outside Dundee. It is not only technically advanced, energy efficient and environmentally conscious, it stands out for its deeper exploration of how people use and interact with buildings and landscape. This project is rooted in a vision of shared living – creating a community – that is woven into every decision and extends well beyond the physical boundaries. Client Karoline’s vision to create a small-scale co-living home was also inspired by practicalities of […]

Harmony House was designed for clients seeking to start a new chapter of their lives in a home that would offer serenity and privacy, while making full use of the steep topography of the site. Crafted from locally sourced stone and prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT), the house emerges as a triptych of stone, light, and a floating planar roof. This combination allows the home to harmoniously blend into its surroundings while being a contemporary addition to the site. Challenging conventional […]

This one-bedroom holiday home, set amongst crofts in the historic township of Culnacnoc, is tucked into a pointed wedge of land in the corner of a small former quarry. The new building joins a set of closely grouped, pre-existing structures; a larger house, and a laundry store; both clad in blackened timber. The brief was to create a building with an internal floor area of less than 50m2, which framed expansive views of the Trotternish coast, whilst preserving a strong […]

Nestled within the picturesque village of Gattonside, this residential development exemplifies contemporary design that is sensitive to its surroundings. The design carefully responds to the unique site conditions, offering expansive south facing views of the Eildon Hills and sits adjacent to the historic suspension footbridge over the River Tweed. The journey to achieving planning approval was challenging. The project faced numerous obstacles and setbacks throughout the process, requiring perseverance and strategic design adaptations. However, the unwavering determination of the client […]