STUDIO HIGHLANDS

Eva Lynch ("The preservation of hand skills is the preservation of humanity")

HAND PAINTED APARTMENT. SUMMER. DALVORAR, MAR LODGE. BRAEMAR

Entering ‘Dalvorar’ you are greeted by historic images of Victorian ladies on hand painted striped walls. Each apartment is loosely based on a season, with Dalvorar being Summer. We took the outside in and created a playful ‘Arts n Crafts’ styled apartment embracing the Victorian era. The feeling of a warm summer's day in the Scottish Highlands.
Set in a Victorian, neoclassical Adam revival style fashion with sustainability at its heart.

The neoclassical drawing room in Dalvorar is rumoured to be Princess Louise’s favourite room in Mar Lodge. The room has been hand painted with the glorious view that greets you as you drive down to the lodge. Once seen, never forgotten! It’s as romantic as it gets in the Highlands with the meandering Linn of Dee below. In high summer the moors are in full bloom with the scent of honey filling the air. In the bathroom a Victorian theatre group performs outside the Stags Ballroom whilst a circus tent in the bedroom sees wild Highland ponies galloping around you like a lucid dream. Spring flora hangs drying in the Kitchen come Conservatory whilst Fruit blooms forever from recycled plastic bottles. The 19th century wooden building, which sits alongside the main building, with latticework decoration, know as the ‘Stags Ballroom’ has been reworked into wallpaper. Once used by the legendary, highly imaginative and fantastical photographer Tim Walker to stage a Swan Lake scene for musician Patrick Wolf for Vanity Fair. Referencing the Victorian love of collecting and showcasing beauty we used Giles Deacon's wonderful Oology paper in a WC.
Mar Lodge is a place to dream, play, to escape reality and be lost in the many wonders of nature.

The drapes are made from wool from a small Scottish island. The mattresses are made using cashmere and sustainable cotton by the Blind Society. We reused existing furniture pieces, repurposed old lamps and had door signs knitted by the wonderful local ‘Knit Wits’ in a fun Victorian cake style for the Victorian ladies. Using all natural paint throughout to create health and happiness through play.

Mar Lodge is a highland estate in western Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which has been owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1995. Its principal building, Mar Lodge, is about 4 miles west of the village of Braemar. Part of The trust's Connoisseurs' Collection, the Lodge contains 5 luxurious Adam Revival-style apartments offering self-catering accommodation for up to 33 guests. Set amid magnificent Scottish countryside, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, Mar Lodge Estate is surrounded by ancient forests, rolling glens, wild rivers and rugged peaks.
Originally built as a Victorian hunting lodge for the Duke and Duchess of Fife in 1895, Mar Lodge is an idyllic setting for Highland weddings and an exclusive venue for corporate events, family gatherings and private parties.