At the remote edge of the Scottish Highlands, where dramatic skies meet ancient hills and the sea slips into shadowy lochs, Kyle House stands as a masterstroke of design-led restoration. This member of The Aficionados––a travel resource for those seeking lodgings that meld luxury, design and authenticity––, a once-abandoned stone cottage, has been exquisitely reimagined by Edinburgh-based architectural studio GRAS into a refined one-bedroom retreat located at the southern tip of the Kyle of Tongue in Sutherland.
Encased in limewashed stone, its timeless silhouette remains firmly rooted in place, yet within, a minimalist sophistication unfolds. The design ethos is grounded in a deep reverence for both nature and craft, expressed through a palette of raw, enduring materials—Caithness stone, oak, brushed metal and smooth glass. Kyle House is not merely a renovation, but a considered composition of form, texture and light. Every intervention is precise: newly cut windows frame the wilderness like living paintings; hand-finished oak joinery defines spatial rhythms; heated stone floors bring warmth underfoot while honouring their geological origins.
The interior spaces, conceptualised as a sequence of oak-lined volumes, are purposefully minimal, leaving room for nature to speak. Furniture is few and deliberate—Danish modern classics mingle with contemporary pieces by Ilse Crawford, selected for their quiet beauty and tactile presence. In the living room, a wood-burning stove draws focus without intrusion. A ribbon window slices through the kitchen, offering uninterrupted views of the moors and sea beyond. This is a home where silence and stillness are design elements.
The single bedroom, with its picture window carved into concrete, gazes directly onto the ever-shifting mist of the Kyle. The bed, layered in natural linens and thick quilts, becomes a cocoon from which to observe the land’s wild theatre. In contrast, the bathroom leans into indulgence—a deep soaking tub positioned beside the window offers views toward Ben Loyal, while a generous rain shower continues the sensorial immersion.
This member of The Aficionados is more than a getaway; it’s a contemplative haven. Designed to host just two guests, it encourages a profound connection with the land, and with each other. The project belongs to the same visionaries behind Killiehuntly Farmhouse and Kinloch Lodge, known for redefining rural hospitality with a mindful, design-forward approach. Here, that philosophy finds its purest expression.
Sitting within a National Scenic Area, the surrounding landscape is untouched, poetic—home to golden eagles, sea trout and whispering grasses that bend in Atlantic winds. The owners, a conservationist Danish family, describe their style as “Scandi-Scot”: a gentle synthesis of Nordic functionality and Scottish soul, shaped by a commitment to sustainability and a passion for place.
At Kyle House, architecture is not just shelter—it is a meditation. A solitary, sculptural presence in the vastness of the Highlands, this is a space for slow living, elemental luxury and sublime disconnection.
