Modern Scottish retreat is disguised as an old stone mill

Edinburgh studio WT Architecture concealed a modern timber-clad holiday home inside a former threshing mill in Scotland.

Aptly named The Mill, the house retains the historic character of the abandoned farm structure and the landscape, while quietly adding a new contemporary aesthetic. The renovated rural building emerges from a steep hillside and overlooks views of the valley in the Scottish Borders.

WT Architecture has previous experience with transforming old ruins into stunning new homes. In 2011, we featured their award-winning The White House, in which they turned a crumbling stone facade into an environmentally sensitive home on the Scottish Isle of Cole. With The Mill, WT Architecture transformed the farm structure’s ruined walls, abandoned for 70 years, into the hollow shell for the new modern abode. The result is an interesting and attractive juxtaposition of the historic with the contemporary.

In contrast to the stone exterior—repaired with lime mortar—the interior is mostly lined with pale timber, from spruce plywood panels to pine planks. The home layout is kept simple with open-plan rooms to maximize the sense of spaciousness and natural light. Split-levels were introduced to mitigate the site’s dramatic slope and create the opportunity for different spaces, from half levels to a double atrium. In addition to the old mill’s existing openings that were retained and faced with glass, the architects added new windows to frame views of the valley.

The project was shortlisted for the 2015 Edinburgh Architectural Association Regeneration and Conservation Award, and is currently awaiting results.