We’ve lived in boats, caves and now an airfield

I’ve lived on a narrow boat in London, a Georgian flat in Edinburgh and then an Edwardian end-terrace in Jordanhill, in Glasgow.

Marta used to live in a cave house in Granada, Spain. But in 2005 we decided to buy the airstrip to set up a flying school. And, when travelling from Glasgow to the airstrip became too much, we decided to build a home on site too.

Strathaven Airfield is a beautiful place. At 847ft above sea level it has fantastic views and a great sense of space and peace.

We started planning our new home in 2008 and were lucky to land Scotland’s fabulous award-winning architect Richard Murphy – who happens to fly a microlight.

Building started in 2009 and took 10 years to complete.

When the house was finished, it was one of the RIAS (Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland’s) 10 best new buildings in 2019. We also featured on TV’S Grand Designs. We were thrilled.

We wanted a 21st-century home with a steel frame for strength, an open-plan layout, floor-to-ceiling windows and modern insulation.

We decided to have the main rooms upstairs to capitalise on the light and views. The living/dining room/ kitchen are at the west of the house and get great sunsets. Also on this

level is a small snug, great when there are howling gales, and our master bedroom and the main bathroom. The utility room and guest bedrooms are downstairs. We also have an attic office and art studio.

A spiral staircase links all three floors, rising between the full-height windows on the north and south elevations.

The landscape can be seen right through the house at this point. Under-floor heating was essential because, with so many vast windows, radiators would have blocked the views! We also went for a Windhager wood pellet boiler, which is a green and efficient way of heating the house.

When it came to interior design, we decided to paint everything white to allow the architecture to speak for itself, and form a backdrop for the riot of colour that springs from fittings, paintings and accessories.

We chose red for the kitchen worktops, yellow for the fireplace box, green and fuchsia in one bathroom, purple in another, yellow in a third, and bright orange cabinets in the main bathroom and utility room. The main floors of the house are all quartz.

We have always mixed styles, and in our Georgian flat we had modern paintings with antique furniture.

This time round, we updated some of the old furniture we love with modern fabrics. The sofas in our TV room came from Seriously Sofas in Kingston upon Thames. We tried to declutter and focus on just a few really nice objects. Among our favourite pieces are the display cabinets on the main landing. We also love the Hwam inset woodburner.

We are really pleased with the end result.

The only thing we’d change is galvanising all the steelwork. Everyone said not to bother, and now we wish we had!

We love this house, you can’t beat looking out at on a crisp clear morning at a big wide sky while being warm and cosy inside. We’re on cloud nine.