Why we had to buy the place across the road
Who: Journalist Gethin Chamberlain, 54, weaver Carolynn Shaw, 55, and their 14-year-old son Ieuan
What: The Five Turrets, a Grade 2 listed Scottish Baronial home built around 1870 and remodelled to create a colourful, modern interior
Where: Selkirk in the heart of the Scottish Borders with spectacular views across the Ettrick Valley
We moved to Selkirk from India in 2014.
Living across the road from the property, buying it was not something we’d planned but we decided to take the plunge after spotting the For Sale sign from our bedroom window one morning. From the outside, it looked a fascinating proposition but we had no idea just how extraordinary it was until we got inside and stepped down into a vast triple height space with huge windows looking out over the valley. We could see the potential but it was going to take a bit of work to tackle the ’70s décor – right down to the avocado bathroom suite.
We got an architect to help us draw up plans to strip out the old kitchen and turn it into a bedroom, and create a chic new chef’s kitchen to the rear of the great hall. Then we got rid of the rickety balustrades on the staircase, replacing them with a sleek new oak and glass structure.
When it came to the interior design, we resisted covering everything in tartan and scattering swords and stag’s heads around the walls as can so often be the case with historic buildings.
We wanted to do something different and make it something quite personal so Carolynn, who is a highly talented craftswoman, wove all the bed runners and wall hangings and the mirror frame to make it extra-special.
And a friend, who runs Funk It Up Upholstery, reupholstered old chairs in a fantastically eye-catching patchwork design and that spurred us on.
It just got more and more glamorous.
There are a lot of design features in the property that we love, from the theatre-style spotlights that illuminate the dining table, and the modern Scottish prints on the walls, and the 600 books in the library. The huge bookcase is actually four Ikea Billy bookcases painted and customised to hold the flatscreen TV.
Statement walls with a sense of drama were essential.
We used Farrow & Ball shades throughout, kicking off with Downpipe in the entrance room. It’s a deep, dramatic grey blue, set off by a piano salvaged from the local concert hall and painted white and complemented by a multi-coloured Dar Lighting Souk five-light chandelier.
We chose Dimpse – a delicate grey – on the stair wall and some of the woodwork but most of the remaining woodwork is Wimbourne White. We went for Downpipe again on the mezzanine. But the big design gamble was painting out the rather dreary and fussy dark brown woodwork in the great hall and simply picking out the main roof beams in Worsted; a rich mid-grey that absolutely transformed the room into something light and airy.
The bedrooms are Inchyra Blue, Green Smoke, Mole’s Breath (a moody grey) and then just for the hell of it a wall of India Yellow in the room that sports a turret. It seemed appropriate.
You can’t beat that great hall – it’s just a perfect space for a family to spread out.
You’ve got the views out across the valley, the fire, a fab kitchen with a breakfast bar and scarlet and chrome bar stools that draw people to join the cook, while the kids can have the mezzanine to watch TV or play games. It’s so unusual you can’t help smiling. I love guests’ reactions when they walk in and their jaws drop.