AULD REEKIE OASIS

A home-and-garden renovation brings green energy to the heart of Edinburgh

After the architect couple Nick Groves-raines and Kristin Hannesdottir painstakingly restored Edinburgh’s 17th-century Lamb’s House (once a Victorian-era slum) for their own use, they turned their expert eye to the 18th-century pavilion that snaked around its courtyard garden. This has now become a unique holiday rental, with three storeys of charming period rooms sleeping up to six guests. No attention to detail or historical accuracy has been spared, with original features such as imposing stone fireplaces and a spiral staircase sitting pleasingly alongside minimalist Scandinavian design. Outside is a resplendent courtyard garden that, Hannesdottir says, ‘comes to life in spring, with cherry blossom and flowers’. marie-claire chappet Lamb’s Pavilion (www.lambspavilion.com), from £310 a room a night.