lorram
A small new-build cottage in the Scottish Highlands. Situated within the Plockton Conservation Area, the house occupies a tight triangular plot, with the building orientated to address a single-track lane.

Like in many rural places, existing housing options were limited, with the few new-build developments nearby offering little regard for quality of space or sustainability. Building from scratch on the family farm gave the clients the opportunity to think differently. To use natural materials - stone from Caithness, reclaimed slate and charred timber – and to create a home with generous volumes, connecting daily life to the surrounding landscape. Developed carefully though iterative drawing and model making, the outcome is a building that’s made to last. Like the drystone walls around the farm, it will slowly settle into its environment.

Drawing reference from the scattered groups of barns, cottages and steadings found throughout the surrounding countryside, the house is arranged as a cluster of forms. Gathered casually together, they create a functional courtyard, which claims a clear and defined arrival space within the otherwise open landscape.

Living spaces unfold between the two connected larger volumes, with primary social functions – cooking, eating and living – all contained within a spacious and flexible single room. Light-filled and generous, the space is open to the full height of the pitched roof form. The larger two storey volume is increasingly more private in nature, and is bookended with generous rooms to each gable, enjoying open views to the hills.

Iorram was featured in Architectural Digest, January 2026
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