It takes a bold man to build a house with a front wall entirely of glass. All
the more so when the wall faces a golf course. And when it comes to
confidence, the developers of the Broomfield Estate in Perthshire appear to
have more than their fair share.
The four-acre estate sits off a quiet road in the Rosemount area of
Blairgowrie, with an Edwardian mansion, Broomfield House, at its heart.
Among the tall Scots pine and silver birch, three startling contemporary
villas, each in a radically different design, will join a conversion of
Broomfield House into three apartments and a penthouse. Prices will start at
£500,000.
Zebrano, the company behind the scheme and a first-time developer, claims it
has a unique approach. It sees the project as a chance to make an instant
impression on the top end of the Scottish development market. Indeed, such
is its ambition that it insists the estate will set the benchmark for
anything to follow. This may sound lofty, and its name may be new to
property buyers, Zebrano is no newcomer to the construction industry. The
Edinburgh-based firm has until now been involved in upmarket interior design
and architectural consultancy services.
The three new four- or five-bedroom villas will be dotted around the estate,
each sitting within an acre of ground, and having a southerly aspect.
The Fairway Villa is closest to the Wee course of the Blairgowrie Golf Club,
which the site borders. It is perhaps the most striking in design, with its
double-height living area featuring a slate-clad chimney breast that rises
to the ceiling. “This was the design that came to me most quickly,” says
Ewan Cameron, design director of Zebrano. “This seemed a natural design for
the setting. Sitting in the Fairway Villa, you will see the whole height of
the trees.”
The Woodland Villa is, as its name implies, tucked into an area of mature
trees, including douglas fir, oak, larch and maple. If anything on this
scale can be deemed cosy, then this is it, with its open fire and
full-height chimney breast. With a stone and wood-clad frontage, there are
also large glass panels that rise to the double height of the living area,
giving open views of the surrounding woods. The split-level roof may look
familiar to fans of the Huf Haus, the timber-framed home built in German
factories.
“The split pitched roof is inspired by Huf Haus,” says Cameron, “but this is a
solid block house as opposed to a kit home. To me it has that extra
solidity.”
The third new villa is the most surprising, but, according to Cameron, was
inspired by its location. “The idea for the Walled Garden Villa came from
simply standing in that space. With the existing wall, it seemed like a
private, contemplative area. It lent itself to the singlestorey, L-shaped
building. As with the other new villas, it has been designed to make the
most of natural light. It has a living wing and a sleeping wing. The sun
rises in the east in the sleeping area, and as it moves over during the day
and into the evening it lights the living area.”
A fourth home is made by the conversion of the coach house. The exterior will
be restored to preserve its original character, while internally the house
will be opened up to provide four bedrooms, and with sliding-glass doors to
the rear of the living area.
When the architect Cameron joined as design director in 2006, he and the
managing director, Isabel Ridley, began looking for a site for the company's
first development. Cameron says Broomfield fulfilled the ambition.
“This was perfect in terms of scale and location. Perthshire is a very
desirable part of the country and this particular site lends itself
perfectly to these individual, contemporary homes.”
Cameron says: “There has been no compromise on sizes here. It's the same with
the apartments in Broomfield House itself. We had originally planned five
apartments, but looking at the building again, realised there was a better
natural spilt to four.”
Broomfield House was built in 1910 for a Dundee jute baron, and when Zebrano
bought it for £1.35m in April last year, it was still being used as a family
residence.
Despite the fact that the building has not been listed, Cameron has been
careful to let the layout of the house dictate where the apartments should
fall. Rather than changing the layout of the rooms to accommodate en-suite
bathrooms, large cupboards have been converted to accommodate them.
“It has been a sympathetic restoration. Few of the rooms have been changed at
all, and all the apartments are accessed through the grand entrance hall.
We've been very lucky as the house was in superb condition - no damp and no
dry rot at all.”
Outside space has also been brought into the equation. One apartment has its
own garden, while another has a private terrace. The penthouse has its own
deep terrace that almost stretches to the width of the house.
Stuart Black of the selling agent, Knight Frank, believes that the variety on
site will attract a range of potential buyers. “I see the apartments
appealing to professional couples, downsizers and retired couples, while the
houses could suit families, professional couples, early retirees or people
who split their time between Perthshire and a home in Europe or even
America. The golf is obviously a great draw here, but the location is
superb.”
Cameron was delighted to work with the blank canvas the estate provided and
says that, working as a designer within the company, there were fewer of the
frustrations that come when dealing with an independent client.
“It does remove a lot of the compromise of good ideas, but taking advice from
all the partners is critical,” he says. “As is taking advice from the
selling agent.”
The agent agrees: “Great ideas are very well, but they have to be lived in.”
The Broomfield House apartments are due for completion in July or August, with
the villas to be ready before the end of the year. As each property is
completely bespoke, however, buyers can have more of an input. The finishes
are already high-quality, with Alno kitchens and Porcelanosa bathrooms, but
buyers can change the spec before anything solid is put in place.
Blairgowrie is within spitting distance of Perthshire's most fashionable
enclaves, but may prove a little stuffy for such space-age homes. These are
certainly not the kind of dwellings that have traditionally crowded around
Scotland's golf courses.
For buyers of slightly less futuristic tastes, a similar development nearby,
in the village of Tealing, six miles north of Dundee, could prove
attractive.
West Residential has announced a development of four contemporary properties
at the 16th-century Tealing House, with prices from about £700,000.
West Residential, 01382 226 024 www.westresidential.com;
Knight Frank, 0141 566 0880, www.knightfrank.com; Zebrano, 0131 220 2211, www.zebrano-design.com
