The Hav Haus
This feature is in the current edition of Country Homes & Interiors, a Scandinavian style self build overlooking the Sound of Mull, in Ardnamurchan.
What an adventure we had getting there - crumbs, you could not make it up - ferries, car accidents, B&Bs...
Our first ferry journey was over to the Isle of Lismore, a beautiful island, just across from Oban, only 30 miles long and 10 miles across. We settled into a bunkhouse and got up the next day and got lost - tricky I know on such a tiny island, but we managed it. We found ourselves eventually sliding backwards down a rocky escarpment in our lovely but quite low slung car, which has a very sensitive exhaust and emissions system that we had recently spent £1,000s repairing... we could hear it scraping badly. We had to exit Lismore and repair our car pronto in order to make the next, prepaid, B&Bs and the following shoots - nightmare. Next time, we will get the passenger ferry over from Appin!
However, there is always calm after a storm and our car made it in one piece to the next leg of our journey and we arrived at the home of the fabulous and beautiful Liz Hallam in Kilchoan. Douglas has photographed Liz and her various homes in the Highlands many times over the years and it is always a joy.
Liz is a gifted renovator and interior stylist and creates fascinating vignettes and collections in every corner of her home, every detail down to her choices of soaps, tea caddies and crockery are just perfect.
The open plan downstairs really works both for entertaining and for peaceful reflection as the panoramic views can be enjoyed from every corner of the main space.
Whereas upstairs the bedrooms are cosy and more traditionally styled.
The hallway and stairway doubles as a gallery for Liz's beautiful collections. Old maps, reindeer skins and mounted pieces of taxidermy ensure that this comfortable and highly contemporary new build is never characterless or sterile.
Liz has created a tiny little self catering Airbnb beside her house, also overlooking the stunning loch, called Naust, Norse for a small building by the sea.
It is a wonderful, amazingly comfortable, little pocket home, with its own kitchen and shower room.
If you are ever travelling in the area, Naust would be a great stop off - we went on to Mull at the end of the day, a beautiful ferry journey, followed by another fabulous adventure there.
