We sat down with Melanie Brown of Design Direction to discuss her approach when designing Borthwick Castle, the Scottish castle that was once home to Mary Queen of Scots, and found out what it’s like to work with specialist historians.
The overriding ethos behind Design Direction is that every detail matters, no matter how tiny. That’s why we put so much effort into building up relationships with suppliers and craftspeople. We make sure we can find or create exactly the right piece, whether it is a button for upholstered chairs or the perfect carving for a four-poster bed.
The brief was to restore the castle to its historic grandeur and to carefully preserve and enhance all the architectural detail. It sits in the spectacular countryside on the Borders route and that sense of incredible countryside and wildlife is evoked in the interiors with sumptuous colours and textures, informal weaves, soft Scottish wools and Harris tweeds along with hand-carved wood, and oil paintings.
George Smith was instrumental in furniture installation. Some pieces were especially made so they would fit through certain spaces, while other items were assembled inside the rooms as we would not have managed to get them into the castle any other way.
Crests from historic figures directly associated with the castle are embroidered into the Mulberry velvet-upholstered dressing table chairs in each bedroom, including the crests of Mary Queen of Scots, Lord Bothwell and Oliver Cromwell. The colourways used throughout are popular colours in Tudor times and there are hand-carved crests above the door of each bedroom. The remnants of 15th Century frescoes remain in the Great Hall and I’ve installed hidden lighting to highlight them.
The Sir Walter Scott room is inspired by Scotland’s great writer who visited and wrote about Borthwick and is a poetic, romantic and restful space. Featuring purple and blue earthy hues, there is a subtle nod to his passion for hunting, with wildlife featuring in the styling of the room, and a lovely view of The Pentland Hills. The small bathroom door opens up to a luxurious and bespoke wet room set within the castle walls.
One of the most famous rooms in the castle, the Mary Queen of Scots room, features a three- meter canopy bed from the Stuart era, inspired by the original royal bed, which is currently on display at Holyrood Palace. The room also has outstanding views from two seating alcoves and doors, which would have allowed Mary to reach her private chapel. Every room has a sense of the historic figures who once lived in, or visited, Borthwick.
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