'This house has always BEEN HOME'

When Donna inherited her late parents' home, she realised it was the perfect blank canvas to create the Nordic look she loves

COME ON IN!

ABOUT ME I’m Donna Caira, 53, an interior designer (@donnacaira). I live here with my husband Anthony, a golf resort manager – our two grown-up daughters have both left home.

OUR HOME A three-bed semi in Kirriemuir, northeast Scotland.

WHEN WE MOVED IN My mum died in 2018 and I decided to keep the house. It just needed a bit of modernisation. I installed a new kitchen and two new bathrooms.

AND NOW A simple monochrome palette and contemporary furniture give the house a Scandinavian vibe.

STYLE TIP Wall panelling is a great way to add interest if you want to stick to neutral tones.

When our daughters left home for university, we knew we wanted to travel more and free ourselves up, so our large family house suddenly felt unnecessary,’ says Donna. ‘I had recently inherited my parents’ home and it’s in a great spot – Kirriemuir is on the edge of the Glens, but with all the amenities you need in a small town. Both I and my husband Anthony and thought it would make a very good base.

We took our time doing it up as we still owned our family home back in Fife, where we continued to live while our daughters were still at university. However, in the end, we decided to sell it and move here to Kirriemuir.

New beginnings