Out There

Roderick James first came to Argyll in the mid-1990s to design a home for the former owner of the Drimnin estate.

The architect, a boating enthusiast, fell in love with the area, so much so that he kept coming back and the west coast became his favourite spot for sailing. It wasn’t long before he and his wife Amanda Markham decided to make the leap from holidaymakers to locals and set up home on the Morvern peninsula.

Then, in 2007, when Roderick James Architects LLP was commissioned to create a development of 21 homes on the neighbouring Ardtornish estate, the couple jumped at the chance to kick-start the project, buying the first plot themselves. “Our plan was to build a property that we’d then rent out as holiday accommodation,” says the architect. “But we ended up loving it so much that we decided to live here ourselves.”

It’s easy to see what won them over. The spectacular spot rises from the hillside like an eagle swooping over the water. The location – overlooking the Sound of Mull in this remote corner of Argyll – is breathtaking, and the uniqueness of the site inspired James to design something very special indeed. It’s far from showy, though: “When you’re out on the water,” he says, “the house is almost invisible thanks to its turf roof and its shape. It takes on the form of the hillside. It’s very discreet.”

When you do see it, of course, the circular building is quite remarkable: “It has an organic shape – there aren’t really any straight walls,” says the architect. “It was designed that way because we wanted it to be the kind of place where people can come together.”