EVERYONE'S WELCOME

Now a warm, generous, convivial place to escape to, this seaside home was designed with big family gatherings in mind

- Catherine Coyle

What’s the best thing about summer? Getting together for barbecues? Taking in a pretty sunset? A stroll on the beach? For one fortunate family in Fife, there’s no need to wait for the Scottish weather to perk up before they can make most of their prime location. Their extended Georgian terraced property in the heart of the East Neuk is a buzzy, bustling home that welcomes visiting offspring, stages village sports get-togethers and hosts the best games nights. But, while the MacGeachy clan have a deserved reputation for entertaining, it’s their remodelled home that has allowed them to do it in such style.

Tess MacGeachy, daughter of the owners, was tasked with the job of overhauling the period property. Having trained at KLC in London and then cut her teeth as an interior designer at Zulufish, she set up her own practice, Amber Yard, in 2021 and embarked on an extensive redesign of this seaside property in Elie. “My parents saw the house advertised for sale and suggested it to friends of theirs,” she recalls. When nothing came of that, they made an offer themselves: “They knew the house and couldn’t resist it, so they decided to buy it and turn it into a ‘spill-over’.”