As huge fans of Scotland’s Home of the Year, Chris and Jessica Labrooy are over-the moon that their contemporary Aberdeenshire property is through to the final of the BBC Scotland show.
Viewers across the country tuned in to the hit TV show on Monday April 28 to see interior designers Anna Campbell Jones and Banjo Beale along with architect Danny Campbell cast their expert eyes on three homes in the north-east and the northern isles.
But it was Chris and Jessica’s contemporary property, Hilltop House, which instantly won the judges over on architectural merit, distinctive design and original features.
Aberdeenshire property reaches final of Scotland’s Home of the Year
Watching it at home with their 18-year-old son Chase and their dogs Enzo and Dino, the couple say it was a weird yet wonderful experience.
“We were quite nervous and anxious to watch the show,” says Chris, 45, who is an artist and designer.
“But for our home to go through to the final is great, it’s really cool.”
Breathing new life into a dilapidated farm steading, the journey behind Chris and Jessica’s jaw-droppingly beautiful home is sure to inspire.
From California to Scotland’s Home of the Year…
Their story begins nearly 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in California where the couple first met.
“I was born in Aberdeenshire and I’ve lived here forever but I’ve got family who live in California,” says Chris.
“So I was staying in California for a few weeks and I met Jessica through friends.
“I ended up hopping back and forth across the Atlantic for a while until we finally got married and we decided to move back to the UK.”
‘Jessica loved the views’
Initially, the couple and their son Chase settled in a four-bedroom bungalow in Ellon.
But everything changed when they discovered a dilapidated farm steading on the outskirts of Pitmedden.
“Hilltop House is a former farmhouse which we discovered through a builder,” says Chris.
“I grew up in the area but I never knew this site existed.
“When we got shown around, Jessica loved it because it had a really nice view.
“So our property project evolved from there.”
‘We wanted our house to have a laid back feel’
Working closely with the talented team at Rachael Walker Architects (RWA), Chris and Jessica designed their bright, contemporary house around the original footprint of the granite farm steading.
Brimming with open plan spaces, the couple were keen to fuse mid century style with cool Californian vibes.
“We had a pretty strong idea going into it of what we wanted to achieve,” says Chris.
“The style was informed by what was already existing and then we brought our personality, art and vision to it.”
‘It’s a very casual, informal house’
With such incredible views on their doorstep, Chris and Jessica ensured their home took advantage of the scenery.
“The site had a really good view so the big glass window at the front of the property was really important,” says Chris.
“We also wanted our house to have a laid back, American style feel.
“So there’s a lot of open plan space as were keen for our property to be a very casual, informal house.”
Property gets top marks on Scotland’s Home of the Year…
Inside, their stunning home has an amazing open plan kitchen, dining and living space with an east facing gable window.
The property, which has original features, also has a sumptuous main bedroom with ensuite and dressing room as well as three more bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office.
For Chris, it’s difficult to choose his favourite spot in the home.
“I love the whole space,” says Chris.
“I work from home so I’m always bouncing around from place to place.
“The house is built around the open plan kitchen, dining and living area and the rooms branch off from there.
“The rooms aren’t super big or extravagant, they’re simple rooms.”
Stylish yet simple interiors…
Throughout their home, Chris and Jessica, have also injected their personalities through artwork, plants and pops of colourful furniture.
“Our interiors are quite simple as we’ve not got many painted walls apart from one of the bathrooms,” says Chris.
“For us, the artwork is really important.
“And when it comes to furniture, we try and invest in pieces which we really love.
“For example, the sofa in the living space is from Ligne Roset and is one that I wanted for about 20 years.”
Reaching Scotland’s Home of the Year final…
Reflecting on their success on Scotland’s Home of the Year, Chris and Jessica haven’t ruled out building another home from scratch.
“We quite like building so the idea of creating another home is quite exciting,” says Chris.
“But we might do a different style of home next time.
“This house is built for its location but it might be quite nice to live in the forest, surrounded by trees.
“That would be a very different type of house.”
Chris, Jessica and Chase will now go on to represent the north-east and the northern isles in the Scotland’s Home of the Year grand final.
And if you missed the episode, don’t fret as you can watch on BBC iPlayer at
bbc.co.uk/iplayer
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