Kabn: nature’s little luxuries

A Google search for the address of Kabn, two “luxury loch view cabin suites” on the eastern shores of Loch Fyne, reads: Unnamed Road, Cairndow. It’s suitably non-specific for a place that is swallowed by natural beauty, seven minutes along a private track from the main road in the Ardkinglas Estate, on the edge of a woodland of Scots pine and silver birch trees, on one of those crinkly coastlines that Argyll is renowned for. It’s a sound bath of birdsong, rustling leaves and lapping water, with air that carries the salty tang of seawater and the earthy scent of pine after rain.

“Visually, there’s this breathtaking contrast,” says Kabn co-founder Amber Pledge, of the cabins in their setting. “The wild beauty of Loch Fyne stretching out in front of you, shifting with the light throughout the day, and then the warmth and simplicity of the cabin waiting for you – natural wood, soft textures and huge windows that frame the landscape.” She pauses, then adds: “I think what captivates most people isn’t just what they see, smell or hear; it’s what they feel.”

The idea for the cabins started on safari in Africa, where Amber and her husband Charlie, then working in “structured corporate careers” as a debt finance lawyer and an insurance underwriter, saw “how beautifully luxury hospitality and sustainability can exist side by side in the wild”. These experiences don’t just offer comfort in extraordinary settings, says Amber. Instead, “they actively contribute to safeguarding wildernesses. There’s something profoundly visceral about being in the wild there. It’s a reconnection to what it really means to be human.”

Many conversations followed – “about the kind of life we wanted to build and about our shared love of travel and luxury hospitality” – before Amber and Charlie, who had spent a lot of time visiting Scotland over the years, settled on the “breathtakingly beautiful” location of Loch Fyne and started developing Kabn, with conscious intention. Design is purposefully understated, mixing Japanese minimalism with Scandinavian aesthetics and lots of glass, including a glass-slatted gable in Shio Kabn and a panoramic glass corner in Teru Cabin. With construction, the couple drilled down to the most sustainable details: the cabins were prefabricated off-site to minimise construction impact, they sit on light-touch, removable foundations, and are clad in charred timber, a naturally antifungal, eco-friendly alternative to chemical treatments. And amenities are thought through, too, with complimentary organic herbs and spices, handmade ceramics and organic, fair-trade linens – small touches that balance sustainability and comfort, according to Amber. “Ultimately, we want guests to feel that every choice we’ve made is done with intention,” she reflects. “It’s not just about being off-grid; it’s about creating an experience that feels luxurious, restorative and responsible.”

Some of Amber and Charlie’s favourite features at Kabn centre around dining, “because it’s something we love to do ourselves”. Each cabin is equipped with a shallow oven insert above the stove, which is “perfect for roasting vegetables while basking in the warmth and glow of the fire”. There are also beautiful chefs’ knives from Glasgow-based business Ocean Kitchen, with handles made from recycled broken fish boxes. Outside, a Big Green Egg BBQ is set up for cooking dinner beside the loch. “There’s something quietly transformative in preparing and cooking your food outside, even in the winter,” says Amber. “It elevates a simple routine into a moment of presence that reconnects you with the environment.”

It all certainly evokes a sense of thoughtfulness – and reflects Amber and Charlie’s habit of noticing every detail whenever they travel, from room layouts and fixtures to the service and atmosphere. It was this curiosity that grew into conviction, and eventually gave the couple the courage to leave the corporate world and commit fully to Kabn.

Luxury was always the goal, but not in the sense of opulence or excess – it’s more nuanced than that. Kabn’s luxury, according to Amber and Charlie, is about connection to nature, to the people you’re with, and to a sense of calm that is often missing in everyday life. “In our view, the real luxury is being able to step outside and watch the loch at sunrise, hear nothing but the wind and the waves lapping, and feel completely present,” Amber muses. “It’s indulgence in simplicity, in seclusion and in moments that make you feel more fully alive.”

Perhaps too, it’s in details like the precise orientation of each cabin – one portrait, the other landscape, to enjoy the setting just so, or the fact they are situated more than 100 metres apart, benefiting from total privacy. And then – can you even put a value on watching seals pop their heads out of the water, sea otters frolicking along the shore and red squirrels darting from tree to tree, right outside your front door? On lucky days, reveals Amber, porpoises glide past, “adding a touch of surprise and wonder to the scene”.

With the two Loch Fyne cabins well-established and garnering accolades from all corners – among others, Kabn took home the National Award for Scotland's Best Self-Catering or Unique Stay at the 2024 Scottish Thistle Awards and was a national winner for Scotland's Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the same year – Amber and Charlie are now preparing to launch new cabins in the Cairngorms, although details are under wraps until they open later this year.

What’s for sure is that they will be as kind as their Argyll counterparts: Kabn is a member of the 1% for the Planet network, contributing to rewilding initiatives across Scotland and further afield. It also supports charities including the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) and Scottish Autism, and has been awarded a Gold Green Tourism Award for its sustainability efforts.

For Amber and Charlie, Kabn is a chance to feel the impact of the business. “Guests arriving, switching off, reconnecting,” says Amber. “It makes what we do now so much more meaningful.” The unforgettable moments are special too, she adds – proposals, elopements and anniversaries, all celebrated at Kabn. But it doesn’t have to be momentous. “Guests also come just to slow down, disconnect and savour the quiet beauty of the loch.”

To find out more about Kabn, view availability and book a stay, visit here.