Step inside Black h with Jason and Sarah

FIRST OF ALL, TELL US ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE LOCATED AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THIS WONDERFUL PART OF THE WORLD? 

We live on a croft on the west coast of the Isle of Skye. We first visited Skye nearly twenty years ago when we first met. Sarah, (originally from Australia), was working in London (where she met Jason) but was missing the open ocean and wide expansive skies of home. On a whim, we came to Skye for a weekend in November where we were bombarded with the typical mixture of Skye weather; lashing horizontal rain, howling gales, moody seas, clear skies and a million shooting stars. The island hooked us and before we knew it, we kept coming back whenever we could. Finally, we made the leap of faith to buy a small plot of land in Milovaig and Wood h (sister house to Black h) was built.

WHEN DID YOU CONCEIVE THE PLAN FOR BLACK H, AND HOW DID YOU START THIS PROCESS? 

We quickly realised we would need to make Wood h a holiday rental as we needed to pay for it! We were blown away by the response to the house and so Wood h became the start of our business and the thought of a new life out of London. As luck would have it, one weekend on Skye, Jason happened to run past an amazing croft with a glorious tiny golden beach that happened to be for sale. Once we had seen the croft and it’s incredible views, we knew we could make a life here, expanding on what we had started with Wood h. So, while the kids were still small, we packed up life in London and moved to the croft. Whilst we love Wood h as a contemporary family home, we had grown to realise that there was a demand on Skye for modern architecture with design led interiors and understated luxury, aimed predominantly at couples. The croft was the perfect marriage to this idea. It has always been important to us to embrace and work in harmony with the landscape, making the most of the spectacular views and nature. We knew straight away that this was the place for Black h.

YOU WORKED WITH SKYE BASED ARCHITECTS DUALCHAS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN A BIT ABOUT THE DESIGN PROCESS, WHERE YOU STARTED AND HOW IT DEVELOPED? 

Wood h was also designed by Dualchas so we already had a relationship with them. We admire the simplicity and elegance of their designs and the knowledge and empathy they have with Skye’s landscape. With Black h we had a limited budget and were keen to engage some ‘young blood’ that would bring fresh and exciting ideas to the table. With this in mind, Dualchas appointed a young architect to our project - we also had a pretty clear idea of what we were after, referencing a lot of Scandinavian and New Zealand modernist architecture, and that was the start of an exciting collaboration.

WE LOVE THE BLACK CLADDING AND MINIMALIST INTERIORS, DID YOU KNOW AT THE START OF THIS PROJECT THAT THIS WAS THE AESTHETIC YOU HAD IN MIND? 

Yes! We knew we wanted to make the most of the views by not over complicating the design and making anything too ‘tricksy’ or distracting. ‘Simplify, simplify, simplify’ was our motto. We wanted the house to feel like it was bringing the landscape inside, that you could immerse yourself from within, yet be able to step outside and be completely surrounded by nature. The exterior black cladding also runs through the inside of the house, helping to give that sense of connection between the outside and in. The black solidity of the house feels embedded within the surrounding hills and able to withstand whatever the weather throws at it.

THE REMOTE LOCATION AND SPECTACULAR VIEWS MAKE THIS HIDEAWAY THE PERFECT RETREAT FOR COUPLES. DO YOU HAVE ANY NICE STORIES YOU CAN SHARE WITH US FROM THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE STAYED WITH YOU? 

It has been amazing the amount of positive energy that is returned to us from sharing Black h. There have been proposals, honeymoons, anniversaries, secret escapes and even a car photography shoot. A lot of people that come to stay have a genuine interest or appreciation of design, so it’s been great to meet people who are often like-minded and want to know more about Black h. A lot of people just want to come and understandably tuck themselves away and switch off from the rest of the world, so we always try to get a feel of how much guests want to engage with us, or for us to leave them to it! There is one very memorable guest interaction that surpasses all others...we had guests staying from Australia who’d kindly engineered their whole itinerary around our availability. We’d picked up on comms that they were from Adelaide, Australia near to where Sarah was from. Sarah had joked prior to their arrival, about whether she might know of them. Whilst the lovely couple (Mel & Andrew) were here, Sarah bumped into them as they left the croft one morning. Mel spotted Sarah and made the connection they were at college together in Adelaide. Talk about small world! They came to Black h because they’d seen us on Hidden Scotland (not kidding) and they loved the look of Black h. We are 100% going to see them in Adelaide next time we are over there!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR SURROUNDINGS, AND THE VIEWS. 

Black h sits alone on top of a hill surrounded by open views of the croft, countryside and sea. The house has dual aspect so is designed to face both the rising sun over the magnificent Cuillin mountain range and the setting sun over the table top mountains of Macleod’s Tables. The croft runs to the sea, east and west, which means Black h is also surrounded by sea lochs. The views are incredible and really are the main reason we originally bought the croft. Black h has a private entrance meaning it really is an amazing escape. You feel untouched up there, as there are no other properties that can overlook you. We run animals on the croft, so you will see our Highland ponies being a bit nosey or the sheep coming up to the fencing looking for the freshest grass from time to time. But that’s it, it’s an amazing spot for nature, landscape and watching the weather.

WE LOVE THE BLACK CLADDING AND MINIMALIST INTERIORS, DID YOU KNOW AT THE START OF THIS PROJECT THAT THIS WAS THE AESTHETIC YOU HAD IN MIND? 

Yes! We knew we wanted to make the most of the views by not over complicating the design and making anything too ‘tricksy’ or distracting. ‘Simplify, simplify, simplify’ was our motto. We wanted the house to feel like it was bringing the landscape inside, that you could immerse yourself from within, yet be able to step outside and be completely surrounded by nature. The exterior black cladding also runs through the inside of the house, helping to give that sense of connection between the outside and in. The black solidity of the house feels embedded within the surrounding hills and able to withstand whatever the weather throws at it.

THE REMOTE LOCATION AND SPECTACULAR VIEWS MAKE THIS HIDEAWAY THE PERFECT RETREAT FOR COUPLES. DO YOU HAVE ANY NICE STORIES YOU CAN SHARE WITH US FROM THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE STAYED WITH YOU? 

It has been amazing the amount of positive energy that is returned to us from sharing Black h. There have been proposals, honeymoons, anniversaries, secret escapes and even a car photography shoot. A lot of people that come to stay have a genuine interest or appreciation of design, so it’s been great to meet people who are often like-minded and want to know more about Black h. A lot of people just want to come and understandably tuck themselves away and switch off from the rest of the world, so we always try to get a feel of how much guests want to engage with us, or for us to leave them to it! There is one very memorable guest interaction that surpasses all others...we had guests staying from Australia who’d kindly engineered their whole itinerary around our availability. We’d picked up on comms that they were from Adelaide, Australia near to where Sarah was from. Sarah had joked prior to their arrival, about whether she might know of them. Whilst the lovely couple (Mel & Andrew) were here, Sarah bumped into them as they left the croft one morning. Mel spotted Sarah and made the connection they were at college together in Adelaide. Talk about small world! They came to Black h because they’d seen us on Hidden Scotland (not kidding) and they loved the look of Black h. We are 100% going to see them in Adelaide next time we are over there!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR SURROUNDINGS, AND THE VIEWS. 

Black h sits alone on top of a hill surrounded by open views of the croft, countryside and sea. The house has dual aspect so is designed to face both the rising sun over the magnificent Cuillin mountain range and the setting sun over the table top mountains of Macleod’s Tables. The croft runs to the sea, east and west, which means Black h is also surrounded by sea lochs. The views are incredible and really are the main reason we originally bought the croft. Black h has a private entrance meaning it really is an amazing escape. You feel untouched up there, as there are no other properties that can overlook you. We run animals on the croft, so you will see our Highland ponies being a bit nosey or the sheep coming up to the fencing looking for the freshest grass from time to time. But that’s it, it’s an amazing spot for nature, landscape and watching the weather.

WHAT IS NEARBY THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND SEEING & DOING? 

From the front door of Black h there is a lovely stroll down the southerly point which overlooks Harlosh Island. Our neighbours run ‘Skye Adventure’ so if you are after a challenge, they do guided hikes up the mountains, coasteering (excellent fun!) and paddleboarding. If you prefer to go it alone, the walk up to the top of the Macleod’s Tables rewards with outstanding views. For a slower pace you can fish off the rocks near the house, or if you prefer to swim, nearby Orbost beach is lovely. 

WHAT SORT OF WILDLIFE ARE GUESTS LIKELY TO SEE DURING THEIR VISIT? 

Once Spring arrives the wildlife just seems to burst out of Skye! Birds are everywhere and occasionally we have eagles fly over the loch as well. Dolphins and porpoise are often in the seas around the house, and if you are lucky you may spot a shy otter. Deer have been seen to run across the croft, alongside rabbits, voles, stoats and numerous other furry creatures. The birdlife and song are wonderful and you get to really see migratory species at different times of the year. If you want to take a boat trip you can spot plenty of seals and sometimes whales. We also have highland ponies, free range chickens and sheep, so if it’s spring there’s often crazy lambs running around the croft too. 

WHERE CAN PEOPLE BOOK TO STAY WITH YOU? 

If you would like to know more about either Black h or Wood h check out www.harlosh.co and if you would like to come and stay, please get in touch at hello@harlosh.co or follow us on Instagram @harlosh.co