What Makes it Scottish?

There is a wealth of buildings in Scotland that announce themselves immediately. You see the harled cottage, the tenement stair, the Georgian townhouse, the castle on the hill and you know where you are before you have read a single sign or heard a single word. Scottish vernacular architecture is among the most distinctive in the world. People travel from all over to see it.

Step inside, and something changes. The distinctiveness that was so clear from the street stops at the door. The interiors could be anywhere. They are Scandi, Japandi, Mid Century, Contemporary Country, whatever the prevailing vibe happens to be this year. There is nothing wrong with any of these. There is just nothing particularly Scottish about them either.

This is the gap Norlicht seeks to address.

Not by reaching for the obvious shorthand. At one end of the scale sits the full Balmoral with numerous tartans in a single room, heavy Victorian furniture, hunting and shooting paraphernalia covering every surface. It's certainly a look. It is not, for most people, a liveable one. At the other end sit the Scots words embroidered on cushions, the shortbread tin aesthetic, the interiors that shout their Scottishness in large letters. Neither of these is what we mean.

Writers say show not tell. We agree. We want to show you that you are in Scotland not tell you. The colours are chosen to sit in grey northern skies rather than against a Californian sun. The antiques that are quietly, specifically Scottish. A Monart vase on a shelf, perhaps the kind your Scottish grandmother had, made in Perth between the wars, its swirling glass catching the northern light. A painting of somewhere you know.

We will consider practicalities too. Nothing illustrates the problem more clearly than a highland house fitted with giant patio doors. They might work beautifully on a London townhouse. In the Highlands, the midges will get you from June to September and the wind and rain will get you for the rest. A large, deeply set window with a window seat and cushions does the same work. It connects you to the landscape and frames the view, without pretending you are somewhere you are not.

This is what a Scottish interior knows that a generic interior doesn't. Where it is. What the light does here. What the climate asks. What the landscape looks like through the glass.

Our work comes from a deep knowledge and love of this country, its history, its architecture and its people. We want that to be reflected in the homes and buildings we love to live in.