Merging West Highland and Scandinavian design histories, Mookerjee Design re-envisions two Swedish 1990s timber framed buildings into the Scandi-Scot holiday retreat, Borradill.

A palette of playful primaries nod to the iconic painted timber buildings of the Dalarna region in Sweden, creating a warming and welcoming haven for Scottish holidaymakers.

Not only does Borradill carefully blend two dynamic design styles, it is a retrofit project - repurposing two thirty-year-old Swedish timber cabins into functional holiday homes. For Claire Mookerjee, founder and creative director of Mookerjee Design, it was crucial to use as much of the existing buildings as possible, allowing what structurally remained to guide the design process.

The London-based design practice takes on a host of both commercial and residential projects, firstly getting to the crux of the architectural and social context of a project before any design work kickstarts.

Mixing 1990s revivalist Mackintosh table and chairs with 90s IKEA classicism, the scheme joyfully reinforces the Scandi-Scot design style. Barbour-inspired tartan prints are coupled with Scandi bright checks in the soft furnishings. Furniture from auction fills the space, featuring bold injections of high-gloss and matt green on the oversized Settles, alongside soothing interior surfaces of stone and wood that bring the outdoors in.

Design cues from the West Highland wilderness and Sweden’s timber frame buildings were tastefully incorporated with the help of Material Source Studio Partners, Atkinson and Kirby and Russwood.

Selected for both its durability and tonal match with Scandinavian limed wood, Atkinson and Kirby’s brushed and oiled Noma Smoked Oak flooring supports the scheme. Robust Finnish cladding, the Luna Panel System from Russwood is used as internal cladding, stained with a natural linseed oil.

Responding to the widespread desire for simple living and a deeper connection to the natural world, the tourism industry is seemingly experiencing an influx of wilderness inspired retreats. We sat down with Claire Mookerjee, the design force behind Borradill, to hear all about what sets this Scandi-Scot inspired retrofit apart.

Claire, can you please introduce us to your design practice, Mookerjee Design Studio? How did you get started?

“Mookerjee Design was launched after spending ten years working in urban and public realm design.

“I'd worked under some really inspiring design minds who operated at the intersection of design and society - Jan Gehl in Copenhagen, who pioneered a revolution in urban design by understanding the psychology behind how people move and occupy space and the city - and then Dan Hill at Future Cities. From Dan, I developed an interest in how digital life was shaping society and the altering human needs of real-life space.

“In these conversations about rapid societal change, I often found myself representing the voice of how human needs mostly remain the same. In a way, I was a conservative voice - arguing for craft, colour and reverence for the distinctiveness of places.

“It was a maturing of my own sensibilities which led me back towards wanting to combine my love of colour, painting and materials with the insights on human behaviour in space to create a new design studio.

“I've spent some years cutting my teeth on residential projects and building a network of makers and now we're moving to larger commercial projects, and those in the public realm where I feel I can best bring my breadth of experience and understanding.”

“Robustness was at the forefront of every design decision - as there couldn't really be anything fussy about the design and styling.”

Tell us how you kicked off the design process for Borradill

“My process is always to understand the architectural and social context of a building or business before embarking on any design work. These research findings act as parameters to work within, and when you are trying to re-use as much of the building in its current state, it is important to find the language with which you can build-on and improve what's already there.

“It's more of a process of refinement, which I prefer than having a completely clean slate. I find creativity in the friction of having parameters to rub up against - whereas some designers have a more singular vision. I find conversations across time, to the past and possible futures, fascinating. 

“For Borradill, I identified three important contexts to research for the site and buildings: Hebridean and West Highlands vernaculars; Swedish 1990s timber framed buildings; and the painted timber buildings of the Dalarna region in Sweden. From this I developed a scheme which subtly referenced and took cues from these design histories.”

What were the key design deliverables for Borradill?

“The objective was to create buildings which really translated into a strong brand and a communication of materials - all embodying the essence of the kind of holidays you could have there – nature-based, with indoor/outdoor simple living.

“Design is after all a collection of signs and signifiers - a powerful language for businesses to amplify their own brand message and service offering.

“In this case, foraging, wild swimming, trail running, kayaking - these are all things you can enjoy in this beautiful wild place, but not always associated with Scotland. Associations with Scottish nature are wrapped up with upper-class pursuits of fishing and stalking - which for many are problematic on many levels. 

“So in a way the challenge was for the designs to really signal something to people - to imply a lot more than just interiors, but rather a whole set of associations and possibilities of what this place has to offer. And doing so in a way that was true to the mixed heritage of this place and the long history of Scandinavian and Hebridean cross-over. 

“We feel really happy in how this approach has performed - with a double page spread in The Times and being included in the Financial Times ‘Top 40 Places to Holiday in 2025’, both of which paid homage to the the Scandi-Scot design style.

“The other objective was to find a configuration across the two buildings that performed in terms of occupancy. The objective was to design for four seasons and with enough flexibility in offer to appeal to differently configured groups and across ages.

“By designing accessible bathrooms and large social spaces for up to 12 in the main house, the two properties work well together or as separate holiday units at different price points. The layout maximised indoor holiday enjoyment over additional bedrooms, creating a distinctively modern offer compared to stone Scottish cottages.”

Talk us through the Scandi-Scottish inspired interiors

“Internally, the buildings have been treated with a cladding - supplied by Russwood - which we have treated with natural linseed wood stains from a Danish company, Linole DK.

“These ghostly shades of colour are absorbed by the smoky deep coloured Luna Panel System leaving the knots and grain very visible through the colour. This new and ethereal effect is contrasted with solid, matt colours in the same shades on the walls - and bright deep versions of the same colours on the window frames and cross-ceiling timbers. The effect is a symphony of one-shade which creates an atmosphere of gentle harmony. 

“The bed surrounds were taken from a Highland Black House reference of ceiling-height shelves. We visited the fantastic Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore where they have preserved a range of traditional Highlands buildings - it's a very special place for original research.

“In those days, the reason for the high shelves was to keep things away from rising damp, and in Sweden timber cabins traditionally have over-window shelves which is a beautiful way to frame a view three-dimensionally. There was a need to bring out surfaces, character and moments for objects to be placed in otherwise quite harsh and severe flat walls.

“Modular construction suffers from walls being treated as flat plains, whereas block-built construction quite often introduces a quirk of misalignment - or protruding moments. I think interior designers have a job to add three dimensionality to these sorts of spaces in a way that doesn't feel like facadism - but that feels like it has a structural logic.

“Furnishing the space, we determinedly bought as much at auction as we could: Scandinavian captains' tub chairs, folding directors chairs for which we commissioned custom-made back stretchers. We managed to source two Sue Skeen Plank Settles from The New Craftsmen's old space.

“These oversized Settles, painted in a mixture of high-gloss and matt deep green, are exactly the kind of robust pieces we wanted for the holiday rentals, but that in shape and form nod to the old pieces and old ways. Robustness was at the forefront of every design decision - as there couldn't really be anything fussy about the design and styling.

“Other pieces of note... some 1990s revivalist Mackintosh table and chairs, and also some 1990s IKEA pieces such as the iconic Duett pendant, designed by Bent Boysen.

“The fabrics are a true mix of Scottish classics: waxed cotton reminiscent of Barbours from Scottish company Halley Stevenson, Ian Mankin's Oban Checks - with vintage Scandivanian woven check classics such as Tempella from pioneering Finnish textile designers Synnöve Lindberg and Dora Jung.

“Combining a mixture of Scandinavian bright checks with the more traditional Scottish colours felt again like playing with the idea of the Scandi-Scot crossover.”

In your opinion, what is fuelling this new wave of Scottish cabins? And what sets Borradill apart?

“Social change feels fairly rapid right now, with so many ripples being felt from economic and societal shifts. But a strong move towards simplicity and using one's free time to connect – with oneself, with each other and with nature feels like a significant driver of the kinds of holidays and experiences people are looking for.

“Great wildernesses such as the West Highlands have a lot to offer on this front, but have not been geared up to cater to this broad church in recent times but instead to a specialist niche of nature and sports enthusiasts.

“This broadening of appeal, and the advances in off-grid infrastructure and construction will, I believe, be the drivers behind a big boom in Scottish nature-based cabins and holidays. 

“Much of this currently is directed towards double occupancy, off-grid and still quite rugged. Borradill is very much on-grid, and has generous indoor spaces set up for socialising and spending whole days relaxing inside. So spatially it's a real departure from a bothy and more akin to a Scandinavian lakeside or woodland cabin.”

With 25 acres of surrounding oak, birch and rowan - to name a few species - which products from Material Source Studio Partner, Atkinson & Kirby were key to designing the outdoors in?

“We decided on the brushed and oiled Noma Smoked Oak flooring for its durability and its tonal match with a Scandinavian limed wood, which reflected some pieces of furniture we had already bought for the scheme.

“We mirrored the direction of the existing external Larch decking and this consistency we think creates a lovely sense of indoor-outdoor living.”

And which products from Material Source Studio Partner, Russwood were key creating a contemporary cladding scheme?

“Russwood imports its Luna Panel System cladding from Finland from a producer who started out as a Sauna maker. They realised that the heat and steam treated timber had a much wider application than Saunas and started a company called Lunawood specialising in architectural cladding.

“We saw the opportunity to use it as a robust internal cladding suitable for bathrooms, boot room and kitchen. Combined with the natural Linseed oil stains we felt it was a great and really versatile material to use throughout.”

Hebridean storytelling is interlaced throughout Borradill's interiors. Please talk us through how you selected craft interiors that feel rooted in, and authentic to, their surrounding area. 

“We commissioned the story of Borradill to be depicted through a series of Salt Glaze tiles placed over the mantle. It shows the Viking warrior "Borradill" being brought by ship to the land above the cabins, where he is buried.

“This important myth of the place is communicated through other parts of the online brand and storytelling, so we felt it important for it to be also reflected in the interiors scheme. The artworks in the house all go some way to exploring these local themes and myths, with works from Scottish artists, photographers and poets, Will Maclean, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Brian MacDomhnaill. 

“We also commissioned benches to be crafted in local Douglas Fir to the style of the old Orkney Creepie benches, but in a larger and more robust scale.”

“I believe Interior Designers have a huge role to play in this re-using and layering of eco materials, re-imagining both spaces and furnishings. In a way it's a very exciting design challenge.”

How did you work with the existing Swedish timber building?

“We started by retreating all of the exteriors and chose a black with red trim for the doors and window frames. This is a style used across The West Highlands, the Faroe Islands and much of Scandinavia.

“Inside we sanded back timbers and retreated them with traditional Linseed oil paints on windows, doors, beams and ceilings. Kitchen carcasses were re-used and we only introduced new surfaces where we felt absolutely necessary. We also lined the existing window reveals with oakboards.”

Did Borradill’s remote location on the most westerly point on British mainland present any challenges in the design and build process? 

“Too many to mention. It's a very challenging place to find contractors willing to do a refurbishment rather than a new build. We were very lucky and eventually found a fantastic small team led by joiner Scott Henderson, but they had a 3hr round commute. And for large parts of the project the Corran ferry was cancelled, turning it into a 4.5hr commute.”

How else was sustainability considered in the design and build of Borradill?

“I am a massive believer in re-use. Embedded carbon is the single biggest factor to consider in every project.

“We had a very lovely and well known sustainability-focused architect come and visit at the beginning of the project. She said at one point: "You could just knock it all down and start again." The buildings at the time were not looking their most beautiful, granted, but given the financial implications of this, and given that the buildings were in great condition and only 30-years old, I was slightly taken aback at this idea.

“The purist approach that some architects take to materials and certain styles I believe makes them blind to the potential in what already exists - however ordinary or compromised. That is the challenge for designers today: to make good of what already exists, not build more. 'Building on the Built', as Jonathan Tuckey calls it.

“I believe Interior Designers have a huge role to play in this re-using and layering of eco materials, re-imagining both spaces and furnishings. In a way it's a very exciting design challenge.”

Discover more about the Scandi-Scot retrofit, Borradill by Mookerjee Design here. And explore the product offerings of contributing Material Source Studio Partners, Atkinson & Kirby and Russwood for your next project.