Our London friend Nell Card clued us in to what must be the most spectacular location for a dinner party we’ve seen yet: An off-the-grid wood cabin that’s one with the moors in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park. Culardoch Shieling (named for Culardoch, the mountain above, and the Gaelic word for “hut”) was recently designed by London- and Aberdeenshire-based firm Moxon Architects to blend in with the heathery Scottish highlands and serve as a remote, rustic entertainment space for the private clients—long, communal dining table included. It’s now known as the “lunch hut,” though we think it would be particularly otherworldly in candlelight. Here’s a look.
Photography courtesy of Moxon Architects.
The hut has a “cruck” frame (meaning traditional curved timber) made of Scottish-grown European larch. Respect for the landscape was Moxon Architects’ primary consideration when building the structure: “The design draws on the anthropological history of the location; in particular, the trace outlines of shielings and livestock shelters that can be found nearby,” they explain. Aside from some modernist touches, the hut (complete with rugged green roof of heather and moss) seems it could’ve been there for centuries; the all-wood structure and the lack of electricity mean minimal impact.
The interior is lined in Sitka spruce. A wood stove provides heat and, in the evening, candles grouped on a custom iron shelf suspended from the ceiling provide the only light. On the wall: a dried bough for decor.
We’re inspired lately by new ways to combine rustic with modern, for dinner parties and beyond. For more inspiration in Ireland and Scotland, see our posts:
- Coffeewerk + Press: A Quiet Design and Coffee Shop in Galway
- A Remote Scottish Bolt-Hole
- It Takes a Village: An Eclectic Irish Restaurant in Galway Gets a Refresh
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