Rose Cottage Garden Studio

Rose Cottage Garden Studio is located in the Village of Dull, outside Aberfeldy in Highland Perthshire. The brief was to design a multi-use garden building for yoga, massage, and art. Adjacent to a ruined cotter house, the studio respects its historical context with a traditional vernacular form—a rectangular plan between two steeply pitched gables. This classic shape is reinterpreted in a contemporary style, clad entirely in clay rosemary tiles, with clay bricks for hard landscaping, referencing the client’s background as a ceramicist. The entrance porch, carved from the solid form, is the only material variation, finished in larch cladding. The result is a seamless geometric composition contrasting with its wooded surroundings. The layout is simple: a single room with a separate shower, large openings to the south and west for views, and smaller windows framing trees to the north. Designed for low energy use, the highly insulated envelope reduces heating needs, with warmth provided by a log-burning stove and backup electric underfloor mats.