Interiors: Hutton Castle coach house

Anyone familiar with the Burrell Collection in Glasgow will recall the enclosed rooms around which the rest of the gallery seems to sit. These are reconstructions (with original timber panelling) of the dining room, hall and drawing room at Hutton Castle, the Borders home of famous collector, Sir William, purchased in 1916 and where he died in 1958.

Today, Karen and Alan Thomas live in Hutton Castle's original coach house.

"Sir William parked his Rolls-Royce in our living room," says Karen.

When she and Alan bought the Victorian coach house more than five years ago, one arm of the L-shaped building had been converted for residential use. The couple were looking for a property with potential, and were taken by the attractive stone building with crow-stepped gables, the tranquil setting high above the River Whiteadder, and the commutable distance to Edinburgh.

"We were the first viewers," says Karen, "A few days later the house was ours."

The couple planned to extend into the neighbouring, derelict building, where stall marks indicated the position of stables. It seemed logical to call on chartered building surveyor, Richard Amos, who worked on the initial conversion here. Given that the house is not listed, there were no hurdles to obtaining planning permission and builders, Richard Finnie of nearby Duns, got started. Fortunately, the structure was robust although the roof had to be replaced.

"We re-used the slates," says Karen.

They were advised to use conservation rooflights, while the roofline gains added interest from a dovecot that the previous owners turned into a chimney.

Courtyard openings for horses and carts were narrowed and fitted with glazed doors. New window openings created within the dense stonework of the opposite wall have been double glazed and offer beautiful views when trees are bare in winter.

The walls were packed with sheep's wool insulation. "The joiner hated working with it as it's not rigid," says Karen. However the effort paid off, as the house was exceptionally cosy during the recent severe winter.

They debated options for the internal layout but it's ultimately still recognisable from the original plan. There was always a dividing wall between the stables that now house the dining room and adjoining kitchen.

The hayloft, stretching through the roof above the dining area, has become a family room, with the opening at its gable end - where hay once left the building - a Juliette balcony with glazed doors and a locally made cast-iron balustrade now stand.

"It's been a great den for our three boys," says Karen.

Basic stairs (with rope to hold on to) rising to the hayloft from the new kitchen, were replaced with a handsome timber staircase custom built by Duns-based joiner David Finnie (the builder's brother).

"David and Richard were fantastic," says Karen, "as was Craig Dewar, our local plumber."

She's glad they left the new kitchen open to full height, rather than create another bedroom and bathroom within the roof space.

"There's so much light," Karen says, relishing the contrast between this open area and the intimate dining room next door. The kitchen was made locally with solid timber worktops, painted oak units and details such as curved mesh basket drawers.

"It's a traditional Shaker-style kitchen but with quirky touches," says Karen, who chose pale blue units to complement the red electric Aga, while open shelving shows off collected pottery. Local seamstress Sue Gray made striped pelmets that tie the colours of the room together.

Underfloor heating below slate tiles in the kitchen and dining room is rarely required, what with the Aga and a wood burner in the latter space. Karen was excited when she spotted a hole in the dining room where the fireplace turned out to be.

"We thought it had been cemented up," she says, "but our builder dropped a small football through from the chimney." Karen had a vision of baronial style for this space (which retains original beams), achieved with help from the fireplace, built using Hutton Stone from nearby Swinton Quarry, and the dining table, made to order by a company in Devon.

The couple have owned the mismatched armchairs for years; the large wing-back was found in a skip and reupholstered by a friend. Karen was thrilled to find the "Constellation" mirror at Laura Ashley, having hunted high and low for such a design, and loves the framed print of boxing hares by local artist Kate Philp.

Beyond the new kitchen lies the earlier conversion. A utility room leads into the hallway, off which there's a roomy bathroom. The couple prefer "proper" bathrooms to en-suites, and David Finnie made tongue-and-groove panelling for all three, painted in a subtle Farrow & Ball shade (as is external paintwork). Karen was impressed with Bathstore, which supplied all the fittings in super-quick time.

From the study (previously the dining room) there's access to 1.3 acres where pigs and Angora goats once resided, although they now just have hens. There's a productive veggie patch and it's a wonderful area for children to explore. There's still a stable in the grounds and it would be easy, says Karen, to create a small-holding.

They retained the original timber kitchen, which comes into its own for Christmas catering, and offers the possibility of splitting the house into two self-contained units. Stairs from this kitchen lead to a spare bedroom used as an office.

Karen and Alan redecorated the large living area, where the generous floor space is divided by a split-level as well as the chimney, while doors set in the original sandstone arches lead to the courtyard. This room flows into two bedrooms, through which it's possible to travel in a loop via another renovated bathroom.

Accessed from the living room's timber staircase, a pretty master bedroom with exposed beamed ceiling and French-style white bed is found in the roof space. There is a third bathroom up here in what was a single bedroom.

The family has stayed in this home longer than any other, but with two out of three sons having flown the nest, it's time for change. With her new needlecraft shop, The Needle Works, due to open in Berwick-upon-Tweed next month, Karen says their next home shouldn't involve quite as much work.

Offers over 575,000 for Hutton Castle Coach House. Contact Anderson Strathern on tel: [phone]. Visit www.andersonstrathern.co.uk

This article was first published in The Scotsman on 26/07/2010