TV show Scotland’s Home of the Year visited the east of the country on Wednesday evening, with two north-east homeowners hoping their properties would make it through to the final.
Sadly, both were disappointed, as a remarkable contemporary home in St Andrews – featuring an original Picasso artwork above the bath – pipped them to the post.
However, the three judges were impressed by both Bayview in the west end of Aberdeen and Over Contlaw near Milltimber.
Victoria, the owner of Bayview, said on the show: “It’s completely my sanctuary, it’s most important to me when I come home and shut the door.
“It’s everything I need it to be.”
Architect and lecturer Michael Angus said the granite exterior made it look “clean and polished” from the outside.
Interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones praised the work done on the property’s stained glass windows, describing them as “really, really beautiful”.
Giving the home a score of eight out of ten, lifestyle blogger Kate Spiers noted the grey tones seen throughout the house, saying: “It was quite a consistent colour theme, which is obviously exactly what the homeowner wanted – even the cat matched the interior!”
The monochrome colour scheme and lack of “a personal touch” were issues for the other judges too, with Anna Campbell-Jones scoring it eight and Michael Angus giving it a seven.
Over Contlaw, which took owners Ashleigh and Elliot five years to complete and was built without an architect, made a more positive impact on the judges.
All three pointed out the sheer size of the building, emphasised by a kitchen island that Campbell-Jones said was among the biggest she had ever seen and a large foot stool in the living room.
They were particularly excited to discover a hole in the back of a wardrobe in the playroom for kids Logan and Hunter, which led through to a secret hideaway.
Michael Angus said the “most successful parts of the home are the barn elements”, such as the roof beams, and scored it eight out of ten.
Kate Spiers gave Over Contlaw nine out of ten, the same score as Campbell-Jones.
However, neither north-east home could compete with The Garden House in St Andrews, which the judges seemed to fall in love with instantly.
The contemporary home, featuring a meadow-like garden to the rear, was impressive enough to earn full marks from all three, giving it a perfect 30 out of 30.