Owners of Murdoch Allan Bakers show us their amazing home

Who: Paul Allan (50) and his wife Katrina (52) both directors of Murdoch Allan Bakers, along with their youngest daughter Jenny (14) and their five cocker spaniels George, Harry, Lily, Mabel and Rose.

What: A detached, six-bedroom, period property set in two acres of beautiful gardens.

Where: The picturesque hamlet of Inverugie beside Peterhead.

Katrina and Paul Allan with their daughter Jenny. Image: Paul Allan

Paul and Katrina have beautifully renovated their stunning period property near Peterhead. — Hillburn House is beautiful from the outside but wait until you see inside. Image: Low and Partners

Here is what Katrina had to say about their beautiful property renovation…

“We originally lived in a townhouse in Peterhead.

Hillburn House was never advertised but we discovered through a mutual contact that the owners were planning to put it on the market.

So we contacted the previous owners and when we first saw the property we were blown away.

We loved the period features, the size of the home, the beautiful garden and ponds and its wonderful location with access to the former Formartine and Buchan railway line through a gate at the bottom of the garden.

Lounge of Hilburn House, Inverugie — What could be better than relaxing with your family in this stunning lounge. Image: Low and Partners

Dining room of Hilburn House. — With a dining room as stylish as this, you’ll never want to eat out again. Image: Low and Partners

It was love at first sight…

The property also has a fascinating history as it was built by the Scrogie family who owned the Buchan Observer in the 1880s.

It’s safe to say we fell in love with the home so we bought it in 2014 and became the property’s fourth owners.

Inside, the property has six bedrooms, two very large public rooms which are ideal for entertaining and family get togethers plus three bathrooms.

No work had been carried out in the property since 1980 so we wanted to modernise the house while remaining in-keeping with the original period style.

Hilburn House — Katrina and Paul have breathed new life into the period property. Image: Low and Partners

The interior of Hilburn House, Inverugie — For cosy evenings in, this snug area is the perfect place to kick back and relax. Image: Low and Partners

‘We envisaged a period style’…

Since we moved in, the whole house has been re-decorated and we undertook a major renovation in 2019 which involved installing underfloor heating on the ground floor.

We also completely renovated the kitchen area, adding insulation and new windows.

In terms of interiors, we envisaged a period style and spent hours looking at examples online.

We created mood boards on Pinterest which was great as we could add any ideas we had along the way.

I also found interiors inspiration on Instagram and in interior shops.

The inside of Hilburn House. — Katrina and Paul were keen that their interiors were a nod to the property’s rich history. Image: Low and Partners

Staircase at Hilburn House — Bright and bold, this striking carpet reflects the property’s charm and character. Image: Low and Partners

‘Our favourite place is the front public room’

We bought most of our wallpaper from Sterling Home in Aberdeen.

We particularly like the master bedroom wallpaper design and the colours in the very bright public/dining room.

For us, we spent most of the time in the kitchen but our favourite room is the front public room as it’s very bright as there’s a big bay window at front and windows along the side.

The kitchen is a very social space as there’s a big breakfast bar where Jenny would do her homework there and if I was working from home I would probably set up my office there too.

The kitchen of Hilburn House. — Cooking is a stylish affair in this contemporary kitchen. Image: Low and Partners

‘Christmas is a special’

It’s such a great house for entertaining especially at Christmas time.

I’ve always loved decorating our home at Christmas.

Throughout the renovation, our greatest challenge was finding tradesmen.

But after a few bumps in the road, everything worked out as planned in the end.

Reflecting on our time at Hillburn House, we’ve loved the peace, privacy and tranquillity of the property both inside and out.

Two acres of beautiful garden grounds…

The garden is full of wildlife including nesting woodpeckers, songbirds, deer and sometimes an uninvited heron.

We’ve got reflective glass in the property so we can actually watch the deer as they come into the garden without them seeing us.

As we have five dogs, we were always out in the garden where there are dog kennels.

At the bottom of the garden there is gate leading directly onto the Formartine and Buchan railway line which has been so handy for dog walks and is perfect if you like cycling.

I think the railway line is something I will miss the most.

We also love the location as our home is in the picturesque hamlet of Inverugie beside Peterhead.