A traditional early 20th Century croft house in Stornoway has been crowned the winner of the popular BBC series Scotland’s Home of the Year.
The Lewis home, named New Tolsta, belongs to artist Tom Hickman and is filled with his artwork, mixed with traditional pieces of furniture.
Mr Hickman had been restoring the once-inhabitable croft house for 15 years since 2006, as well as adding his own distinctive style throughout.
Traditional Stornoway croft house beats modern contenders
The restored croft house on the north-east coast of Lewis, follows a traditional two-up, two-down layout, boasting a beautiful kitchen, living room and bathroom on the ground floor with two bedrooms upstairs.
Judged by lifestyle blogger Kate Spiers, interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones and architect and lecturer Michael Angus, the search for the winner of Scotland’s Home of the Year took them all over country – before finishing in Stornoway.
Having visited 27 exceptional homes, showcasing a vast range of home styles including cosy little homes to grand conversions, stunning self-builds to breath-taking renovations, quirky conversions and environmentally friendly houses – after much deliberation the Stornoway croft house would be given the title of Scotland’s Home of the Year 2022 by unanimous decision.
The winning Mr Hickman said: “Well I have to admit it does bring an unexpected smile – winning is not something I’m used to. I’m certainly surprised, but way down deep somewhere there is a little voice saying ‘At last!’ As artists, we are all our own worst critics, so yes, it’s nice to receive praise.”
Inside Scotland’s Home of the Year
What did Scotland’s Home of the Year judges think?
New Tolsta evoked emotions from the judges, even reducing Anna and Michael to tears during the final selection stage of the competition.
Ms Spiers agreed: “I think New Tolsta just packed in so much of what we all look for in a home.
“I know for me, I look for a home that feels true to the homeowner and you could tell that so much love and care had gone in to every inch of the place.
“Plus, it had a commitment to being authentically eco-conscious – everything in the home had been repurposed, upcycled, thrifted or rehomed.”
Mr Angus said: “If home is a marriage of inhabitant and property, what stood out about New Tolsta was how special that relationship was, how perfectly suited both appeared, both infusing the other creatively and spiritually.”
Mr Hickman added: “I was fascinated to firstly see Anna, Michael and Kate’s nicely understated reaction to the exterior, and they did well to not judge the book by its cover.
“It was strange not being able to welcome them, but now I see I needn’t have worried as my home did that for me.
“I’d like to extend an open invitation to them all, should they wish to take a second look and hear some of the stories behind the objects and fabric of my home.”
The nine Scotland’s Home of the Year 2022 finalists were:
Lorne Cottage, Fort William (The Highlands)
Ostro Passive House, Kippen (Central)
The Pastel House, Kirkwall, Orkney (Orkney & Shetland)
Firestation House, Hawick (Borders & The South)
New Tolsta, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis (Hebrides)
The Victorian Terrace, Edinburgh (The Lothians)
Pentland View, Elsrickle (Glasgow & The Clyde Valley)
Rhu Boathouse, Rhu, Helensburgh (The West)
The Old Waterworks, Fife (The East)
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