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Old Edinburgh workshop transformed

into minimal holiday retreat by Izat
Arundell

Alyn Griffiths | 27 January 2018

19 comments
Design studio Izat Arundell has converted a
former blacksmith's workshop in Edinburgh into
a compact apartment, featuring a muted material
palette and sliding screens that hide the bedroom
from sight.
Porteous' Studio is the first project by Izat
Arundell, a design practice founded by Eilidh Izat
and Jack Arundell, which explores the fields of
architecture, craft and food.

The property occupies a rare undeveloped space

on one of the Old Town's historic cobbled lanes,
and will be rented out as a holiday retreat for use
by visitors to the Scottish capital.
When Izat and Arundell purchased the site in
2016, the former 18th-century blacksmith's
workshop was marketed as a garage and was being
used by a stained-glass maker.

The duo decided to transform the 36-square-

metre space into a studio apartment and creative
venue, featuring a minimal design intended to
provide visitors with a haven in the centre of the
city.
To achieve the muted and relaxing feel they
wanted for the interior, the designers
commissioned bespoke furniture and fittings to be
made using natural materials.

"The idea behind the conversion was to use pure

natural products and collaborate with local
makers," Arundell told Dezeen.
"This idea of collaboration ran all the way through
the design and build, with each maker being given
room to have their own input whilst following the
design aesthetics of the studio."

A simple palette of stone, wood and clay helps to

create a harmonious space with a crafted feel. The
clay-based plaster applied to the walls sets the
tone, with its naturally neutral and textural
quality.
Local cabinet-maker Namon Gaston designed and
produced all the furniture from a single native oak
tree, which ensures consistency in tone and grain
across the simple and robust pieces.

Gaston worked with Richard Anstice from kitchen

specialist 56 North on crafting the bespoke
kitchen and sliding screens from the same timber,
while Peter Holmes contributed the upholstery.
The main structural interventions included
adding a cranked steel beam to support the
tenement staircase above, which created a niche
where the bed is now located.

The original opening onto the lane was adapted by

adding mullioned glazing units and a pivot door
that opens the space up to the outdoors.
Vertical wooden battens form a screen in front of
the door that retains the view out towards the
historic Grassmarket. A similar sliding wooden
screen is used to partition off the bedroom to the
rear of the studio.

A new window added on the west side of the

building frames a view of a wych elm in the
adjacent garden courtyard, and allows evening
light to penetrate the 90-centimetre-thick stone
wall.
Rather than excavating the original floor slab, a
layer of insulated and heated screed was added
and finished with small limestone tiles chosen to
echo the lane's cobbled surface.

The studio's main purpose is as a holiday rental,

but the owners also plan to use it to host small
events and supper clubs, as a way to engage with
other local designers and makers.

Related story
Zinc-clad loft extension by
Konishi Gaffney creates an
extra bedroom

Photography is by Zac and Zac.

Project credits:
Designer: Izat Arundell
Cabinet makers: Namon Gaston; Richard Anstice,
56 North Kitchens
Master upholsterer: Peter Holmes, Beseated
Natural clay specialist: Clayworks
Read more: Interiors Residential Apartments
UK Scotland Renovations Edinburgh
Residential conversions Adaptive reuse
Minimalist interior design

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OnePlan on Houzz
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

I think this design works well in the space, yes it’s

minimal, but it’s a holiday home, so surely that’s
fine! Nice work!

△ ▽ Reply
KuriousOranj
− ⚑
3 years ago

Lets hope there isn't another holiday rental above

and that no-one clatters up those stone stairs over
the bed at 2:15am.

△ ▽ Reply
Tom
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Beautiful in its simple restraint and functionality, as

well as the craftsmanship that has gone into the
detailing. Great to see a contemporary insertion
into the fabric of the Edinburgh Old Town – almost
has a Portuguese feel to it.

△ ▽ Reply
William Austin
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Has a youth-hostel vibe, reminds me of the smell of

dirty socks.

△ ▽ Reply
Kate > William Austin
− ⚑
3 years ago

Jealous.

△ ▽ Reply

David Scott
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

I think I just shit my pants with excitement....oh no

wait, that is from all the beer and burgers
Edinburgh seems to sell.

△ ▽ Reply
Kate > David Scott
− ⚑
3 years ago

Location jealousy issues?

△ ▽ Reply

Stuart Glass
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Looks terrible. The bed looks like it is in a prison,

and the look is dull and boring. Very much like
Edinburgh, so it will suit the dull and boring tenant
with money to burn.

△ ▽ 1 Reply
Crab > Stuart Glass
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Stuart, haha look at all your moany comments. Is

that a pomme frite on that shoulder of yours?

https://disqus.com/by/disqu...

△ ▽ Reply
Kate > Stuart Glass
− ⚑
3 years ago

You and Scott should meet up, both of you seem

to have location jealousy issues.

△ ▽ Reply
Kathryn S.H. Gowling
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Wonderful! Looks perfect in every way as a "home

base" from which to explore Edinburgh. We are
both retired architects and my great grandfather
was a prominent naval officer and natural scientist
– Frederick Gordon Pearcey. He sailed on the
Challenger expedition and ran the Challenger
Office. Plan to visit in the next couple of years.
Kathryn Gowling FRAIC.

△ ▽ Reply
Kate > Kathryn S.H. Gowling
− ⚑
3 years ago

Thanks for the history lesson.

△ ▽ Reply
Kathryn S.H. Gowling > …
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

This infill may be 'everything one needs and

nothing you do not'

Wish one could see more of the urban context;

the neighbourhood to assess the success of the
infill. Infills can be a bold departure for re-use
or a restoration / new insertion which reflects
or enhances the context. There is the present,
the past & the future before all buildings
eventually return to the earth.
Kathryn ⛺ View — uploads.disquscdn.com

△ ▽ Reply

JEA
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Beautiful original building and beautiful infill.

I know undermount sinks in wood tops are the

thing now, but I gotta wonder about the durability...
likewise the shower spattering the wood vanity
cabinet. Although marine-grade finishes do go a
long way, it's true.

△ ▽ Reply
duckusucker
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Who could object to such bland surroundings? A

nice spot, for a monk. However, for a short-stay, it's
a nice place for busy tourists to unwind, I'd
imagine.
1△ ▽ Reply
Guest
− ⚑
3 years ago

Hard to imagine an RSJ defining an entrance, but

this one does. And the materials throughout are
wonderful to behold. Love the slatting, but I'm not
so keen on oversize pivoting doors.

△ ▽ Reply
IDRACULA
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Monastic modern. Nicely detailed, but feels

uncomfortable, lacking feng shui.

△ ▽ Reply
Benjamin McGregor Cleary
− ⚑
3 years ago edited

Word on the street – the supper club by Porteous

Studio is a culinary masterpiece.

△ ▽ Reply
Hanna Hais
− ⚑
3 years ago

Great!

△ ▽ Reply

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