An expression of Bryony and Mark Ladd-Smith’s creativity and craftmanship, Honeysuckle Cottage in Moffat was a big hit with Scotland’s Home of the Year judges, scoring the maximum points to win a place in the coveted final of the popular BBC Scotland series this summer. Carol Hogarth reports.
A perfect mix of old and new, renovated and extended to connect to the landscape, Honeysuckle Cottage in Moffat proved a big hit with the judges in Scotland’s Home of the Year this summer.
The former weaver’s cottage, believed to be one of the oldest in the town, was the 2024 finalist for the south of Scotland in the popular BBC Scotland television show.
Bryony Ladd-Smith and her husband Mark bought the cottage in 2011 and spent 10 years extending it and putting their own stamp on it. In the process, Mark, who was general manager for a health club in Livingston, gave up his job to become a full-time tradesman and handyman.
Previously renting property on the outskirts of town, Mark and Bryony, who is head of drama, art and music at Lockerbie Academy, began looking for a home of their own when their first son, Grayson, was on the way. Mark viewed the cottage alone and loved it so much, it was the only property the couple looked at.
“It was a cute little cottage, that had been extended to the side and into the basement in the 1990s,” he says. “It was in quite good condition, too.”
But, with interiors-mad Bryony involved, the cottage was in for a complete make-over, with Mark learning how to do almost everything as he went along.
“I’d never done anything like this before but I’m quite practical, I care about detail,” he says. “On the whole I enjoy it. It’s tough at the time but afterwards it feels great – a bit like exercise does.”
Bryony adds: “We are of the mindset that you have to be bad to be good. You have to push through the difficult bits.”
The couple converted former storage space in the basement into an ensuite for the master bedroom and then, after second son Xavier arrived, a major extension began.
“The two boys were sharing a room, so we wanted another bedroom on the side,” Bryony explains.
“I had always thought it’s such a dark house, the walls are so thick, and the windows are small. We love living in an older property, but these are the disadvantages. So, the architect, Kim Bellwood from Dumfries, suggested we add a glass sunroom extension to the front as well.”
This decision was praised by Scotland’s Home of the Year judge and architect Danny Campbell: “The old cottage is so characterful, but it was crying out for natural light, and then adding on a sunroom, perfectly positioned, is a stroke of genius.”
The basic structure was erected by professional joiners, but Mark was left to do everything else, including internal walls, plasterboard, insulation, flooring and exterior landscaping and fencing, with tuition and support from family members and online tutorials. The extension was completed in 2016.
“It has given us much more enjoyment of the home,” says Bryony. “It makes the most of the house. We can sit here and enjoy the view of the hills.”
Bryony has always loved interior design and was already an avid fan of Scotland’s Home of the Year: “I watch all the homes programmes, read all the magazines. I have very specific ideas and will wait a long time to find what I’m looking for. I think carefully about every doorknob, hook and wastepaper bin.”
Taking inspiration from the cottage’s surrounding woodland and hills, the colour scheme in the cosy living room is an earthy combination of greens and neutrals, which is carried through into the sunroom.
Natural materials like the oak parquet flooring and exposed, original stonework around the front door help keep the house grounded in its setting.
In the kitchen, the Ikea units that came with the house have had repurposed doors added, and the walls are Farrow & Ball Card Room Green, with a statement wall of floral wallpaper from Studio Coverdale.
The neighbouring family shower room also has stunning feature wallpaper, by House of Hackney: “I fell in love with it, but it’s very expensive, so I found two rolls of it on eBay, and we made it fit,” says Bryony.
The downstairs ensuite bathroom won high praise from the judges, with Anna Campbell-Jones describing it as “feeling like a cave, but in a positive way”.
Bryony says the couple wanted to create a luxury spa feel as a parents’ retreat.
The judges enjoyed Xavier’s bedroom with its gecko, guinea pigs and jungle-like mural, from Dunelm, as well as meeting the family cat in the master bedroom.
Interior designer and judge Banjo Beale said: “I think the homeowners have created a world here for their kids to explore their wild side and a world where they can express their creativity and craftsmanship.”
With two young children and a full-time job, Bryony doesn’t get the time she’d like to browse antique fairs and auctions, shopping largely online instead, although some items have come from Moffat’s antique shops and, she says, small heirlooms, hand-me-downs and personal treasures are what makes the house so homely.
The lead up to filming for Scotland’s Home of the Year in July 2023 was spent finishing jobs and frantically cleaning before the family was banished to Bryony’s parents’ house next door, during the judges’ visit.
A couple of weeks later they were told they had won the south heat and were through to the final, which was filmed in Glasgow shortly after that.
“I am such a big fan of the show, I was so excited to meet the judges,” Bryony says. “It was also fun meeting the other finalists. Their houses are really inspiring.”
Honeysuckle Cottage received maximum points, 30 out of 30, from the judges during the south heat but lost out in the final to a 1960s bungalow in Milngavie.
Armed with everything they have learned from their work on the cottage, Mark and Bryony have now embarked on their next project: a seven-bedroom Victorian manse, also in Moffat, which needed a full renovation.
They bought it last October, have been working hard on it ever since, and plan to move in this autumn, while still completing the mammoth project.
Bryony says: “For us, our journey is going to be houses. It’s something we enjoy and feel we’re good at. It makes us happy to do a project. This has the bones of a beautiful house.”
The manse, which has 17 rooms in total, had dry rot and needed re-wiring and new plumbing.
Although fully focussed now on their latest project, it’s clear Honeysuckle Cottage will always have an important place in Mark and Bryony’s hearts: “We learned so much from this house,” says Bryony. “It changed over the years to suit the people that are living in it. It evolved with our family.”
*All episodes of the 2024 Scotland’s Home of the Year series are available to watch on BBC iPlayer..
