The Byre

2025

The brief for this holiday let at Tote on the Isle of Skye was to create a contemporary building that reflects the character of the traditional agricultural byres found across the Highlands. Simple in form and robust in materiality, the building is clad in profiled metal sheeting with larch accent panels, giving it a familiar yet modern appearance.

The main living space is arranged as a generous open-plan volume, with large areas of glazing framing uninterrupted views across Loch Snizort to the Cuillin mountains beyond. The interior is kept simple and functional, allowing the changing light and surrounding landscape to become the focus. The result is a contemporary retreat that feels rooted in its setting while offering a calm and comfortable place to experience Skye.

"The designs were grounded and practical, making the transition from paper to site much smoother for the contractors." Iain + Alyson

A modern house with a black metal exterior and wooden accents, featuring a small outdoor deck with wooden chairs, set in a rural landscape with rolling hills, wildflowers, and a cloudy sky.
A modern black metal house with a sloped roof and a chimney. The front has a glass door and a small wooden porch. There is a garden bed and a pathway leading to the house, with a rural landscape of rolling hills and fields in the background.
Interior view of a small, modern, built-in closet space with a light wooden bench beneath vertical green panels and a black hook on a wooden rack, bathed in natural sunlight from a nearby glass door.
Living room with beige chairs, round coffee table with books, woven ottoman, television on wall, pendant lights, large windows showing a scenic landscape, and a kitchen area in the background.
A black wood stove with glass door, filled with firewood inside and stored below, placed against a white wall with a black tool holder and poker off to the side.
Modern building exterior with black corrugated metal siding, a glass door, and a wooden niche with firewood inside.
Inside a small storage shed with wood panel walls, a striped pillow, a basket of chopped firewood, and a black dishwasher.
View of a modern building exterior with a black metal wall on the right side and a garden with green plants and yellow flowers in the foreground, a gravel pathway, and a field with yellow flowers and a mountain in the background under a cloudy sky.
A black modern house with a sloped roof and minimal windows in a rural landscape, surrounded by tall grass and wildflowers, with other houses and rolling hills in the background under cloudy skies.
A house under construction in a rural area at sunset, with scaffolding surrounding it and a ladder leaning against the roof.
Interior of an unfinished attic or room under construction with exposed wooden framing, insulation boards, a ladder, and construction tools.