The penultimate episode of Scotland’s Home of the Year airs on Monday and features a remarkable house in Fife.
The Pink House is in the village of Crossford, near Dunfermline. Its name gives all the clue you might need to guess what makes it unusual.
“I’ve always liked bold colours and didn’t want to live in a house that was boring,” explains owner Heather Craig.
Heather and her husband Brian live at the Pink House with their daughters Rosie, 9, and Olive, 7.
Heather grew up in Crossford and has wanted to live in the Pink House since she was little.
“I used to walk past the house all the time when I was a child,” she continues. “I always dreamed about one day living here. A family friend saw a for sale sign and let me know it was on the market.
“We were the first people to view it and the first to put an offer in.”
The Pink House
Built in the 1940s, the Pink House has mock-Tudor styling, exposed brickwork, and bay windows. Heather and Brian bought the house seven years ago and immediately began turning it into their dream home.
Heather has transformed the four-bedroom house with colour and clever upcycling techniques.
Furniture choices are a mix of vintage and second-hand and Heather’s favourite colour – pink – features in every room.
Strong colour combinations adorn the walls and the emphasis is on fun – there’s even a disco ball in the kitchen.
“I would describe it as nostalgic,” Heather continues. “I had a Glaswegian granny who I just adored, and I have a lot of her ornaments in the house. It helps me remember her.
“I really like mid-century and vintage pieces. I keep a close eye on eBay, Gumtree, and Facebook marketplace for items in my price range. And there are quite a few local artists that we buy pieces from.”
The couple carried out some of the work themselves, bringing in trades to do the more technical aspects.
“Brian taught himself to tile and did the tiling in the kitchen and the porch,” Heather says. “He’s also good at wallpapering. I did quite a lot of the painting.
“We did it one room at a time, moving on to the next room as soon as we’d saved up enough money.”
Exploring inside the Pink House
The ground floor has a living room and a kitchen diner. The house was previously extended to add a playroom off the kitchen and an en suite bedroom upstairs.
The living room is Heather’s favourite spot, as it’s where the family gathers for movie nights, with the wood burner on in the winter.
Brian, 42, works in the oil and gas industry with Shell, while the success of the house renovation has seen Heather, 37, make a part-time career as a designer/influencer promoting her work online, primarily through her Instagram account: @heatherscolourful.
Heather is unrepentant about going for a bold colour palette. “I’ve always loved pink,” she says. “It’s such a happy colour. Your home is where you spend most of your time and having it the way you want should be a priority.
“If we ever did sell it, we could just paint it in more muted colours. But our intention is this is the house we’re going to grow old in, so we did it in our style without worrying about what a buyer might think.”
Scotland’s Home of the Year
The Pink House features in episode six of Scotland’s Home of the Year, which is broadcast on Monday.
“We really love the show,” Heather says. “I think we missed the first season but we’ve seen every episode since then.”
Scotland’s Home of the Year presenters were impressed with Heather’s very personal design.
Judge Banjo Beale said: “I love the sugar and spice – best of both worlds – but it doesn’t feel too saccharine. It’s really cosy. They’ve managed to get the balance right.”
Danny Campbell was impressed by the playroom extension, which is accessed by stable doors off the kitchen.
He said: “It’s quite unusual to have an external door into an extension off what is an open plan space. It’s quite clever with young kids so you can hide away all their stuff.
“This is possibly the most colourful house I’ve ever been in. I think for family living this house is doing it really well.”
Anna Campbell-Jones added: “It’s really clear that the homeowners have worked with what they were given. They’ve used their imagination to create a home that represents their personality. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune.”
Impressive properties on Scotland’s Home of the Year
The Pink House is up against two other properties in the episode. Sea View is a new-build house in North Berwick. It has an upside-down layout with semi-open plan living space on the first floor placed to take full advantage of views across the golf course to the Firth of Forth.
There’s a stunning cinema room and an eye-catching bathroom with a petrified wooden sink, leopard print wallpaper, and a beaded chandelier.
Then there is Coldwater, a mid-century bungalow in Linlithgow. Having been empty for more than a year when its owners bought it, the house was in need of attention.
A range of innovative ideas and techniques have been used in the refurbishment to create a striking and unique family home.
One of the highlights is a sunken lounge with a built-in bar made from recycled plastic.
The winner of Monday’s episode will go through to the grand final the following week when the judges will reveal which of the six finalists will be crowned Scotland’s Home of the Year 2024.
One of the homes in contention for the accolade is the Old Mill, near Dunblane. The stunning conversion saw the building transformed from a derelict structure on the banks of the Allan Water into a stunning family home.
It was the winner of the fourth episode of the show and its owners, Lee and Dawn Collins, will be in attendance at the final to find out if their house is crowned Scotland’s Home of the Year.
- Episode six of Scotland’s Home of the Year is on BBC One Scotland on Monday June 3 from 8.30-9pm.
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