Amidst the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh’s animated Old Town, tucked away is a calm and peaceful holiday apartment. Porteous Studio was designed by young couple, Eilidh Izat and Jack Arundell; together creating their design studio Izat Arundell. The couple enjoy quiet architecture and design and had a vision to transform their former 18th Century Blacksmith’s workshop into a minimalist apartment. Using natural and locally-sourced materials, in particular; stone, clay and wood, these textures create a relaxing and harmonious atmosphere to return to after a day out in Scotland’s lively capital city. With spectacular views of Edinburgh castle from just around the corner this apartment is ideal for a stress-free getaway.
As for the furniture in this apartment, every piece has been produced from one single Oak Tree! Local cabinet-maker Namon Gaston, designed and manufactured the furniture with help from kitchen specialist Richard Anstice, and upholsterer Peter Jones. As stated on the studio’s website, the design has been so well thought-out that the “natural clay plaster walls regulate humidity levels to the optimum human comfort range creating a calm atmosphere, the velvet limestone tiles sit softly with the cobbles outside and the underfloor heating keeps feet cosy at all times”.
We recently had the opportunity of shooting Porteous Studio and we couldn’t have been more pleased to work in such an interesting space. From a photography stand point, the studio was a fun but challenging space to photograph. Being surrounded by tall Victorian tenements there is little direct light entering the property – this creates a dark and ambient light. Fortunately, this is lifted by a large glass door and window spanning across the facade. This door is one of our favourite design features in the studio, with an eccentric pivot point resulting in a 1/3 ratio door opening… its glorious! The design style of which is mimicked within the apartment by an adjustable screen separating the bedroom from the living area. This divides the two spaces retaining the feeling of openness without compromising natural light. We used long exposures to help bring the design to light whilst simultaneously retaining the natural highlights and shadows of the space.
With such a minimal interior (with no frilly bits!) we focused on forming compositions from the raw architecture and furniture. For example, we used lines from the window and dining table to help pull you into the kitchen. An abstract shelving shot was taken to emphasize how light travels through the bedroom shutters, and we took tighter shots of the sofa and curtain to highlight the soft textures breaking up the hard stone and linear forms. The combination of rough and smooth textures created balance in our imagery and put emphasis on the raw materials that really make this property unique.
If you appreciate minimal architecture and raw materials you’re going to love this hidden getaway. To find out more about Porteous Studio and Izat Arundell, or to book a relaxing trip to Scotland’s capital city, follow this link below to their website….
