Scotland’s Home of the Year winner revealed

A 1960s Bungalow in East Dunbartonshire has been crowned Scotland’s Home of the Year in the finale of the popular BBC Scotland series.

The house in Milngavie – described by the show’s judges as electrically eclectic – is home to Anna McClelland, her partner Harry Kinloch and their children Lexie and Marley.

Anna and Harry – who are both Glasgow School of Art graduates – said they were thrilled and genuinely shocked to win.

“Our home is distinctive and unique because it’s like the inside of our heads and that’s also what makes it homely to us – but maybe not for lots of other people,” Anna said.

She said taking part in the show had been amazing and it had also meant her partner Harry had finally finish doing the DIY.

The Scotland’s Home of the Year (SHOTY) judges – interior designers Anna Campbell-Jones and Banjo Beale and architect Danny Campbell – picked the winner from a shortlist of six finalists found across Scotland.

The 1960s Bungalow has been extended twice and the judges loved its clever decorating techniques and the use of reclaimed materials including the flooring from a school, complete with colourful markers.

Ms Campbell Jones said it was a very worthy winner.

“This electrically eclectic creative home exemplifies what it means to truly make your home unique to you,” she said.

“It was fun and playful – an absolute dream family home to spark children’s imaginations and keep that same feeling alive in any adult who has the good fortune to experience it first-hand.”

She said she was impressed by the ingenious use of “normal” things in extraordinary ways, such as patterns made with electrical tape, inexpensive Zebra carpet which gave a new cool context to the house as well as colourful decals on plain tiles and light switches.

SHOTY judge Banjo Beale said it was unlike any home he had ever stepped foot in.

He said it was a work of art and a living canvas for its creative owners.

“The home was bold, brave and unapologetically 100% them,” he said.

“The owners created this home just for themselves.

“When you walked in, you really got a sense of who they were. From the duct tape art to a smiling loo, it didn’t take itself too seriously. It is a home for big and little kids alike.”

Architect and judge Danny Campbell said: “The carefree abandon to which the homeowners had turned their home into their family curated artwork, but also, how cleverly they remodelled it.

“This one had it all – there were double front and rear dormers, a split-level kitchen and reconfigured internal layout, a large rear extension and landscaped garden – I was in architectural heaven.

“The new spaces they created were elevated by the commitment they had to their vision and how expertly every detail had been turned into artwork.

The 2024 series of Scotland’s Home of the Year visited 18 properties across the length and breadth of Scotland and chose the winner from six finalists.

For winners Anna and Harry, a real highlight was meeting the other finalists.

Harry said the stories behind how everyone’s home developed were really interesting.

“I actually asked the owners of Earth House [winners of Ep3 Highlands and Islands] if they’d consider a house swap – they said no,” he joked.

The seventh series of Scotland’s Home of the Year will begin filming over the summer.

Applications are open until 5 July.