Love Scotland? How to bring a Scottish feel into your home

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I love Scotland, I've been lucky enough to have lived in Edinburgh for over a year and as well as work on the West Coast of Scotland for a summer, near the Isle of Skye. It is a place I love visiting with my kids, we enjoyed a wonderful family break to Edinburgh and have a trip lined up to the Highlands later this year. I love to incorporate my favourite places into my home so that even when I am not travelling I can feel a sense of wanderlust. 

Descending from the Highlands, tartan is a sure-fire way to incorporate Scottish roots into your interior design. The optime of warmth and comfort, what better place to use this iconic pattern than in your bedroom or living room, and here are some ways to achieve this with style and sophistication.

What is tartan?

First, let’s explore the origins of the fabric. Tartan is a uniquely patterned cloth consisting of intricate and intersecting lines in multiple colours, that create different sized and coloured squares. Historically, the fabric has been used in Scottish traditions to represent a clan or family lineage, using colours and lines that are reflective of their local region.

It usually is made of woven wool, but over time tartan has evolved as an iconic pattern that can be found in many textures and materials. It is also a fun and easy way to incorporate a pattern and colour into your interior design and works well as part of a rug, throw or cushions.

Experiment with layers

The focal point of your bedroom is of course the bed, and through the use of tartan, you can make it a real showstopper in the space. You can indulge in a luxurious woven fabric of rich checks, like with Designers Guild bedding for example, which will provide the basis of the design on your bed.

With the bed linen setting the colour palette and base tartan pattern, you can layer up with accessories such as cushions, throws and blankets. As well as using different textures for a cosy atmosphere, you can coordinate with the rest of the tartan in the room, whilst not being overly matching, to create depth and interest.

The key to effectively using tartan in the bedroom is to use a tone that is timely all year round, as we all know a deep red can seem a bit too wintery. However, if you really want to harken back to its Celtic roots, then incorporating faux furs and natural wool alongside the tartan, will certainly create an atmosphere of the Highlands.

This also works well in the living room by bringing a pop of colour and warmth, especially during autumn and winter. A nice thick throw looks beautiful draped over a sofa and also helps to keep you warm. 

Explore with colour

The joy of tartan, and the rich origins that involve colours of the local land, means that the fabric can be found in a whole array of shades and hues. Depending on the colour of your walls, you can decide to clash with your choice of tartan furnishings and accessories and delve into complex checks in a colourful palette.

On the other hand, tartan is just as effective in neutral hues, where the focus is instead on the detailed pattern and texture of the material used. You could even go completely monochrome, making an impact with just black and white, and creating a chic, Parisian vibe for your bedroom.

 

Clash checks and stripes

The intricacy and use of colour in a tartan fabric means it can almost be a used as a block shade, when designing your bedroom or living room style. So, don’t be afraid to pair it with a mix of other patterns in terms of your bedding and adorning accessories. Stripes work particularly well with checks and tartan, especially if they all incorporate the same colour palette. As aforementioned, used effectively can create a real focal point of the bed within the space, as the various patterns are visually striking together.

This can also go for the general aesthetic of the room. Just because tartan comes from traditional roots, doesn’t mean that the materials can’t be paired with surrounding modern elements. In fact, contemporary furniture brings out the best of country fabrics. Imagine a sleek and sophisticated dressing table or wardrobe alongside a warm, cosy and comfortable tartan rug. It’s a match made in design heaven.