Just returned from a glorious three days’ site visit to the Oran Na Mara project on the Isle of Harris – so exciting to see the progress and meet the builders who are taking such pride in shaping the house, both inside and out….and what a shape! From the road, you only ever see one section of the curve, so it never appears to overwhelm the gentle slope into which it nestles.
I arrived just in time for the start of the thatching. Stage one, Neil was off to find a friendly crofter who’d let him cut the square turfs; stage two, crofter found, so large neat squares of turf cut; stage three, these were laid, grass side down in an overlapping diamond pattern on the roof.
Stage four will be the thatching, using the marram grass that’s been drying in the North of the island. Handful-sized bundles will be pushed into the undersides of the turfs, then the whole roof will be covered in a rope “net” which will beheld in place with stone weights. No need for guttering or downpipes to spoil the natural lines where thatch meets stone …the rain will happily find its own way down to the ground, trickling through the nooks and crannies in the thick stone outer walls.
Going inside was a huge excitement – seeing the skeleton of the domed ceiling and the curves drawing you irresistibly round – giving a wonderful feeling of movement, space and light: imagine what it will be like, once domed and white and softly lit…
The windows will be challenging, as not one speck of the stunning views or precious light should be lost during the day – yet at night, they will need to be covered to provide warmth and softness – so cunning plans are afoot to accommodate window dressings within simple architectural pelmets that will also house the diffused lighting for the ceiling…
The clear remit is for simplicity and, wherever possible, natural materials: linens, wools, stone, wood…and, everywhere, references to the colours, textures, flora and fauna that abound on the island. The last morning I was up before breakfast collecting beautiful smoothed stones and irridescent shells from the beach…
…this is one project I want to go on for ever!