Rink Hill is located on the 500-acre Rink Farm, owned and managed by the Bayne family for three generations. Today the farm, run on a system of mixed arable and grazing, is home to Michael and Fiona Bayne and their three young sons.

They envisaged a distinctive yet subtle build, a space in which to appreciate the landscape and the as-yet little discovered Borders region. Fiona’s background in feature journalism has allowed the couple to experience some remarkable spaces both at home and abroad, planting the seed for Rink Hill deeper still.

Rink Hill was planned with the site’s spectacular views firmly in mind. Perched on a steep south-facing slope, the building’s curved glass façade creates a dramatic panorama of forest, hill and sky. Inside, a restrained colour palette rests alongside natural timbers to deliver that sense of calm so elusive to contemporary lives. Find a favourite spot: a window seat from which to spot skylarks and buzzards; a bath carefully positioned to drink in those views; a bed from which to contemplate the weather for the day ahead; a large L-shaped sofa for well-deserved lounging; a solid dining table from which to feast on the surrounds. These are the details that make Rink Hill.

The site is located in open farmland on the outer curve of a hillside. A main focus of the build was to utilise natural products in the finishing material pallet. The main frontages were formed with natural whin stone, recycled from field stone gathered over the years and former dry stone walling nearby. The external timber cladding and some of the internal detail was sourced from woodland on the farm less than 400m from the property. Six mature douglas fir trees were carefully selected and milled by a mobile sawmill. The boards were then stacked and seasoned for two years prior to the build.