They spent 15 years lovingly transforming a tired bungalow into the dream home they always wanted.
Now Emily and Robert Hairstans’ innovation has been rewarded after their Edinburgh property Homegrown Hoose was crowned Scotland’s Home of the Year 2026.
The couple admitted when they first viewed the building in the capital’s leafy Mortonhall area they were less than impressed.
Mrs Hairstans even went as far as to say she hated it.
But determined to achieve their ‘vision’, the bungalow they say, is now a ‘collage of our life of 15 years on display’, bringing together everything from ‘upcycled furniture, horticulture and advanced timber technologies’.
And the three contest judges agreed, with one saying it ‘wasn’t just designed, it was lived into existence’.
The beautiful Mortonhall home has been crowned Scotland’s Home of the Year 2026
Emily and Robert Hairstans with their award. Their Homegrown Hoose beat five other properties
The bungalow was revealed as the winner in last night’s finale of the BBC Scotland series filmed at Glasgow’s House for an Art Lover, designed by iconic architect Charles Rennie MacIntosh.
Mrs Hairstans said: ‘It’s such an honour to win. We have lived here for a number of years and the house has evolved with us. We didn’t start out with something like this planned. The slow, organic nature of the design process I think makes us unique.
‘It is homely because it’s just us and the things that mean something to us.
‘All of the lovely comments the judges said about our home really resonated with us and we’re so thrilled.’
When the couple took on the conversion project, they knew the bungalow needed ‘a major upgrade and a refresh’.
Now the sustainably modernised mid-century property, which is also home to the couple’s children Jackson and Ada, even includes a part of the building which looks as if it is floating over the garden.
Mr Hairstans, a professor of timber engineering, said: ‘I don’t think what we have done will ever be replicated.
‘It’s a collage of our life of 15 years on display. Home-grown Hoose brings together upcycled furniture, horticulture and advanced timber technologies and blends it together with what we needed from the house as a growing family.’
He added: ‘Every decision, every paint colour, bit of furniture, modification was considered. So, for those decisions to result in the home we have and win Scotland’s Home of the Year is exceptional.’
Emily and Robert brought their skills together to fulfil a sustainable modernisation of their mid-century home
The couple described their home as a ‘collage of our life of 15 years on display'
The property, one of six to make it to the final, received universal praise from judges Anna Campbell-Jones, Banjo Beale and Danny Campbell.
Isle of Mull based Interior Designer Mr Beale said: ‘It wasn’t just designed, it was lived into existence, every inch rooted in purpose, place, and a bit of graft. I thought it was a lovely blueprint for a modern family home.
'It felt like the house grew straight out of the soil itself, a rare blend of soul and sustainable style.’
And he said ‘hands down’ the open-plan kitchen was his ‘favourite part’, describing it as ‘a place where mud, meals, and magic all collide in the most beautiful, modern and unexpected way.’
Architect and lecturer Mr Campbell added that their ‘original approach to a rudimentary house type….doesn’t just make it perfect for the family that lives there but encourages others to push the envelope and challenge what design can create at home.’
The full eighth series are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.