How do you make a 300-year-old Baronial castle fit for modern-day living?

When Charlotte Freemantle, who founded the antiques-to-fireplaces specialist Jamb with her husband, Will Fisher, first visited Aldourie Castle in Inverness-shire in 2022, it was clear that, with some decorative encouragement, the room could once again become the beating heart of the house. The project took 18 months and involved taking many rooms back to bare plaster and floorboards.

For this room, she chose a favourite paint, Jonquil by Edward Bulmer, for the walls. ‘It’s a very typical country-house colour, which is soft and immediately inviting. I haven’t worked with Scottish light before, which changes quite significantly with the seasons, but fortunately Jonquil is ideal.’ The sofas and chairs are all from Jamb’s collection and upholstered in hand-dyed linen from The Dyeworks. ‘It’s not a practical material for a house that is hired out, but the mantra that Will and I stuck to throughout the project was only to use things we’d have in our own home.’

Above a 19th-century library table hangs a colza light by the 19th-century Birmingham manufacturer, Messenger & Sons, which was sourced from another Scottish estate. On the console in the window is a glass box containing a collection of shells. The 18th-century crewelwork hanging on the wall introduces discreet pattern and the curtains are in a Jasper stripe from the US designer Michael Smith, which is available from Jamb.

On the floor is rush matting from Rush Matters. It requires ‘watering’ with an atomiser, but adds a softness to the room that helps strike the right atmosphere. ‘This is a room for lying on the sofa in front of the fire — it needed to feel relaxed.’

This feature originally appeared in the October 22, 2025, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.