GRAS worked closely with design-oriented clients in the heart of historic Gattonside on the River Tweed near Melrose. The project involved the careful refurbishment of a first-floor apartment, conversion of the attic, and reconfiguration of the living spaces. Throughout the process, the clients were actively involved and took on a key role in managing the project, ensuring their design vision was realised with precision.
The proposal introduced a new staircase to the attic, creating a spacious bedroom tucked neatly above the large living room, dining area, and kitchen. This bedroom features a generous walk-in wardrobe and storage, culminating in a bathroom. The design draws on an existing minimalist aesthetic, accented by industrial elements.
A thoughtfully curated material palette reflects the clients’ refined sense of style and commitment to minimising environmental impact. The interventions are realised in naturally finished larch and ash wood, subtly textured walls, and durable flooring. The project emphasised collaboration with local craftspeople and trades to ensure quality and attention to detail throughout.
Following the successful interior refurbishment of the buff concept store, GRAS embarked on a transformative journey with the clients, thoughtfully redecorating the office spaces within the A-listed former St Ninian’s Manse in Leith, Edinburgh. The client’s aim was to cultivate a serene oasis conducive to expanding the studio’s offerings towards contemplative well-being rituals. The project encompassed internal redecoration and bespoke furniture fabrication, drawing on GRAS’s fruitful collaboration with Edinburgh’s artisan, Daniel Brophy.
The chosen material palette for this understated intervention was neutral, tactile, and naturally derived. Marble paint was used for the lime-plastered internal stone walls, emphasising their elemental feel. Scottish Oak and Limestone were chosen the bespoke joinery, and powder-coated steel and painted timber for more conventional storage cabinetry. These choices seamlessly integrated with the historic fabric of the space, allowing GRAS to unearth and accentuate the lost domestic character of the former manse.
GRAS combined Scottish ash, concrete, and stainless steel to create the restrained and tactile interior of buff, a design-led manicure studio in Edinburgh. Sustainably sourced timber was layered with contemporary materials, transforming the Victorian stone-arched space into a refined and evocative environment. Custom-designed joinery pieces were carefully integrated to craft a harmonious interior that reflects the studio’s ethos and embodies a functional simplicity.
In light of ash dieback disease caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, which is projected to affect up to 75 percent of Scottish ash, the project provided an opportunity to engage thoughtfully with the ecological and ethical considerations of material selection. The sourcing and fabrication of the joinery was the result of a close collaboration with Edinburgh-based designer and maker Daniel Brophy, reinforcing a commitment to responsible craftsmanship.
The design balances material integrity and sensory experience, offering a quietly confident space that resonates with clients and visitors alike.
GRAS were approached to reconfigure and amalgamate two A-listed properties into one at Royal Terrace in Edinburgh. The brief was to create a two story dwelling with 3 public rooms, 4 bedrooms and a large dining/kitchen linked by a new stair. As it was the most significant alteration to the property and pivotal to the success of the project the client was keen to explore the possibility the clients were keen to explore the possibilities of the stair. Positioned at the heart of the house the stair linking the two levels together allows as much light as possible into the lower ground floor level.
Inspired by the work of sculptors Locky Morris and Barbara Hepworth, the proposal endeavoured to abstract the floor surface to form a sculptural, flowing spiral. The conventional spiral stair plan has been twisted so that the leading edge of each tread runs perpendicular to the tangent of the central void, meaning that visually, each tread tapers into the next creating a continuous timber surface when viewed from above. In order to achieve this complex geometry while allowing light to pass through the structure, each tread is supported on a unique cantilevered steel profile tapering in plan and section. While forming a single solid surface when viewed from above, the profile of the treads mean that each step is viewed as an individual element from below: visually reminiscent of turbine blades or a wing profile. The light flows between the steps and creates different qualities of light and form when viewed from any point in the space. A central glazed balustrade is supported from the end of each cantilevered tread, while a recessed handrail runs around the perimeter wall.
