Chesterhill

Built in the late 18th century, this enviable retreat is perfect for holidays spent enjoying the beaches and golf courses of East Lothian as well as the countless attractions in the nearby capital city of Edinburgh. Sitting under the Lammermuir Hills and surrounded by the pastoral landscape of the Lowlands, Chesterhill lies within easy reach of the popular seaside towns of Gullane and North Berwick, serving as a perfect spot for gatherings of family and friends near both the city and the sea.

Enter through the front door into the inner hallway where floral wallpaper that extends into the back hall and all the way up the staircase is adorned with gilt-framed landscape paintings. Throughout the house original period details are combined with carefully curated antique and modernist pieces creating an effortless style which is at once welcoming and refined. In the living room, grand sash windows fill the room with natural light while ample comfy armchairs and a sofa invite you to spend relaxed mornings overlooking the garden and cosy evenings unwinding together after supper beside an open fire. The TV in the living room has been cleverly hidden behind the doors of the antique bureau while the room also benefits from a premium Sonus Faber sound system. A garden door leads out to a terrace with a Big Green Egg kamado-style outdoor oven available for preparing unforgettable summer meals.

The formal dining room has been reconceived as a quiet reading and workspace as well as for eating. It features a traditional 3-leaved dining table with two window seats and a well-stocked bookcase, all surrounded by statement wallpaper in autumn ochre hues. Two unusual portraits from the owner’s time in France and Romania hang on the walls.

An open-plan kitchen and sitting area is joined by an idyllic glass-walled sunroom that leads out into a fantastic walled garden. Sleek and modern, the kitchen includes a large range cooker, a small wine fridge, roomy countertops and plenty of inviting spots to sit with a book or cup of tea. With verdant lawn views and impressive light, the kitchen is an excellent space for cooking and socialising as a group.

The ground floor also features a coat room under the stairs, a quiet study with drinks cabinet and a printer, a small cloakroom and a spacious utility room by the back door with a washing machine, a dryer, two traditional pulleys for drying clothes and an under-counter fridge to supplement the kitchen. The utility room leads to a bright, lower hall which is shared with the neighbouring cottage, through which you are welcome to enjoy the private sauna with a shower and bathroom facilities or access the attractive courtyard between the house and the adjoining cottage. A staircase in the shared hall leads up to a private recording studio, where musical recording sessions may be arranged with the tenant of the adjoining cottage at additional cost.

Upstairs in the house, three double bedrooms are all situated on the first floor. Generously proportioned and beautifully designed, they each boast king size beds and superb views across the grounds surrounding the house.The first is decorated with dramatic deep blue panelling joined by a decorative fireplace and an en suite Jack and Jill bathroom with a rainforest shower and floor-to-ceiling marble tiles. A colourful palette can be found in the second bedroom, where ochres, greens and greys encompass the super king size bed that can also be configured as singles, as required. This bedroom gives access to a second Jack and Jill bathroom decorated with expressive brushstrokes surrounding a sumptuous freestanding bath. The walls of the third bedroom are strewn with cascading leaf wallpaper echoing the leafy scenery viewed through the large dual aspect windows. Two of these bedrooms also have their own vanity unit with sink. A cot and a folding Jay-Be bed are also available for children.

On the uppermost floor, two further attic bedrooms sit beneath combed ceilings and are perfectly suited to teenagers. Both bedrooms enjoy views out to the grounds surrounding the house and are cosy places to retire after days spent out and about exploring. The bedroom to the right is decorated with blue plaid wallpaper and features a single bed.The equally colourful second bedroom to the left at the top of the stairs looks out over the garden and the Lammermuir hills, and is clad in pink tartan wallpaper and features a modular-fitted day bed which can convert to a small double bed.

The house is surrounded by a spectacular garden and grounds that are testament to the vision, skill and creativity of previous owners and gardeners. The many trees, including a wonderful pine tree directly in front of the house and a sequoia in the meadow are all mature and attract a variety of birds throughout the year. The birdsong in spring and summer is almost constant and one of the most striking features of the mini estate around the house.

Highlights in this beautiful tapestry include the sweeping garden lawn which can be enjoyed from the sunroom and most of the bedrooms and a magnificent 150-year-old pear tree trained to climb up the side of the house. Also of note are the fragrant rose beds and shrub garden, a leafy herbaceous border, a kitchen garden and the apple and pear trees that despite their age produce copious fruit. Rhododendrons and azaleas are dotted throughout, alongside a rose arbor that runs down the side of the garden with whimsical clusters of flowers and bountiful blossom trees and colourful geranium and hydrangea beds.

You are also encouraged to explore the grounds of 15 acres covering the large open meadow in front of the house and the field next door where a local farmer keeps his prize ewes. A lovely walking trail of about 1 kilometre has been created through the trees around both the meadow and the field. Near the house a gazebo sits beside a wildflower area next to a sports lawn for croquet, badminton or padel and a newly created boules court to test your continental skills. Near the lawn, you can relax around the fire pit with beautifully curved benches which guests are welcome to use for cosy nights spent toasting marshmallows under the stars.