The interiors at Cromlix House are inspired by the Scottish countryside, flaunting floral prints and botanical textures. We spoke to co-owner, Kim Murray, about her design vision for the award-winning boutique hotel 

Cromlix was recently named ‘Hotel of the Year for Scotland’ at the AA Awards. What do you think has kept the hotel at the top of its game?

I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but the staff are so important in making Cromlix the place it is. They really are a team of passionate, warm, professional people who make every guest feel really, really well looked after and relaxed, without being intrusive.

You worked with interior designer Suzanne Garuda to realise the design at Cromlix, but how did you initially envision the hotel’s new look?

I first started working with Suzanne Garuda on our own home, and thought she was a totally brilliant individual, with such a great eye for interiors. I knew I’d want to work with her on Cromlix – I love her bold style and creative approach to mixing colours and patterns. I also really enjoy interiors myself, so I’m always looking at what wallpaper is on the walls in restaurants or what ceiling lights they have in other hotels. Cromlix is such a beautiful building with so many lovely original features, that I always felt we could have a bit of fun with it and bring it to life in a unique way. 

How did you acknowledge the hotel’s Victorian history and the memories it encompassed for previous guests, while still upgrading it to its full potential?

It was really important to me that we didn’t lose sight of the history of the building, and we also didn’t want to alienate any of our regular guests. We’ve tried to highlight the original features as much as possible – in our drawing room, we have a beautiful pale-yellow ceiling which draws your eye to the height of the room and the cornicing, which we’ve painted in a contrasting blue. We also restored the entrance to the front of the building which is where it was originally – we actually have a picture of King Edward VII arriving at the hotel through that entrance back in 1908, so it’s been lovely to take it back to its grand roots as a country house.  

The grounds at Cromlix

David Shrigley screen prints from Andy Murray’s collection

Tell us about your favourite spot at Cromlix.

I’m a country girl at heart, so I love being out in the grounds of the estate. There is so much spectacular scenery in Scotland, especially with the changing seasons, and you can really get a sense of that at Cromlix. We have 34 acres with some of our own woodland and a loch, so I love taking the kids to explore when we are there as a family, and I also really enjoy visiting our kitchen garden to see what the team are growing. 

How did your approach to the hotel’s design tie in with your husband, Andy Murray’s take on the artwork? (With the piano area’s David Shrigley screenprints, for instance, being part of his own collection)

Well, I don’t love all of Andy’s art choices! But in general, I appreciate the fact that he buys art that talks to him in some way, whether that’s because it’s thought-provoking or interesting, or just fun. We’ve got a really eclectic mix at Cromlix of traditional landscapes to much more modern pieces like the David Shrigleys. We have loaned quite a bit from the Royal Scottish Academy, and we’ll keep adding to it as the hotel evolves. 

Kim with husband Andy Murray

Floral motifs

Are you looking forward to a bit more time on home ground now Andy has retired?

I didn’t actually travel that much with Andy – I did a bit of travelling with him in the early days and used to go to the Grand Slams when I could, but he was on the road for 40 weeks a year, and I didn’t ever want to be the tennis girlfriend that went to every tournament. It’s nice having Andy around a bit more at home now, although he is playing a lot of golf at the moment! 

What stage are you at with your master plan for expanding what Cromlix has to offer?

We have some exciting plans ahead. We have just received planning permission for some new ground floor bedrooms and are about to submit plans for a new, much larger restaurant which will sit alongside the hotel’s back lawn, and some further bedrooms inside the hotel. We’re also hoping to open a new wellness facility in the next 12 months. 

You managed the build of your family home over a period of five years. What would your advice be for anyone planning the same?

Don’t have children at the same time as a big house project. My architect kept having to add bedrooms every time I got pregnant again! 

Do you believe a home is ever finished or do you feel its interiors story continues to evolve?

I think it’s always evolving. And I like that. As your family grows up you need to create new spaces or change existing ones and that becomes the story of your home.