Cabin Casting Collaboration: OUTFIELD FARM, PERTHSHIRE

My latest cabin stay was a truly beautiful one and a much needed tonic after ongoing issues with our dear wee Pinto. In fact, they wee guy was poorly again on the day I was meant to head up to Dundee but after a successful trip to the vet I headed off the next day to enjoy one night of dreamy solitude in the beautiful Dundee countryside.

Outfield is small farm nestled between the villages of Abernyte and Kinnaird, with an elevated position offering panoramic views of the surrounding farmland and only 20 minutes by car from Perth or Dundee city centres and an hour from Edinburgh, so the perfect weekend getaway spot. Suki and Tim are the masterminds behind this fabulous offering, having farmed the land and lived on site since 1995 they slowly starting renovating the steadings into self catering accommodation to allow others to experience the magic of this part of Scotland. They went on to commission 3 unique, architect designed, minimal impact cabins in 2022 which have each been incorporated seamlessly into the farms landscape.

I was lucky to be staying in Whin, complete with wildflower roof,mirrored sides, larch cladding and wrap around balcony which features with a pizza oven and wood fired bath - basically heaven! The OSB interior was inspired by a trip to Portugal and Suki’s visit to a coffee shop furnished in OSB, originally the intention was just to use this functional material in certain areas of the cabin but once they started installing it the finish was so great they decided to go for it and kitted out the whole interior with OSB. The copper and brass pipes have been left visible which adds an industrial chic to the cabin, softened by the stylish soft furnishing, incredible comfortable bed and thoughtful finishing touches. The warmth provided by the textural walls is further enhanced by a the minimal Scandi furnishings, two sheepskin wrapped designer chairs sit in front of a huge window and I enjoyed serval cups of tea watching the farmers ploughs the fields below the hut and the birds flying above the woods surrounding the cabins. True mindfulness and bliss.

I unloaded all my casting kit and went off to explore the farm and pick some flowers and plants to cast with. I headed along one of the well singed paths within the farm past the two other cabins, both of which are absolutely gorgeous and completely different in look and style to my own wee Whin. I took a moment to take in the views over the Tay and Dundee from one of the viewing platforms installed by Suki and Tim so guests can enjoy the serenity of this part of Scotland, with its rolling fields and panoramic views. I was here during harvest season so the golden fields looked particularly spectacular in the late summer sunshine. I took a hike up the nearby hill to get an even better vista, and came across lots of Harebells growing amidst the gorse and grasses so I picked some of these to take back to the cabin with me, along with lots of vetch, grasses, brambles, yarrow and buttercups. I set up my little casting studio outside Whin and got to work, the wind was pretty fierce that day but I persevered and managed to get a set of intaglios and a larger cast for the cabin made using my foraged plants. In between casting breaks I was stoking up the wood fired bath on the balcony so I could enjoy an evening soak after all my efforts. I have had minimal success with lighting and heating these Swedish wood fired baths before but I persevered this time and after a few hours of stoking and stirring the water was toasty warm. After a peaceful dinner watching the combine track up and down the field below from one of the incredible comfortable lounge chairs, I was ready to dip and headed out as the sun set and the skies turned pink. It was truly heavenly and I went back in for a second dip once it was dark and watched the stars glisten whilst being serenaded by owls in the nearby woods, absolutely glorious. I had a long, deep sleep in the king sized bed and woke up for some coffee whilst gazing out at my new favourite view. I went to check on my casts and released them all from their moulds and cleaned them up ready for a wee photoshoot in situ around the cabin. With a heavy heart I packed up my casting supplies and headed back to car using the handy wheelbarrow supplied for each cabin. After one last lingering look out that beautiful big window I patted the mirrored walls goodbye but know I will be back to try out The Sheiling or Bothan Dubh.

I cannot recommend a visit to Outfield Farm enough, I was blown away by the individual style of each cabin and how beautifully they have been designed, built and furnished. They also have an on site wellness centre which I didn’t have time to use but I will definitely be heading to the Sauna and gym (the treadmills have the best views around) and they also have a range of self catering accommodation on site so there really is something for everyone. A huge thanks to Suki and Tim for having me, I will be back!

Casting on the balcony of the cabin with the hum of the combine harvester as my sound track

Casting on the balcony of the cabin with the hum of the combine harvester as my sound track

This was the fourth collaborative stay I had booked in as part of my casting grand tour of the UK, inspired by my love of Grand Tour intaglio collections which I learned more about through the eyes of Wedgewood at a recent trip to Stoke on Trent so it energised my passion fro this project. Back in the 18th century small plaster intaglios were amassed by the young aristocratic men on their European travels, which would often be mounted into cases or books and displayed in fashionable interiors back home. These collections acted as souvenirs of a year long adventure in Europe in addition to being a reminder of the inspiring artworks and decorative pieces they had come across during their travels.  So my aim is to undertake my own Grand Tour of the UK this year, and also take some female ownership of a tradition which was almost entirely undertaken by men back in the day, and create a visual record of the flora and fauna of Britain by capturing a moment in the seasonal life of the landscape around the cabins I am staying in around the country.

You can check out my other cabin adventures on this blog and if you know, or own, a cabin and would like to take part in my grand tour (and get a free artwork made on site in your cabin) please get in touch.

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