Aberdeen farmhouse bags title of Scottish Home of the Year

The National

02-06-2025

Hilltop House, built atop a farm near Pitmedden, Aberdeenshire, was featured in the second episode and took home the top prize in the 2025 series of Scotland's Home of the Year, beating out competitors in Edinburgh, Giffnock, Broughty Ferry, the Isle of Skye and Dalbeattie.
The home, designed and owned by artist couple Jessica Zanoni and Chris Labrooy, blends styles like California Cool and mid-century modern, and was selected as the winner by top architects and interior designers.
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Zanoni said: 'It has been such a lovely experience all around, and to win it has been fantastic. After watching the shows and getting to see our competition in detail, it really must have been a hard decision to make.'
Labrooy added: 'It's great to win. The house is a reflection of our tastes and personalities and we are proud of what we have created.'
The couple met with other contestants and the judges in Glasgow's House for an Art Lover — designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh — for the finale, where their home won the top prize for its colourful interiors and sustainability-based design choices.
The judging panel consisted of interior designers Anna Campbell Jones and Banjo Beale, alongside architect Danny Campbell.
Isle of Mull-based Beale called the farmstead "unforgettable", saying: 'Hilltop House just felt alive. The home had been brought back to life in the most bold and beautiful way."
The couple received high praise from the judges for the pops of colour incorporated throughout the house (Image: Kirsty Anderson)Jones added: 'I love to see an old building brought back to life, recycled into something new that will last for generations.
'Hilltop House was a brilliant example of finding that balance between history and modernity whilst honouring its necessary function as a country home.'
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Zanoni, originally from California, called meeting the other finalists a 'whirlwind' and said her and husband Labooy's artistic backgrounds were what helped their architectural vision come to life and bag them the top prize.
She said: 'Every home is distinctive and unique because of the people that live there. So, our home is different because we are different. With me being from California and Chris being an artist, I think our tastes are just naturally a little bit unique.
'There isn't really anything in our house that we found at shops near us. Everything was specially sourced in a way.
'[The view] was the reason we bought the plot and we have really used it almost as a piece of art. It definitely adds to the interior and it changes every day.'
Filming for the next series of Scotland's Home of the Year will take place in June, and this season is available to view now on iPlayer.