Inside 'country modern' house that's made it to Scotland's Home of the Year final

Scotland’s Home of the Year has been running since 2019, so there can’t be many firsts for the only remaining original judge.

However, interiors expert Anna Campbell-Jones revealed that she’d never seen a natural swimming pool in real life, when Granny’s House near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway appeared on episode five, South, of the seven part programme.

To be honest, most of us haven’t. This is Scotland, after all. Anyway, this gorgeous pool, with a pontoon at one end, is one of the appealing features that resulted in this extended property being awarded a 10 from Banjo Beale, a nine from Anna Campbell-Jones and a 10 from Danny Campell.

Beale even said of the outdoor feature that; “It’s like skinny dipping in a Monet painting”, though we think he kept his clothes on when the cameras stopped rolling.

The final score of 29 meant it qualified for the Glasgow’s House for an Art Lover based final, where the most beautiful property will be decided and revealed on BBC One Scotland on Monday May 18 at 8.30pm.

Granny’s House is owned by Vicki McConchie, her husband, Duncan, their three sons, Freddie, Alfie and Robbie, Hettie the cockapoo and a pony called Bramble. The house and land have been in Duncan’s side of the family for generations, and they inherited it when his granny died at the incredible age of 101.

Vicki enjoyed watching their much loved property appearing on SHOTY.

“It's quite strange actually looking at your own house on the TV, but it's a great show, and it's so positive, isn't it? From that point of view, we were reassured, because it does have a friendly vibe,” she says.

She also rated the other two properties that appeared after the McConchie household’s cameo. These were a refurbished family home in Thornhill and an Isle of Whithorn cottage.

“They were all so different and unique in their own ways, so I knew it was going to be very tough competition and all the judges looked for very different things,” Vicki says. “I think Anna Campbell-Jones, she looks for quite a wacky vibe, doesn't she? Danny's looking at the architecture, and I guess Banjo is more into that kind of homely feel. All the houses are super”.

The three judges made so many positive comments, and Vicki has a few favourites that she’s consigned to memory.

“I loved Banjo saying that the house was like a warm hug, and that it whispered, we're home. That really touched the heart, which was lovely. And then Anna Campbell-Jones was really sweet. She said, this home owner has a great eye for putting things together,” says Vicki. “And then the fact that Danny mentioned that he was one of three boys, and he could see exactly how he would have enjoyed this home growing up. The house is very much planned around the kids and their needs and giving them a chance to grow and develop and give them all the opportunities you can”.

The judges lingered over spaces including the huge living room where Vicki placed the red heart to mark her favourite spot, and its wood-burning stove, lush views and “autumnal colour palette”. They also toured the original country kitchen with its Aga, the den and the main bedroom.

Since their appearance on the show, the family have had lots of lovely messages. For example, when the judges assessed the den area, we saw a couple of interesting paintings, one of which featured the face of a Highland cow, and the other, a hare. Vicki got a message from a SHOTY viewer, asking where she could buy these pictures. This homeowner replied to tell them that she’d painted them herself, and now she’s been commissioned to paint another cow.

Since the show, she’s also been asked by a woman, currently based in Dubai, to do the interior design in her new Scottish house. The brief is “country modern”.

These jobs will be added to her other tasks, which currently include designing a company’s new London wedding venue.

It turns out that Vicki really knows her stuff. Her style has been honed via the family’s wedding venue business, GiGi’s Yard, as well as their Sea View Snugs self-catering accommodation and The Murray Arms in Gatehouse of Fleet, which opened in 2022. Since then, this hotel has won National Winner for Small Boutique Destination of the Year 2025 at the National Hotels of the Year Scotland awards, as well as Best Hotel Experience in the South of Scotland at the 2025/26 Scottish Thistle Awards.

“In the last 10 years, we've just spent our lives bringing up the kids and going from project to project to project. The hotel was falling down, so we had to completely strip it out. We started in November and opened it in March. It was absolutely crazy,” she says.

Although Granny’s House has a less structured and more homely aesthetic, the rooms at the hotel are still recognisable as Vicki’s style.

“My inspiration was really drawn from the surrounding landscape, as the hotel is situated next to Cally Palace, which is in the woods. So some rooms are coastal, others are more like meadows and fields, and others are inspired by the woodlands and the animals,” she says.

We bet the creative family will see an increase in bookings to The Murray Arms, especially if Granny’s House turns out to be the one to take home that coveted SHOTY trophy.

The Scotland’s Home of the Year final is on BBC One Scotland on Monday 18 May at 8.30pm.