- An abandoned mansion in the Scottish Highlands that was once a summer home and “love nest” for Coco Chanel is being turned into a boutique hotel, according to The Times.
- The Rosehall Estate features wallpapers designed by Chanel, has 22 rooms, sits on 700 acres of land, and laid vacant for more than 50 years, Harper’s Bazaar reported in 2015.
- Winston Churchill described Rosehall as “a very agreeable house in a Highland valley” that was “quite different to England” during a 1927 visit, according to the National Records of Scotland.
- The Scottish estate was purchased by an undisclosed buyer with plans to convert it into a boutique hotel; the property sat on the market more than four years with an asking price of £3 million ($3.94 million), according to The Times.
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Scottish tourists will soon have the opportunity to spend the night in a mansion designed by famed French fashion designer Coco Chanel, according to The Times.
The 700-acre property, called Rosehall Estate, was the summer home and “love nest” of Chanel and Hugh “Bendor” Grosvenor in the 1920s, Harper’s Bazaar reported in 2015. Chanel reportedly hated the interior of the house and redesigned it with colors and wallpapers inspired by those in her chic Paris apartment.
The rustic manor eventually grew on the French fashion designer. The design of Chanel’s iconic tweed suits was even inspired by fishing and hunting outfits Grosvenor wore at Rosehall, according to the National Records of Scotland.
The estate has been abandoned for 52 years, but photos of its interior reveal that touches of Chanel’s iconic design remain. Keep reading for a look inside the famed manor.
Coco Chanel spent several summers in the 1920s at Rosehall Estate with her lover, Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor, the second Duke of Westminster.
Source: Harper's Bazaar, The Times
The couple hosted several well known visitors at their "love nest," including future prime minister Winston Churchill.
Source: Harper's Bazaar, The Times
The estate is located in the Scottish Highlands, less than a two hour drive from Inverness.
Source: Google Maps
The original house was built in the early 1800s and rebuilt after a fire burned it down.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
The home has 22 rooms ...
Source: The Times
... spread across two stories.
Source: The Times
The home has sat vacant since 1967 ...
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
... but some of Chanel's unique interior designs can still be seen.
Source: The Times
Some of the walls are painted in Chanel's signature tone of beige.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
The French fashion designer had these wallpapers handprinted for the house, inspired by those in her Paris apartment.
Source: Harper's Bazaar
In that space, Chanel opted for ornate furnishings in dark tones.
Source: CR Fashion Book
Remnants of similarly ornate furnishings ...
... and lighting fixtures can still be seen at Rosehall Estate.
However, there is widespread dry rot.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Still, the house is considered a historic landmark in Scotland.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
It's believed to be the only building Chanel ever designed in the United Kingdom.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Even the bathroom may have historic significance. Rosehall is believed to have been home to Scotland's first bidet.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Despite her attention to detail inside the main house, Chanel likely spent most of her time at Rosehall outside.
Source: National Records of Scotland
During an October 1927 visit to another Scottish estate with Chanel, Winston Churchill wrote in a letter to his wife that the French fashion designer "fishes from morning till night, and in two months has killed 50 salmon."
Source: National Records of Scotland
The couple primarily used Rosehall as a sporting lodge for hunting and fishing.
Source: National Records of Scotland
Churchill wrote during a May 1927 visit to Rosehall, "This is a very agreeable house in a Highland valley. Well-equipped with salmon, trout and snipe. The air is most exhilarating, keen and yet caressing. It is quite different to England. Coco got three fish yesterday."
Source: National Records of Scotland
Tourists might soon have the opportunity to go fishing at Rosehall, too. The Scottish estate was finally purchased by an undisclosed buyer with plans to convert it into a boutique hotel, after the home sat for more than four years on the market with an asking price of £3 million ($3.94 million).
Source: The Times
