Clan heirlooms at heart of Loch Lomond Arms re-design by Russell Sage
The historic Loch Lomond Arms reopened recently after an extensive renovation by interior storymakers, Russell Sage Studio. Rosalind Erskine visited to find out how one family’s history has shaped this new chapter for the inn.
It’s an age old problem; what do you do with the boxes of family belongings when moving house? There might be paintings, diaries or general stuff that’s been lying about for years. For the Clan Colquhoun, who have been the Lairds of Luss for hundreds of years, this conundrum takes on a whole new significance.
Because the paintings are of family members who wrote the ‘ultimate’ guide to Highland sports and the diaries detail the Christmas armistice during the First World War. Not to mention the boxes of maps, taxidermy and a stuffed lion.
The answer was to use this rich family history, peppered with a range of eccentric characters and tell the story of the people who have shaped the 45,000 acre estate and small picturesque village with its famous loch within the 17th century coaching inn that’s at the centre of Luss. And there’s no better design agency than Russell Sage Studio, whose recent work includes the Fife Arms in Braemar, who were commissioned by Patrick Colquhoun, son of the present Clan Chief, and his family to use their heirlooms to completely transform the Loch Lomond Arms.
“The hotel has been in the family for probably over 300 years and we’ve always run it as a coaching inn or a pub with rooms. It was just another pub and, as a family, we wanted to create something that we were really proud of first and foremost and then worry about profitability later on, which sounds insane. But I actually fundamentally believe that if you do it that way around then you can create something quite special.
“We engaged with Russell last November and it’s been a very short courtship, about six months. To be honest what we have all achieved in that time is nothing short of astonishing in that time. It’s exciting to be able to see the manifestation of what was in our - mainly Russell - heads. We had a shared vision of using the family’s history and heritage to tell the stories both in the rooms and in the common areas.”
Mr Colquhoun said that the project is “deeply personal” and that everything guests see is all from the family's background and history. He said: “Some of it is interesting and all of it is different. Our size is our strength. We’ve only got 15 bedrooms so it’s quite easy to tell these family stories. If I had 32 I’d be running out of colourful characters.”
Each of the hotel’s 14 bedrooms are intriguingly named after a notable Colquhoun ancestor - one example being the Happy Badger - and shaped by pivotal moments in the family history.
Fabrics and textiles by Fermoie sit alongside hand-painted furniture; around 60 percent are upcycled antiques from the family collection, some wrapped in original deeds, with bathroom murals bringing the wild beauty of the landscape inside.
Mr Sage, who “loves working in Scotland”, has also recently completed, with his partner Kevin Hill, an overhaul of Glenmorangie House and, last year, Ardbeg House on Islay.
“It’s very different to the Fife Arms for me. I try to move things on a bit”, said Mr Sage, who modestly said the design for the Loch Lomond Arms “was all there, we just had to piece it together.”
He said: “This place is never going to be a big castle at the end of a drive. It’s a pub on the side of the road so it needs to work quite hard for people to be interested in the bedrooms. But it’s a fun place to be and that’s how we’ve approached everything in the building. How do you make it a bit more engaging or memorable? If people say, ‘you’ve really got to go there, it’s a weird, curious place’ then that for me is job done. Hospitality is a tough gig now and I love the idea that a humble pub can do quite a lot.”
Experiences curated by the hotel have been shaped by the same family stories that inspired the interiors and include Lady Fiona’s Stowaway Loch Hop & Stop, named after Fiona, Countess of Arran - or the “Fastest Granny on the Water” - who reached 102 mph on Loch Lomond at the age of 62 . In her name, guest can sail on a private yacht adventure, exploring the loch’s hidden corners and stopping at one of its 34 islands.
Guests can also enjoy a half day 4x4 driving experience and explore the estate and there are plans to add a spa to the Arms,it can be arranged that guests use The Carrick Spa at Cameron House.
It’s about making Luss a destination “like Dunkeld, as the most obvious one” said Mr Colquhoun. “We want people to spend time here, not just visit for a few hours.”
The Stag and Two Hounds pub is now dedicated to the the Colquhoun family’s love of animals ad feature newly-commissioned portraits of family members wearing masks of the animals they cherished – including Sir Iain with his pet lion, Fiona, Lady Arran with the badger she walked on a lead around the village, and Sir John with his beloved stags.
Beyond the pub, lies the Treasury restaurant, featuring some priceless family treasures: among them a page from the diary of the Colquhoun who led the Christmas Day Truce in No Man’s Land in 1914, and a pistol that deflected a bullet in battle.
As someone who visited the Loch Lomond Arms a lot with my dog, it’s a complete and total transformation yet doesn’t feel out of place and almost like it always should have been this intriguing and story-filled. It feels like no matter how many times you visit now, there will always be something new to see and yes it is curious and eccentric but you get the feeling that the ghosts of the Colquhoun’s past wouldn’t want it any other way.
The Loch Lomond Arms has reopened with rooms from £265 per night. For further information and to book, visit www.lochlomondarmshotel.com or www.lussestates.co.uk.
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