Hill House

October 12

Hill House in Helensburgh, Scotland is one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's most famous works, probably second only to Glasgow School of Art. It was designed and built for the publisher Walter Blackie in 1902 – 1904.

In addition to the house itself, Mackintosh also designed most of the interior rooms, furniture and other fixings. Mackintosh's attention to detail even extended to prescribing the colour of cut flowers that the Blackies might place on a table in the living room, so as not to clash with the rest of the decor.

In 1982 the house was donated to the National Trust for Scotland which continues to maintain it and manage visitors.  The works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh are held in high esteem by the Scots, so much so that a new book with his work is being introduced at the grade school level to expose school children to the beauty of his designs.

This is such a great house.  I absolutely love the design, particularly the asymmetrical layout and the fantastic gardens.  Like the Glasgow School of Art, the fenestration is integral to the whole design, and there are windows of all shapes and sizes in the facade. 

The austere exterior qualities of the building are nearly the opposite of the warm, exotic, carefully decorated and smooth interior, which unfortunately, I did not have time to see.