Dumfries and Galloway ho-ho-house named Scotland’s Christmas Home of the Year 2021

In this one-off special, the Scotland’s Christmas Home of the Year judges – interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones, lifestyle blogger Kate Spiers and architect Michael Angus – went down the chimneys of the top five ho-ho-homes across the country with Corvisel House in Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway proving to be a Christmas cracker.

Home to lawyer Anne Macdonald, her husband Jonny Lyons and their children Magnus and Murdo, Corvisel House wowed the judges with its captivating and homely Christmas style beating off four other Christmas contenders – ‘Ryseholm’ in Beith, North Ayrshire, ‘Clydeshore’ in Dumbarton, ‘Casa Christmas’ in Aberdeen and ‘The Light House’ in Glasgow.

Winner Anne is thrilled her home proved winter wonderful. She said: “It feels magical! It’s like the best Christmas present we could wish for and has brought lots of excitement to our lives. It’s brought back the giddy Christmas excitement that we used to feel as a child - although it does all rather surreal and Jonny and I keep asking each other ‘did this really happen?’, ‘is it a dream?’. Magnus & Murdo are super excited too – more so by the trophy which they have commandeered as a home for their Lego characters!”

Every room in Corvisel House has a touch of festive flair from the drawing room to the family room, a large reception hallway, kitchen, staircase, master bedroom with dressing room & en-suite, the children’s bedroom, family bathroom and the three guest rooms.

For Anne, Christmas is a chance to decorate every room and transform Corvisel House into a winter wonderland with tones of Scandanavian style, art deco themes and colourful creations for the children’s rooms. As well as traditional Christmas decorations, Anne uses a mix of sustainable styles and natural produce from her walled garden and forest to create her own home-grown decorations.

She added: “We moved in on Christmas Eve 2017 and ever since that moment, Christmas at Corvisel has become ever more special to us. We most definitely let the rooms do the talking so we’re not terribly ones for a set colour scheme or uniform theme for Christmas and rather every room is different and styled to work with the interiors and décor. Keeping it playful is also very important – I often think that we are perfectly imperfect.

“I love the Christmas feels following you all around our home, so the stairs, landing, bathroom and cloakroom all got sprinkled with foliage and baubles and put a massive smile on my face. I’d say we are maximalists who love to bring in family treasures and trinkets to allow every room to tell a story.

“I tend to start day dreaming about Christmas, decorating and styling our home around October – it’s such a happy head space to be in, I’d totally recommend it! Then we start decorating mid-November – that might seem rather early but for me it’s about enjoying the moments, so really we are rather bauble-tastic from the beginning of December onwards!”

Being part of Scotland’s Christmas Home of the Year was a dream come true for proud homeowner Anne. She continued: “It was a whirlwind, exhilarating and massive amounts of fun. We were pretty nervous about putting our home ‘out there’ but that sense of nervousness was balanced by the excitement of being considered for SCHOTY, then meeting the crew and team and off course utter fan-girling and trying to keep it together when we finally met the judges Anna, Kate and Michael!”

Judge and lifestyle blogger Kate Spiers said: “There was a lot of love in this home [Corvisel House], it felt cheerful as soon as we walked in. This home just made me feel Christmassy, each of the rooms downstairs were styled and decorated to perfection, but there was still this lovely, homely feel to the space! The decorations weren’t all traditional either, it was a genuine mix - the table setting with the safari animals and colourful flowers really stood out to me. It shows you don’t need to stick to the rules when it comes to decorating.

“I loved the sitting room with the pink sofas and the Christmas tree that touched the ceiling! This mix of modern and vintage in here made it feel so magical, and not too formal for a living room - you could imagine getting comfy on the sofas with a mince pie and Christmas music on! Although the style didn’t stick out to me as overly traditional, the mix of vintage pieces and homemade treasures made this feel like a home with a lot of personality!”

Interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones added: “Corvisel House epitomised a personalised Christmas embodying the family’s annual traditions and combining effortless style with home-made charm. The hallway took my breath away, the abundant natural foliage and twinkling lights were truly magical. It was eclectic, eco conscious and personality packed!”

Architect and lecturer, Michael Angus, commented: “What made Corvisel Home so special was the combination of Georgian splendour embellished by traditional Christmas decor likewise embellished, and given a unique twist by those traditional expectations being invigorated with craft, invention and exuberance. The hall stood out, as especially welcoming festooned as it was with handmade vibrant foliage decorations – it was traditional with an exuberant boost.”