As part of the complete design and fit-out for a 5-star VIP visitor accommodation at The Balvenie, we created a kitchen that serves both chefs and clients alike.

As part of the complete design and fit-out for a 5-star VIP visitor accommodation at The Balvenie, we created our signature seed pod spindle staircase — a sculptural centrepiece that anchors the space with warmth and craftsmanship.

This kitchen needed to be the heart of the home: a space designed for passionate chefs, with appliances strategically placed beyond standard domestic layouts and a central workstation for effortless functionality. Featuring a striking combination of elm and stainless steel, the design is both contemporary and warm, balancing sleek modernity with natural character. At the same time, it had to create a soft, atmospheric feel, seamlessly blending the kitchen, dining, and social areas into a welcoming hub for cooking, gathering, and everyday living.

The design allows guests to enjoy exclusive site-specific malts, with an upper-level meeting area, reception space, and a restaurant, all seamlessly integrated into the historic setting.

Designed as a welcoming retreat, this kitchen was created to be a fun, functional, and sociable space - perfect for holiday living and entertaining guests.

We designed and crafted this calming curved counselling room at Maggie’s Centre, a grotto-like space of undulating elm walls, wrapped with a curvaceous bench and lit from an oculus roof light. The warmth and tactile quality of the elm were central to the design, creating a comforting and reassuring environment where visitors can feel safe, supported and at ease.

“My wife would love a Hollywood-style staircase — elegant, sweeping, and a real feature within the home.”

Paul Hodgkiss’ collaboration with Scott Hurst began in 1995 with the Monkey Bar on Sauchiehall Street and went on to shape some of Glasgow’s most iconic hospitality interiors. In the demanding world of bars and nightclubs, durability is essential, with furniture and surfaces enduring constant use. Paul’s choice of robust Scottish hardwoods, combined with his distinctive design style, proved the perfect solution.

The seaside setting near Turnberry was a major source of inspiration for Paul, who was commissioned to design the interiors of an expanding farm shop and visitor attraction.

Paul Hodgkiss was invited by Gillespies, the lead architects on a multidisciplinary team including Parsons Brinckerhoff and Gardiner & Theobald, to contribute to the transformation of St Andrew Square Gardens in central Edinburgh.

After winning The Balvenie Artisan Award in 1995, Paul was invited to redesign the former whisky manager’s office into a space worthy of the Connoisseurs Tour.

Paul worked closely with the minister and congregation to design and craft a new pulpit, lecterns, font, and a three-part chancel. The circular stained glass window inspired the layout-in-the-round and informed the chancel’s form.

This project centred around incorporating a beautiful set of salvaged antique elm glass cabinet doors, transforming them into a striking and functional centrepiece.

Set within a 200-year-old farm, this project embraced the building's original character, including its thick stone walls and small windows, all while contending with the challenges of the surrounding countryside. Our aim was to introduce a contemporary feel that complemented, rather than contrasted with, the existing architectural style.

Sculpted elm and glass screening in wave-like forms break up the open hall, creating intimate corners with fixed leather seating, warmth, and flow. Signature elm doors, mirrored wave reflections, and crafted wine racks complete the transformation, creating a tactile and natural space.

The Explorers Garden, Pitlochry Pagoda completed in 2002 was a special project we dedicated to Scottish plant collector and explorer, George Forrest. The delicately shaped roof trusses and hung panels are made from Scottish Oak, with Cedar shingles and Elm benches.

The main countertop is crafted from solid two-inch “Cat’s Paw” cluster oak, featuring a striking detail where Loch Lomond beach pebbles have been set into a natural knothole in clear resin. Above, the reception counter is a sculpted slice of two-inch burr elm, again supported on metal brackets, celebrating the timber’s organic shape.

These early projects launched Paul Hodgkiss’s signature craftsmanship and organic design style into Glasgow’s vibrant bar and restaurant scene of the early 1990s.