Knockbain Church

The reimagination of the former Knockbain Munlochy Parish Church in the Scottish Highlands, as a vibrant interior design destination, combines studio, retail, and café space, all while preserving the building’s character and maintaining its role at the heart of the local community.

The church is a notable example of Free Church of Scotland architecture, distinguished by its Gothic detailing and strong spatial hierarchy. Following its de-consecration, the building has been repurposed through close collaboration with the client, to deliver on their ambitions with architectural integrity. The approach prioritises minimum external intervention, ensuring the historic envelope remains largely unchanged while delivering a new interiors emporium with external landscaping and parking.

The Church featured a highly raked interior, designed to draw focus to the pulpit. As the first principle of design, the approach sought to convert this into usable, contemporary space while respecting the original structure and sight lines through the careful introduction of level platforms.

At gallery level, a new floor plane sits above the stepped seating, defined by a transparent balustrade to preserve spatial and visual continuity. A strategically inserted bridge links the opposing sides and resolves circulation inefficiencies, creating a safe and intuitive route around the new gallery and showroom space. 

A key architectural gesture is the insertion of a glazed, insulated studio pod within the former pulpit zone. This contemporary addition provides a controlled working environment for the owners, without compromising the thermal performance of the historic fabric. It visually connects work in progress with the wider visitor experience.