Design Destinations | The Fife Arms
A Living Portrait of the Highlands
In the historic village of Braemar, surrounded by the dramatic landscape of the Cairngorms, The Fife Arms offers a richly layered expression of Scottish culture. More than a beautifully restored hotel, it is a place where art, architecture, craftsmanship and storytelling come together, creating interiors that reveal something new at every turn.
Originally built in the 19th century by the Duke of Fife, the former Victorian coaching inn was reimagined by art dealers and Hauser & Wirth co-founders Iwan and Manuela Wirth. Following an extensive restoration, the hotel reopened in 2018 with 46 individually designed rooms and suites, its grand architecture revived through an approach that celebrates both the history of the building and the character of its Highland setting.
Collected by Design
Led by Russell Sage Studio, the interiors resist the restraint often associated with contemporary luxury. Instead, rooms unfold through colour, pattern and an extraordinary accumulation of detail. Richly patterned wallpapers sit alongside tartans, tweeds, carved timber and antique furniture, while painted ceilings, taxidermy, botanical references and found objects create a sense of theatre.
Despite this visual abundance, the hotel never feels disconnected from its surroundings. Its interiors draw deeply on the landscape, traditions and stories of Braemar, with each space contributing to a broader narrative of the Scottish Highlands. Bespoke fabrics were developed especially for the hotel, while local makers and craftspeople contributed furniture, textiles, decorative finishes and objects that give the rooms an authenticity that could not have been created elsewhere.
Despite this visual abundance, the hotel never feels disconnected from its surroundings. Its interiors draw deeply on the landscape, traditions and stories of Braemar, with each space contributing to a broader narrative of the Scottish Highlands. Bespoke fabrics were developed especially for the hotel, while local makers and craftspeople contributed furniture, textiles, decorative finishes and objects that give the rooms an authenticity that could not have been created elsewhere.
Staying at The Fife Arms should feel like inheriting your own amazing Scottish baronial home.
Art beyond the Frame
Art is central to the experience of The Fife Arms, not treated as a decorative addition but embedded within the architecture and daily life of the hotel.
Significant works by Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud, Gerhard Richter and Man Ray appear throughout its rooms, corridors and gathering spaces, often in unexpected dialogue with historic furnishings and Highland artefacts.
In the drawing room, Picasso’s Mousquetaire Assis is surrounded by richly patterned textiles and traditional furniture. A portrait by Lucian Freud hangs in the lobby, while Louise Bourgeois’ monumental spider, Maman, occupies the courtyard. These museum-level works are presented without the formality of a white-walled gallery, allowing guests to encounter them as part of an intimate and evolving interior.
Contemporary commissions deepen the connection between art and place. In the Clunie Dining Room, a large-scale work by Argentine artist Guillermo Kuitca transforms the walls into an immersive, abstract landscape. Above the original staircase, Richard Jackson’s striking red deer chandelier reinterprets a familiar Highland symbol through glass antlers and forms inspired by bagpipe drones. Elsewhere, works by Scottish artists, historic portraits and natural-history pieces create a collection that moves freely across periods and disciplines.
Significant works by Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud, Gerhard Richter and Man Ray appear throughout its rooms, corridors and gathering spaces, often in unexpected dialogue with historic furnishings and Highland artefacts.
In the drawing room, Picasso’s Mousquetaire Assis is surrounded by richly patterned textiles and traditional furniture. A portrait by Lucian Freud hangs in the lobby, while Louise Bourgeois’ monumental spider, Maman, occupies the courtyard. These museum-level works are presented without the formality of a white-walled gallery, allowing guests to encounter them as part of an intimate and evolving interior.
Contemporary commissions deepen the connection between art and place. In the Clunie Dining Room, a large-scale work by Argentine artist Guillermo Kuitca transforms the walls into an immersive, abstract landscape. Above the original staircase, Richard Jackson’s striking red deer chandelier reinterprets a familiar Highland symbol through glass antlers and forms inspired by bagpipe drones. Elsewhere, works by Scottish artists, historic portraits and natural-history pieces create a collection that moves freely across periods and disciplines.
Stories in the Details
Each of the hotel’s rooms and suites explores a particular aspect of Scottish history, culture or landscape. Some reference notable figures with connections to the region, while others take inspiration from poetry, nature and the traditions of Braemar. These themes are expressed through artwork, furniture, fabrics and smaller details, allowing every room to develop its own identity.
This narrative approach extends into the hotel’s public spaces. The Flying Stag evokes the warmth and informality of a traditional Scottish pub, while Bertie’s Whisky Bar takes a darker, more enveloping direction. Bottles line its walls like volumes in a library, framed by deep timber and red velvet to create a jewel-box setting devoted to Scotland’s whisky culture.
Throughout the hotel, design becomes a way of uncovering stories. A piece of furniture, a handwoven textile or an artwork may reference a local tradition, a historic figure or the surrounding landscape. Together, these elements reward closer attention and encourage a slower, more curious way of experiencing the interiors.
This narrative approach extends into the hotel’s public spaces. The Flying Stag evokes the warmth and informality of a traditional Scottish pub, while Bertie’s Whisky Bar takes a darker, more enveloping direction. Bottles line its walls like volumes in a library, framed by deep timber and red velvet to create a jewel-box setting devoted to Scotland’s whisky culture.
Throughout the hotel, design becomes a way of uncovering stories. A piece of furniture, a handwoven textile or an artwork may reference a local tradition, a historic figure or the surrounding landscape. Together, these elements reward closer attention and encourage a slower, more curious way of experiencing the interiors.
Belonging to Braemar
What makes The Fife Arms so compelling is the confidence with which it brings together seemingly disparate worlds. Important contemporary art sits beside Victoriana, Scottish folklore meets playful design, and historic grandeur is softened by warmth, humour and a distinctly residential sensibility.
Rather than preserving the past as something static, the hotel allows history to remain alive and open to reinterpretation. Its rooms are expressive, personal and deeply connected to their setting, demonstrating how thoughtful design can honour heritage without becoming constrained by it.
At The Fife Arms, art is lived with, craftsmanship draws on Braemar’s traditions, and every interior invites discovery. It is a destination shaped not only by what has been preserved, but by the new creative life brought to it.
Rather than preserving the past as something static, the hotel allows history to remain alive and open to reinterpretation. Its rooms are expressive, personal and deeply connected to their setting, demonstrating how thoughtful design can honour heritage without becoming constrained by it.
At The Fife Arms, art is lived with, craftsmanship draws on Braemar’s traditions, and every interior invites discovery. It is a destination shaped not only by what has been preserved, but by the new creative life brought to it.
