The Fife Arms, located in the village of Braemar in the Scottish Cairngorms, has unveiled a new bedroom inspired by fashion designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and her ties to the Highlands. Chanel first visited Scotland in the 1920s during her relationship with Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster. She embraced local culture, developed a passion for fly fishing and drew on regional fabrics, landscapes and traditions when designing some of her collections.
© Courtesy of The Fife Arms
Russell Sage Studio, the interior design team behind The Fife Arms’ redesigns, created the elegant new guestroom. In homage to Chanel’s known dislike of visible doors—she often concealed them behind screens—the suite incorporates a trompe-l’œil door that hides the room as a playful “secret” entrance.
Locally inspired textiles are central to the design. Specially commissioned tweeds in green and burgundy from Linton Mill, a supplier Chanel first encountered in 1928 and which continues to work with the house today, feature throughout the room. Decorative elements reference Chanel’s Paris apartment, including a wheatsheaf chandelier and an Art Deco vanity mirror. The headboard and selected furniture are finished in Scottish Chinoiserie, while the wallpaper is a reproduction of a pattern used at Rosehall Hall, the Scottish manor near Lairg where Chanel spent time during her relationship with the Duke.
Warm and romantic in tone, the suite includes a walk-in wardrobe, a dedicated bar area and a freestanding copper bath set within an arched niche. The bathroom celebrates the monochrome palette Chanel often favored, creating a refined contrast to the richer tweeds and warm wood tones in the bedroom.
© Courtesy of The Fife Arms
The Chanel-inspired room occupies the space formerly used as The Fife Arms’ Family Room, which has been relocated and rebuilt in a dedicated area on the ground floor. The new suite blends local heritage, historical references to Chanel’s life in Scotland and contemporary comfort.
Rates for the Chanel-inspired room start at approximately $1,355 per night.