Interiors: Built on stilts at the mouth of the Rosaburn River, Arran, the Big Wooden House lives up to its name By Fiona Bayne Published on Monday 30 April 2012 00:00 JUST walking up the drive to Greyholme - also known as the Big Wooden House - back in 2005 brought memories rushing back to Joni Keen. "The smell of the shrubbery was so evocative," she says. Joni's best friend lived in the house, on Arran, when she was a small child. Although she was brought up in Eaglesham, Joni's parents had a love affair with Arran that led them to marry and honeymoon on the island. Every summer they rented a cottage there, and the same passion infected Joni too. At the tender age of 19 she moved to Arran to fulfil her dream of running a bistro. "I had no experience whatsoever," she laughs, yet she kept her business going for five years before drawing a line under this particular ambition. Fast-forward to the late 1980s and Joni and her then-husband bought the shell of a burnt-out house on the island and re-built a self-catering property. Leap on another 15 years (over a bridge under which much water had passed) and Joni and her second husband began work on the Big Wooden House, which they planned to live in. Even some of Arran's islanders don't know this house exists, so private is its location, surrounded by trees just a short walk from Brodick. Architect William Gibson OBE designed the house as his personal home, and it was built in 1939. Perched on stilts, Greyholme embraces sea and mountain views although Joni thinks the design was also a measure against flooding, given its location at the mouth of the Rosaburn River. Although described as an Arts and Crafts house, there are touches of Art Deco too, while the interior feels rather colonial. "It's a bit of a folly," Joni says. The raised position means public rooms are at first floor level, encircled by an external veranda, with a second storey above. "There's that magical feeling of being in a tree house," says Joni. The elm-clad exterior does, she admits, appear a little austere, but this only makes the light-filled interior all the more startling. With 43 windows, an uplifting light infuses the building; the original design used lay lines as a guide so the house really engages with the elements. "It was intended to stimulate the senses," Joni explains. Before she rekindled her relationship with the house it had been in the same family for years and although it was well loved, there was a lot of work to be done. Re-wiring, re-plumbing, roof repairs and the installation of fire proofing for the wooden building were amongst the biggest jobs. Meanwhile those window frames that were on the verge of collapse were sensitively replaced with cedar to complement the originals. Then there was the plan to remove most of the first floor interior walls, creating an open plan space. The plan was executed, but some time later Historic Scotland demanded the walls be reinstated to the B-listed property. Joni balked at the cost, but admits the house has regained its integrity. "I'm happy it's back to the way it was when I was a child," she says. Ultimately the reintroduction of individual rooms steered her plans for the house down a different path. Joni no longer lives here after some changes in her personal life. But rather than sell she chose to rent the Big Wooden House, and is increasingly finding that the country house experience and small weddings are perfectly suited to the property and its intimate spaces. Certainly the interior makes an elegant host. Oak floors were mercifully preserved below reams of 1970s carpeting and subsequently sanded and matt varnished. Oak for the stunning staircase (reclaimed from the 1922 Waterloo Bridge over the Thames) boasts carvings by commissioned artist Claud Gill. In the main living space, home to a grand piano, there's an original 1930s fireplace with aquamarine tiles, now fitted with a wood burner. Everything invites the prospect of a house full of guests, not least the original Aga in the otherwise refitted kitchen. While the house is available on a self-catering basis (accommodating groups of 12), events such as weddings and family gatherings can enlist the services of a personal chef. Two bedrooms are upstairs (Joni shopped at Arran Curtain House for high quality fabrics that contrast with the simple bed linens), as is a vast bathroom created during the renovations. "We don't have lots of en suites," explains Joni, "so we tend to attract groups who know each other." Most of the furniture was bought specifically for the house although some pieces had to be taken away when the walls were reinstated, as they no longer worked. Survivors include an antique dining table and a handmade oak coffee table in the living room. Joni is not a fan of littering an interior with unnecessary ornamental bits and bobs, so the house has a pared down elegance. Warmth is added by art, much of it by family members, displayed against walls painted in Farrow & Ball's "Lime White." "There's a real depth to their paints," says Joni, who used this shade throughout the house, except the dining room where guests love the warm red. The Big Wooden House is not Joni's only island jewel. When her sister found herself in a position to do so, she joined Joni in the purchase of an even larger house, the Big Beach House at Whiting Bay (www.bigbeachhouse.co.uk). It has since been revamped at some cost and is now also available for hire. Joni works hard to give guests at both properties a memorable experience and especially loves being part of the small weddings that find a natural home at the Big Wooden House. "It's a fully catered few days where the couple can spend time with the people closest to them," she says. A marquee in the grounds (1.3 acres bordering Brodick Golf Course) extends the options further. Joni bought this marquee from a couple who married here, and the property's large basement means it's easily stored. The grounds themselves have demanded a lot of attention - drainage alone ate into the budget - and the house requires constant maintenance. But then Joni always has a local tradesman on the end of the phone. She feels very much like a custodian of this home. "It's a special place and I'm happy to do my best for it," she says. The house costs £2000 per week, during the peak season, tel: 01770 700232, www.bigwoodenhouse.com