The key to the secret room is hidden in a little clock at the reception desk, after which you observe the markings of a camellia – Chanel’s signature flower – to the room. On the door, you’ll discover a quote by Winston Churchill: “Coco fishes from morn till night,” which he wrote to his spouse, Clementine, in 1927. Once inside, the room is small, however Chanel is in all places: There are specifically commissioned tweed materials in greens and burgundy from Linton mill, with whom Chanel began working again in 1928 and with whom the model continues to share a particular relationship. The designer additionally disliked doorways and would place screens in entrance of them, in the hope that her company may overlook to go away. The entry into the mirrored walk-in wardrobe, due to this fact, is hidden behind screens. Meanwhile, the wheatsheaf chandelier and Art Deco self-importance mirror are inspired by Chanel’s 31 Rue Cambon house in Paris. The headboard and furnishings all through the room are painted in Scottish Chinoiserie, and the wallpaper is a copy of the wallpaper from Rosehall House, the Scottish manor home close to Lairg, which she embellished throughout her relationship with the Duke. Books on Chanel are scattered round, and inside an alcove in the bed room sits a beautiful freestanding copper tub.
The verdict
Staying at the Fife Arms feels such as you’re dwelling partly in a museum, half artwork gallery, and completely in a world unto its personal. The artwork and antiques are the essential present, however equally thrilling are Bertie’s Bar, the place extra than 500 bottles of whisky are superbly lit and displayed. Twenty minutes away, past Balmoral, is the couple’s wonderful seafood restaurant, The Fish Shop, which Conde Nast Traveller UK named one in all the high new eating places of 2023.