National Trust for Scotland : The Hill House

Hill House is one of the most approachable of Mackintosh’s buildings, as it is one you can relate to on a very human scale. It was a commission for a family home, and consequently it’s not as large as some of his other works. What is so astonishing is how contemporary the rooms still look today, a testament to the enduring quality of Mackintosh’s designs.
The highlight for me is the downstairs lounge with its large window alcove — it’s just a fantastic room to be in and really demonstrates that first and foremost, this was a family home that was meant to be lived in.
The boy’s bedroom with its under-​stair toy cupboard-​cum-​den is also great. How I would have loved a room like that as a child!
The upstairs rooms are largely given over to Trust displays and exhibitions about the house, Mackintosh and his work. The displays about the choices of shapes and colours used are particularly interesting and give an insight into the design ethos that underlies all of Mackintosh’s work — an approach that today we could call nothing less than holistic.
There are two NT shops as well, one selling (as you would expect) Mackintosh-​themed designs; the other more select artisanal and designer wares.