"A tiny stone home built by hand on a remote Scottish island has just been named Grand Designs House of the Year for 2025 and it's turned ideas about ambition and architecture on their head. Instead of glass palaces or dramatic loft conversions, this year's winner is modest, elemental and deeply shaped by its place, putting it firmly amongst Grand Design's best houses that we've ever seen."
"Judges from the Royal Institute of British Architects described the house as modest in size but "luxurious in its connection to the surrounding landscape", and said it appeared to grow from its site with a quiet confidence that belies its small footprint, meaning it was one of six nominees to get through from the first week on Grand Designs House of the Year."
"David Kohn, who chaired the RIBA jury, said the home tackled every challenge it faced - from climate to budget - with a "rare mixture of sensitivity and boldness", noting how its unconventional form recalls both ancient defensive structures and the local geology without ever feeling out of place."
Cnoc Na Craoibhe is a one-storey, roughly 85-square-metre stone house on a windswept headland on the Isle of Harris, clad in Lewisian gneiss sourced from the island's bedrock. The self-build was completed over 18 months by owners Eilidh Izat and Jack Arundell with a small crew, using local materials and manual labour so that every stone was carried into place. The design maximises space with an open-plan living area and large Atlantic-facing windows, creating calm and spaciousness. The house won Grand Designs House of the Year 2025 and received praise for sensitivity to climate, budget, landscape and local geology.
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