Inside the amazing 60s bungalow near Glasgow up for Scotland's Home of the Year

A ONE-of-a-kind family bungalow in Milngavie is in with a chance of being crowned Scotland’s Home of the Year.

Anna McClelland and Harry Kinloch bought the house in 2011, although initially, Harry was not convinced.

“He thought it was the ugliest house he’d ever seen when I showed him the pictures,” says Anna, with a laugh.

“We’d been living in the West End, but we were going to have a baby and needed more space. We never really intended to move to the suburbs, but when I spotted this house, I could see its potential.

“And it was really the view that swung it. We’re on top of a hill, and the views are just beautiful.”

The Glasgow School of Art graduates, who now have two daughters – Lexie, 11, and nine-year-old Marley – say they used the 1960s bungalow renovation as an outlet for their creativity.

“Neither of us have arty jobs, really – I work in a school and a supermarket, and Harry works for City and Guilds,” says Anna.

“We have similar tastes, so we tend to come up with ideas and take a chance on them.”

The house is full of character, with interesting and colourful artworks on the walls (“some of the painting-y ones are mine, there’s stuff by our friends, things the kids have done and just bits and pieces we have collected over the years,” says Anna).

Twice-extended, it makes use of reclaimed materials, natural light and clever decorating techniques.

One of Anna’s favourite finds is the recycled school gym floor, complete with coloured markings.

“The floor is great – so practical,” says Anna. “It’s beautiful beech wood and instead of sanding it all down, I really wanted to keep the paint.

“It’s hard to try and do something unique – I mean, everything has been done before, hasn’t it? – so it’s just about making your own version of something.

“And I just loved the colours of the painted lines, so we kept it all.”

Decorating the quirky home is an ongoing process, admits Anna.

Since filming, she has added gold leaf to the skylight recesses in her kitchen, and turned her attention to the garden.

“We’ve also put in a proper ping pong table,” she says, smiling. “We’ll probably keep adding bits and pieces and changing things – my style is quite maximalist, as you can see….”

Each homeowner in the programme has to leave a little wooden heart in their favourite spot for the judges – Anna Campbell Jones, Banjo Beale and Danny Campbell - to find.

“Ours was a bit last minute, to be honest, but it’s true that my favourite spot is just inside the front door where you can see through to the garden,” says Anna.

“Originally, before we did the renovations, when you came in the door the first thing you saw was the toilet, and that drove me mad. Why would you want the toilet to be the first thing you see?”

She adds, laughing: “So I do really love the fact it’s now opened up and really light and bright.”

The bungalow is up against a lower conversion in Helensburgh and a larch-clad house in Dunlop for the West heat of SHOTY, which will be shown on Monday (May 6).

Applications for series seven are now being sought – you can apply here.

Being involved in the show has been a fun experience, says Anna.

“I thought the girls might be horrified, but it was really interesting having the production team in the house and chatting to them about the different jobs they do,” she says.

“They made us feel really comfortable. We didn’t really get to meet the judges, and I have no idea what they thought.”

She grimaces. “So it might not be as fun watching it on TV," she says. "It’s probably going to be a bit weird, seeing your home through other people’s eyes, but I don’t really mind if other people don’t like it.”

Scotland’s Home of the Year is on BBC One Scotland on Monday, May 6, from 8.30pm.