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Iwan and Manuela Wirth with two dogs in the woods Exterior of the Fife Arms hotel looking down on to the Clunie Water The entrance to the garden from the Fife Arms hotel A river winds through a rocky shoreline surrounded by dense green trees, with mountains rising in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
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A corner of a bed with a bedside table, lamp and red furnishings
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The entrance and chalkboard menu at Gordon's Tea Room Elsa's Cocktail Bar during the day, a large window in the centre, pink bar stools on the right next to the cocktail bar. A waitress shaking up a cocktail in Elsa's Cocktail Bar A Sunday roast on a table at The Clunie Dining Room A dram of whisky in Bertie's Whisky Bar
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A painting by Lucien Freud hung on an orange wall in the hotel reception The Richard Jackson 'Red Deer Chandelier' on view in the hotel reception A landscape drawing by James Prosek who was one of our first artists in residence Circle Of Pieter Brueghel The Younger (1564 – 1636) in painted room with tables and chairs
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A wild swimmer in the river Dee A Birdseye view of the river dee in Braemar, Aberdeenshire
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Drone shot of the exterior of the fife arms hotel, with mountains in the background
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Summer view of the Cairngorms National Park with heather hills in the foreground

Our Braemar Story

A Dream of Restoration

Iwan and Manuela standing together in a woodland

We came to Braemar for the very first time in 2010 and, like generations of travellers before us, fell instantly and incurably in love with the landscape and the light of the Cairngorms. We were welcomed by a community that shared important information, local lore and no small amount of wonderfully wry humour. We were hooked.

Upon learning about the distinguished history of the old Fife Arms as a town centrepiece dating to the Victorian era, we began dreaming about restoring this once-grand hotel to its status as a landmark destination.

We envisioned a place that would both enchant visitors and be central to the daily life of Braemar citizens - a place shaped by our belief in the power of local communities to act as extended families, our trust in nature's power to sustain us, our sense of responsibility to to respect and preserve the landscape and our certainty in the transformative power of art.

We Got To Work

For more than five years we poured our hearts into reshaping The Fife Arms. Our principal collaborators win this dream were our long-term interior design partner, Russell Sage Studio, and the amazing Jane Raven. But the Fife was ultimately renewed through the labour and love of dozens of local businesses, historians, craftspeople, artists and artisans from Aberdeenshire. Using local materials and unique Highland building techniques, they helped us create something that could only exist in Braemar.

Local historians were our tutors, longtime residents our touchstones, area experts our partners. The lore they shared shaped the selection of artworks and artefacts – thousands of them! – that fill the rooms and public spaces of the Fife Arms hotel today.

As gallery owners who have devoted our lives to art, we were fortunate to be able to bring wonderful works by some of the twentieth and twenty-first century's greatest artists to the Fife Arms, including works made especially for the hotel. These have acquired added meaning now that they live at the Fife Arms in juxtaposition with wonderful works by local Aberdeenshire artists.

The Fife Arms is a World Enclosed

It is a place to get lost indoors – in the thousands of art objects and natural specimens, the delicious food that changes with the seasons, the sumptuous but playfully designed bedrooms and suites, and the lively fireside and barstool conversations that are as long and beguiling as the walks foe which Scots are duly famed.

But in the end, the magic of the Fife Arms’ interior draws most of all from the world outside; the flora, fauna and exquisite natural landscape of Scotland are at the heart of everything at the hotel.

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Worker with ear defenders sanding down a tree trunk
Fife Arms hotel exterior taken through green trees

Inspiration

From the colours in the tartans in our decor, to the ingredients in Albamhor specially made for our guest rooms and Treatment Rooms, every detail inside the Fife Arms was designed to express the enchantment of the Scottish landscape.

The Fife Arms restoration was a massive collaborative effort and we are deeply grateful to every individual who participated. First and foremost, we thank the people of Braemar for their enthusiastic support. We also thank the many artists who came to Scotland from nearby and as far away as Argentina, China, India and the United States to create new works for the hotel. We are so proud to be able to share with you the story of how this great hotel has entered its next chapter.

Iwan and Manuela Wirth

Bridge over the river dee with autumnal trees on either side.

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