A Little bit of History

Bernat Klein was a Serbian-born textile designer whose exotic mohairs and tweeds put Scottish fashion on the map. 

The clothes he had seen in Scotland in the aftermath of war seemed to be mainly a dingy brown or green: “And that was just the women,” Klein recalled. “At least the men had their kilts, tartan ties and trews.” 

He was determined to make his adopted country a brighter place even though he could do nothing about his first impression which was of dread at the prospect of Scotland being very, very cold. He found that it actually was but this did not deter him from setting up his own business, drawing on his flair for colour to create the exotic tweed and mohair fabrics that would become his signature. 

His philosophy of his design was summed up in an extract from an interview “I think that colours are as important in our lives as words are... All my inspiration has always been derived from nature, what I see when I look out of my windows or walk down to the woods, where there is so much colour, even in winter”. 

It was this necessity to be at one with nature that in the early 1970’s Klein established an office and studio in the Scottish Borders just off the A707 just to the north of Selkirk. 

Although seemingly isolated the distinctive late Modernist structure in concrete, steel, brick and glass actually sits within short walking distance of High Sunderland, a low sprawling flat roofed single storey dwelling by the same Architect, Peter Womersley as Klein’s private residence.

The workspace can clearly be seen from the main road but its apparent abandonment and physical deterioration has led it to be added to the list of buildings in Scotland “at risk”. 

There has, to the credit of the current owners, been no lack of intention to bring the RIBA Award Winning Building into economic use since their acquisition in the year 2000. 

Any form of commercial occupation ended in the last years of the 20^th century when the premises were vacated by Scottish Enterprise Borders. 

Planning permission was granted in 2002 for change of use and conversion to a single dwelling although with many conditions attached to be expected of such an iconic design and the unusual attachment for such an era of building of Listed Status. 

The temptation to re-market and get rid no doubt crossed the mind of the current owners in the subsequent 17 years will have been overridden by the sheer pleasure of ownership of such an important structure. 

There have been setbacks with leaks through the flat roof and a devastating escape of water from pipework with the exposure to the harsh Borders autumn and winter climate. Moisture in its different forms poses the largest threat and in more recent years condensation and mould have taken their toll on the constructional elements. Parts of the external timber detail have also from exposure to weather deteriorated. 

Nevertheless the public interest remains strong and as recently as 2016 many took advantage of an open day to visit and experience the uniqueness. 

A range of photographs illustrates the impressive lines of the former offices and studio but here is a bit of the “at risk” register entry.

Late Modernist styled 2-storey rectangular-plan concrete and glazed studio space set on brick plinth with cantilevered overhanging upper floor, entrance bridge to side and central brick service core through to roof. Deep concrete beams to sides, 4 main columns; large pane anodised aluminium framed glazing to ends, heavy metal framed balcony railings, mitred frameless glazing to corners. The contrasting structural elements of bold horizontal cantilevered striated concrete join with finely framed vertical glazing to illustrate a monumental sensibility executed with sophistication and with great attention to detail.

The horizontality of the main structure is neatly punctuated by the vertical brick service core extending onto the roof space and the bridge at first floor level linked to raised ground to the N anchors the studio to the site. 

The building was designed to connect harmoniously with its setting on the sloping wooded site; the severe profile of the concrete elements succeed in contrasting with the verticals of the trees around it.

The statement expressed by the workspace which was also used by Bernat Klein for weaving ,as a gallery and meeting rooms was the perfect advertisement for his own striking and individual design output as shown by the following product catalogue picture.

The Architect, Peter Womersley, attributed his original decision to go into the profession to the influential work of the great American visionary Frank Lloyd Wright. 

The design of the Bernat Klein Studio does in some respects pay homage to Fallingwater, a house that Lloyd Wright built between 1936 and 1939 over a waterfall in southwest Pennsylvania. It instantly became famous and today is a National Historic Landmark. 

With a bit of luck, as certainly the intention cannot be faulted this building may soon come off the “at risk” category and be given a new energy and vitality.