Inside the West End pad named Scotland's Home of the Year

Hugh Berry’s plush property in Park Terrace was named Scotland’s Home of the Year in the finale of the BBC Scotland series last night.

The beautifully restored Victorian conversion faced tough competition from eight other finalists in Kelso, Angus, Orkney, Perthshire, Sutherland, Edinburgh, Seamill, and Stornoway.

But it was ultimately Hugh who impressed judges, renowned interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones, architect Michael Angus and lifestyle blogger Kate Spiers, with his 1850 West End haven which he has restored back to its former glory.

READ MORE: Inside the posh West End pad which is on sale for just under half a million pounds

The interior designer said: “I was absolutely blown away to win and was not expecting to be crowned the winner of this year’s Scotland’s Home of the Year. This is a great memory that will be with me for a very long time.

“I’ve been doing interiors for just over seven years and, to date, this has been the biggest award. It’s like winning an Academy Award after being a struggling actor all your life!”

READ MORE: Inside the almost half a million pound property which is seven miles from Glasgow city centre

Hugh grew up in the city’s East End before leaving Glasgow for London, where he lived for 36 years, to pursue employment.

He moved back home around four ago to snap up the property, which was once owned by famous Govan shipbuilder William Pearce - and since then he hasn’t looked back.

The former welder said: “I grew up in the East End of Glasgow. and recently someone asked me how I got into interiors, and I remember I had a history teacher Mr Clarke at St Roch's, he was the most fabulous history teacher.

"He was so passionate about history and he said: 'Come on kids get your coats on we are going for a walk'.

"He would take us all around Glasgow and show us the architecture. Back in the day a lot of the buildings were black because of the soot, and you couldn't see the detail. But he would point up, talking about the architect and all of that.

"He really lit me up. He is one of those teachers who was just magical. He took me to the Park area where I live now and as a kid seeing all this lit me up. I am now very much into interiors and architecture.

"I used to drive my mum nuts. She would leave for work and warn, 'when I come home I want my living room to be in the same room'. Soon as she was out the door I was always changing things around so I started very young."

Intricate gold designs on the ceilings and elsewhere is one of the features that instantly stands out in the property. And it is a design feature which Hugh, who is also a gilder by trade, worked tirelessly to showcase.

He said: “When I bought the flat, a lot of the detail on the ceiling in the living room was broken because it had not been touched.

“I didn’t have the money to get someone else into to do it so I did it myself by making little moulds and things.

“I put it all back together and painted it gold which took about six weeks.”

He added: "My budget for my home, I didn't have a big budget at all even though people will walk in and think I have spent tens of thousands on it.

"Most of it I did myself because I know how to buy things. I went to a lot of charity shops and I went to the Great Western Auction House.

"A lot of the old-style furniture you can pick up there. The quality is exclusive because back in the day it was made by carpenters and joiners, it was made to last."

Hugh's home, which was a townhouse converted into apartments in 1948, spans across the ground floor and features a unique Rotunda area.

Living in the property is something Hugh is proud of and with the pride, he has taken in paying tribute to its past, he is clearly a worthy winner.

He said: "When I moved into my home it was in very desperate need of refurbishment. Once I started, I uncovered its hidden secrets like the original wall friezes, together with small details of original gold leaf works. I wanted to give back to this building much of its lost style from yesteryear so that I - and all who come after me - can appreciate this style. It was important to me to preserve a small part of our amazing design heritage that sadly seems to be disappearing all too fast and once gone, it’s gone forever."

Scotland’s Home of the Year, the full ten-part series, made by IWC Media (a Banijay Group company) for BBC Scotland, is available to view on BBC iPlayer.

A third series is expected to return next year.