The Scotsman

Edinburgh architect Adrian Welch and his family were luckier than most when it came to creating their ideal home. Rather than one enclosed space, they have the run of an open-plan L-shaped floor area that comprises three rooms in one - a walk-through kitchen, a dining room and a living room - so it was never going to feel cramped. "At one end there's a large swing-out window, and on a summer night it's really nice to sit in our living room and watch the kids playing in the play area outside," he says. "We face due west, so we get some lovely sunsets." The house was designed in 1964 by architects Campbell Arnott, a well-established Edinburgh practice best-known for its work in Leith and for the Saltyre Court development overlooking Edinburgh Castle.