His Royal Highness

Designed by the brothers Adam and furnished by cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale, Dumfries House is considered the most gloriously intact 18th-century house in Scotland.

 The ceiling in the entrance hall features ornate plaster ornamentation; a mahogany-and-brass grand orrey is situated between Doric columns. The floors are stone.

 Upholstered in a custom-woven silk damask and positioned on a mid-18th-century Axminster carpet, the mahogany chairs and settee in the Blue Drawing Room were supplied by Chippendale in 1759; he also created the rare rosewood breakfront bookcase. The Murano-glass chandelier is original to Dumfries House, and the portraits are on loan from a private collector.

 In addition to Chippendale elbow chairs and card tables, the Family Parlor includes a camelback sofa by Peter and a harpsichord by Jacob Kirkman.

 Emblems of the harvest are carved into the paneling of the Pink Dining Room; the painting is by Venetian artist Jacopo Bassano, and the curtains are ornamented with antique tassels and trim.

Named for the extensive pewterware collection it once housed, the Pewter Corridor was added to the original structure by architect Robert Weir Schultz in the early 20th century. The space is made up of a series of elaborately painted domed niches, each separated by an archway.

 The chinoiserie mirrors in the Blue Drawing Room are by William Mathie, and the gilt-wood pier tables are the work of George Mercer.

Portraits fill the walls of a skylit gallery, which contains cockpen chairs (possibly by Chippendale) as well as Louis XVI–style gilt-wood armchairs by R. Whytock & Co.; traditional rush matting is scattered with small rugs.

A Christopher Moore printed linen, based on an 18th-century document, is used in this south-facing sitting room, which was decorated for the use of the Prince of Wales; the gilt-wood pier glass was made by Mathie in 1759, and the walls are painted with Farrow & Ball’s Vert de Terre.

 A team of 20 artisans restored the Chippendale four-post bed in the Family Bedroom; brilliant blue silk damask covers even the canopy’s cresting. Above the fireplace is a gilt-wood overmantel, also by Chippendale; Alexander Peter designed the bedside cupboards as well as the chair and stool, which retain their 18th-century floral tapestry covers.

Prince Charles Unveils Dumfries House 

Scotland’s most dazzling historic country house opens its doors after a rejuvenation spearheaded by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

 images via Architectural Digest