The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle has just welcomed its most exciting member yet: a luxurious treehouse nestled in the woods with interiors that wow The former Highland estate of the 19th century industrialist Andrew Carnegie – once the world’s wealthiest man – has for the past 30 years been home to The Carnegie Club, Scotland’s most exclusive private members’ club, comprising a honeyed sandstone baronial castle set in 8,000 acres of parkland and forests on the outskirts of Dornoch. Its inner workings are a closely guarded secret, its membership list strictly under wraps, and there’s a waiting list to join. We asked nicely if we could venture deep into the woods to meet its newest arrival, the Treehouse at The Carnegie Club, and the club graciously agreed to show us round. Treehouse is obviously an understatement; this is no hastily erected shack. “You’re not the first person to suggest that term doesn’t quite do it justice,” smiles Gary Gruber, managing director of The Carnegie Club. The structure, custom-built by the specialist treehouse company Blue Forest, together with Compass Building and Construction Services, is perched on slender stilts that mimic the topography of the surrounding ancient Caledonian pine trees. “We wanted to try to centralise all the things that we can do,” explains Gary. For example, parents may want to play a few rounds of golf on the championship course at the other side of Skibo while the kids hang out at the treehouse, participating in one or two activities nearby before meeting for lunch on the terrace. “It allows all age groups to do multiple different activities throughout the course of any given day and makes the logistics of everything so much easier,” he adds. The Edinburgh-based interior designer Claire Welsh was tasked with developing a distinctive style for the Treehouse while ensuring it had a high-end aesthetic consistent with the rest of the club. Claire, who worked for Colefax & Fowler for 12 years before establishing her own business in 2022, had already helped on other projects on the estate, including the golf clubhouse and spa, so she was fluent in the club’s visual language. But this particular project was next-level. “It was a true oneoff and fantastic to work with visionary clients and such a talented project team of architects, engineers and craftsmen,” she says. The views, as you might expect, are outstanding. Through the branches of the tall trees you see moors carpeted with heather and shimmering lochs. It’s not unusual to spot red squirrels scampering about. “It just feels like an entirely different world to the castle and the golf course, despite only being a few minutes away by car,” says Gary. An open-plan, double-height room with a magnificent vaulted ceiling forms the main gathering space at the heart of the Treehouse. The walls and floor are entirely lined in timber. “We wanted to create a warm, enveloping environment to add to that magical feeling of being immersed in nature,” explains Claire “The members have really embraced spending time up here,” says Gary. And who can blame them? The Carnegie Club Skibo Castle e. membership@carnegieclub.co.uk | t. 01862 894 600 Visit the Carnegie Club website | Follow The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle on Instagram Fancy seeing more behind the scenes? Click below to learn about the intricacies of creating wall coverings.