Scottish woman building Pink Floyd-inspired musical getaway in Blairgowrie

Maddie Thomson, who grew up on a farm in Blairgowrie but now lives in Edinburgh, quit her career in digital marketing to help her parents with their business. 

“Their nearing retirement age and want to wind down the farm but it hasn’t been doing so well”, Thomson, 30, told The National. 

“I basically came on board to help my parents look at what we could do in the future for the farm and we were looking at tourism-related projects.”

Eventually, an Airbnb email found its way into Thomson’s inbox offering her a chance to compete for The OMG Fund.

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It grants $100,000 to individuals to bring their unique rental concepts to life and Thomson says she’s the only known winner in Scotland. 

She explained: “Airbnb have been really pushing this these last two years. It’s about having a unique element so there was a few rounds with it but the initial one was just a written concept for your ‘crazy’ idea.

“I got through that round and then there was a few more where I had to submit photos or diagrams of what it would look like along with budget and timelines. Eventually I got into the final and won.”

She says she has received about two-thirds of the funding thus far, having just received planning permission from Perth & Kinross Council. 

Thomson has been working with Mills Architects to bring the incredible design to life. 

So, what makes Thomson’s design unique? 

Inspired by Pink Floyd’s iconic 1973 album The Dark Side Of The Moon, the getaway will be intended for music lovers. 

“It will be a mirrored pyramid structure and guests will be able to see out of glass and immerse themselves in the nature. 

“I think nowadays it’s hard to go away and listen to a full album without getting distracted so it’s giving people that chance to come away”, Thomson explained. 

In keeping with the Pink Floyd theme, the home will also feature an iconic rainbow slide as an exit. 

An impression of what the inside of the house will look like (Image: Maddie Thomson)

Although she says that Airbnb have a tight deadline of August and though Thomson isn’t certain the project will be completed by then, she hopes it wouldn’t be long after that it would be available. 

The property will have one circular bed and will be able to house two guests. 

She continued: “My dad likes Pink Floyd so the design came to me quite quickly and I entered the competition thinking nothing of it. I don’t have a background in architecture so this was a bit of a baptism of fire." 

How will this help the farm in the long-term? 

The farm in Blairgowrie has been growing soft fruits and berries for over 100 years although a recent rise in costs led to the need for diversification. 

Thomson hopes this could be the beginning of something more long-term.

The house is surrounded by the beautiful Scottish countryside (Image: Maddie Thomson)

“Our farm is on a beautiful site so it is a nice place to come and visit and the thing is with it being such a unique space, we hope this could be a catalyst for more things on site. 

“Guests will be able to relax and listen to their favourite music while surrounded by the Scottish wilderness.

“This could maybe be the main feature and we can start to expand out from that in the future perhaps.”