HERITAGE groups have joined forces in a last-ditch bid to save the run-down studio of a renowned textile designer who made the Borders his home.
Bernat Klein, the Serbian-born designer who died in 2014, collaborated with major European fashion houses such as Dior.
Nestled beside the A707 between Galashiels and Selkirk, the Category-A Listed Bernat Klein Studio is a striking piece of late Modernist architecture by Peter Womersley, built in 1972 as a creative hub for Klein.
The building’s owners have put the studio up for auction at a bargain price of £18,000.
Now Scottish Heritage Building Trust (SHT) has joined forces with the National Trust Scotland and the Bernat Klein Foundation, with support from The National Lottery [[Heritage]] Fund Scotland, in a bid to save the building from ruin and bring it back into public and community use.
The venture has also garnered the support of Scottish Borders Council.
A spokesperson for SHBT said: “Our organisations have been working behind the scenes for several years to try to find a way forward for one of Scotland’s most important twentieth-century buildings.
“Now, with the Category A-Listed studio set to be sold by public auction at the end of the month, we have launched a coalition project aimed at purchasing and restoring the building alongside a programme of public engagement.
“The first priority is to secure ownership of the property and prevent further deterioration. We are delighted that support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund gives the coalition the confidence to back a competitive bid for the building and have a plan for much-needed emergency repairs.
“To give us the best chance of success in acquiring the building at auction, SHBT is launching an urgent fundraising appeal to raise as much support as possible.
“It is estimated the full cost of restoration undertaken by specialists could exceed £2.5 – £3 million. If successful in purchasing the building, SHBT will oversee the delivery of a repair and restoration project working with the National Trust for Scotland and a range of conservation and architectural specialists.
“Once complete, it is intended the building will provide a permanent base in the Scottish Borders for the Bernat Klein Foundation as a new venue to inspire creative arts in the Scottish Borders.”
Conceived as both a working studio and exhibition space, it celebrated the intersection of industrial craftsmanship and artistic vision.
It is a two‑storey concrete and brick structure with powerful horizontal cantilevers, wide frameless glazing, and a brick-clad central service core – housing stairs, kitchen, and toilets – to free up the perimeter for workspaces and storage.
Influenced by Wright’s Fallingwater and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, it has been described as a “modernist masterpiece of structural elegance integrated into its wooded landscape” but has been in a state of decline for more than 20 years.
David Robertson, chief executive, Scottish Borders Council, said: “Peter Womersley’s Bernat Klein Studio is a proud part of our architectural heritage in the Scottish Borders.
“We are fortunate to have so many of his buildings in our area. Given this importance, we have been encouraging a sustainable long-term solution for Womersley’s Bernat Klein Studio, located between Selkirk and Galashiels, for some time.
“We are delighted to support this coalition of heritage and arts bodies who offer an exciting future for this building which will strengthen not only our local heritage but provide new creative and economic opportunities for our region.”
Donations and pledges of support for the campaign to acquire and restore Bernat Klein Studio can also be made directly to Scottish Historic Buildings Trust through Millie Leadbetter-Wilcock, millie@shbt.org.uk, 0131 220 1232.
The property is being auctioned by Savills.
