Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) has joined forces with the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and the Bernat Klein Foundation (BKF) to restore one of Scotland’s most significant modernist buildings – the Bernat Klein Studio – and bring it back into public and community use.
Designed in 1972 by celebrated modernist architect Peter Womersley and inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, the Studio is a Category A Listed building and a striking example of post-war architecture. Once the beating heart of the Scottish Borders’ textile industry, it was where renowned designer Bernat Klein (1922–2014) created internationally acclaimed collections for fashion houses such as Chanel and Dior.
Bernat Klein was a textile designer and artist born in Serbia, but his heart – and life’s work – was in Galashiels. In 1956, as his business grew, Klein moved into Netherdale’s High Mill (Galashiels), now home to Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design – one of the oldest textiles teaching schools in the world. He made the town his home and creative base, founding his company Colourcraft and helping to establish Galashiels’ global reputation for innovative textile design.
Despite its importance, the building has been on the Buildings at Risk Register since 2002 and is currently in a severely dilapidated state. A 2023 condition survey commissioned by Scottish Borders Council revealed widespread damage caused by prolonged vacancy, water ingress, and vandalism.
The estimated cost of full restoration by heritage specialists is projected at £2.5–£3 million.
The SBHT and their coalition partners have successfully purchased the Bernat Klein Studio at auction for the sum of £279,000. The first priorty is to undertake much-needed emergency repairs, before the work begins to develop a full restoration project to return the building to use.
A Crowdfunder will be open for one week and everything received will go towards the repair and restoration costs.
Image: Bernat Klein Studio by Peter Womersley, 1972. © Arup Partners – Bernat Klein Foundation
