TV designer Banjo Beale is converting Ulva mansion into a boutique hotel

Banjo Beale, the 2022 winner of the BBC’s Interior Design Masters, and his husband, Ro, are converting a derelict Grade B‑listed mansion on the small Hebridean island of Ulva into a seven‑bedroom boutique hotel, a project featured in a new six‑part series airing on BBC Scotland. The couple secured a rent and repair lease on the property, which was derelict when they found it; Banjo says the building “has good bones.” Ulva, across a narrow strait from the Isle of Mull, was the subject of a community buyout after going on the market in 2018.

The island, 7.5 miles long by 2.5 miles wide, had a population of 570 in 1841 and fell to just three adults and two children by 2015; numbers have since risen to 16, with a long‑term target of 50. Beale and Ro, who have been camping out during the refurbishment, are also behind The Boathouse restaurant on Ulva, which they took on last summer with a business partner, Sam.

Their approach to the mansion mixes “arrested decay” preservation with eclectic interiors: the restoration includes a mural by Melissa Wickham, a palm‑fringed reception, and an opulent library bar assembled from reclaimed pieces Banjo has collected. The hotel is due to open later in the year and will operate seasonally, with Ro doing the cooking; until then visitors can use two off‑grid bothies and a revamped hostel on the island.

Key Topics

Culture, Banjo Beale, Ulva, Ulva House, The Boathouse, Community Buyout