The Making of Corr Cabins: An Interview with Adam Storey

Based in Leith, Edinburgh, Adam Storey and his team at Corr have been building expertly crafted hospitality cabins across the world for the past six years. Whilst everyday life can be chaotic, Corr Cabins offer a real escape into nature. Their serene settings and minimalistic interiors provide visitors with an inherent sense of peace and belonging, like a home away from home. As soon as we discovered their stunning cabin at Monachyle Mhor Hotel, we knew we had to find out more about the creator and the story behind their spaces.

I've always been creative, but I didn't necessarily think I'd become a designer. Like a lot of people, I probably started out wanting to be an artist, but design felt like a more practical way to channel that creativity into a career. The real turning point came before university when I had the opportunity to live and work in London. A friend’s family were hospitality operators, so I was able to experience some of London's best restaurants and see how they worked from an operator's perspective. That made me realise there was far more to great design than just the interior. It was about building an experience through lots of different touchpoints. Working for an interior design and architecture practice at the same time opened my mind to how those environments were created. That's what really spurred me on and got me excited about pursuing a degree and career in it.

It was an incredibly exciting place to be. Shoreditch was full of independent galleries, artist studios, fashion brands, music venues and creative businesses. There was a real energy about it, and it felt like everyone was building something new. Being surrounded by that environment reinforced the value of collaboration. You were constantly exposed to different disciplines and different ways of thinking, and that naturally influenced how I approached projects. When I later founded S+Co, I wanted to create a studio that brought together experts from different disciplines into one collective. Today we have a team of architecture, interior and brand specialists working together and bringing their own unique perspectives to each project.

While I was living in London, I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in Sweden visiting my girlfriend's family just outside Gothenburg. I spent many summers travelling between Gothenburg and Stockholm, experiencing that rural, timber-clad way of living first-hand. It wasn't just the architecture that interested me, it was how people lived, how they socialised, their relationship with nature, and the culture in the cities as well. As I started working more in Scotland, I realised it is almost like the Scandinavia of the UK, with its lochs, forests, wilderness and cultural connection to the outdoors. That became one of the reasons it appealed to me as somewhere to build a life.

Living here over the last twenty years, I’ve seen Scotland embrace a more Scandinavian approach to design. There is a timeless simplicity to it I admire: honest, natural materials, beautifully crafted, but never trying too hard. Historically, Scottish architecture has always been quite functional, almost raw. The Scandinavian influence adds a layer of refinement and sophistication while holding onto the same essence of minimal beauty. Some people refer to it as a Scandi-Scot aesthetic, but I think it’s more than that; it's an attitude towards the environment and how you choose to live. 

Life Story came from travelling around Europe and coming back to Edinburgh feeling there was room for a different kind of lifestyle store. We wanted to create somewhere that celebrated beautifully designed objects, but also the stories behind them, who designed them, where they came from and why we loved them. It was a rare opportunity to become the client ourselves. We designed the space, curated the products and built the whole experience from the ground up. It taught us an enormous amount about retail, hospitality and creating experiences for people. Looking back, it was a hugely important chapter because it reinforced how powerful storytelling can be in shaping the way people connect with a place or a brand.

S+Co is really the creative engine behind Corr - our brand, interiors and architectural teams all contribute to developing the cabins, whether that's the brand itself, the interiors or continually evolving the product. Corr gives us the opportunity to apply everything we've learned through years of hospitality projects into something we've created ourselves. The two businesses naturally feed into one another, and that's what makes the relationship work so well. Ultimately, the two businesses share the same ethos which is all about thoughtful hospitality design that makes people feel something.

I think the idea came from a real mix of life experiences. As a child I spent a lot of time being towed around in the back of the car, sleeping in caravans, jumping between small boats and dinghies, and generally spending a lot of time outdoors. Those experiences gave me an appreciation for how small, compact spaces can feel incredibly comforting and exciting when they’re well designed. Later, my growing interest in Scandinavian design began to connect with those memories. I was drawn to the way Scandinavian cabins used natural timber, careful craftsmanship and a strong connection to the landscape to create spaces that felt both practical and beautiful.

Just before Covid, we were also looking closely at modular construction and how hospitality was changing. We saw an opportunity to create something quite different: a beautifully crafted, compact hotel room that could be manufactured off-site and delivered into remote, extraordinary landscapes with minimal impact. At that point there were very few people approaching cabins in that way, particularly with a focus on design quality and hospitality experience, so we decided to develop the product ourselves. 

We build them using homegrown timber, from Scottish larch to Douglas fir, and we've always favoured finishes that weather naturally over time. Our black-stained and charred timber might sound like a bold choice, but it actually sits very comfortably within the landscape, almost disappearing into its surroundings.

The way the cabins are built is just as important. Because they're technically mobile units, we can use lightweight footings rather than traditional foundations. That allows us to place them in much more remote locations with less impact on the land, letting the landscape recover and grow around them rather than permanently changing it. Inside, the defining feature is the picture window. We position the king-size bed directly alongside it because we want guests to feel connected to the landscape at every moment. Whether it's beautiful sunshine or wild winter storms outside, you still feel part of that experience while enjoying the comfort of being inside.

Over the past six years we've continually refined how we design and build the cabins. They're manufactured off-site in a controlled workshop environment using Scottish timber wherever possible alongside natural materials such as hemp insulation from the Borders. Building this way gives us exceptional quality control while reducing waste and minimising disruption on site. We've built a fantastic network of suppliers and craftspeople who have helped us continually improve the product, and it's been exciting to see the cabins installed everywhere from remote parts of Scotland to projects in France and Sweden.

Spending time outdoors gives you a real appreciation for simplicity, functionality and feeling connected to your surroundings. Those principles naturally shape how we design. Ultimately, we're trying to help people slow down, spend time in nature and enjoy these landscapes in a different way.

Shared values are probably the most important thing.We're always looking to work with people who genuinely care about hospitality and understand the importance of creating experiences rather than simply adding accommodation. The best collaborations happen when everyone shares the same ambition - to create something that reflects the landscape, celebrates the local culture and gives guests a genuine sense of place.

They’re exciting because they're about much more than designing cabins. You're thinking about how people arrive, how the site operates, how construction happens in remote locations and how every part of the guest experience fits together. That's where our experience across hospitality, branding, interiors and architecture all comes together. There's also a real responsibility to protect what makes these places special. We want to create memorable experiences for people to enjoy for generations, while leaving as light a footprint as possible, both environmentally and culturally.

One project I'm particularly excited about is seeing one of our bespoke cabins and saunas head to Sweden. Considering Scandinavia was such a big inspiration behind Corr, that feels like a real full-circle moment.

Longer term, the ambition has always been to create our own destination - a place where we can bring together everything we've learned through S+Co and Corr into one complete hospitality experience. We're always looking for partners who share that vision and want to bring their own expertise - whether that’s wellness, food & beverage, sport or lifestyle - to creating something really special.

A huge thank you to Adam for taking the time to talk with us. If you dream of building your own wilderness escape, find inspiration over on the Corr Cabin Instagram, and don't forget to tag us in your adventures!